Neighborhood Stability Coordinator
The Neighborhood Stability Coordinator assists all Salem residents regardless of income, Housing instability can take several forms: homelessness; housing cost burden; evictions and other forced moves; living with family or friends to share housing costs (doubling up); overcrowding; and living in substandard, poor-quality housing. In conjunction with Salem's Housing Stability drop-in hours and hotline, the Neighborhood Stability Coordinator is available by appointment and accepts referrals for all types of housing situations including evictions (pre-court), housing search and applications, problems with subsidies, landlord/tenant issues/questions, and shelter access.
Finding Affordable Housing
Affordable housing is generally considered to be rental or owner-occupied housing in which total housing costs are between 30% and 40% of a household’s gross income. To apply for affordable housing programs, households must be income eligible. Income eligibility may vary depending on the type of affordable housing. Many affordable housing programs base income eligibility on Area Median Income (AMI) standards. You can find an AMI chart here. Generally, there are two kinds of Affordable rental housing: “shallow” subsidies and “deep” subsidies.
- Shallow subsidies refer to affordable housing programs in which the rent is fixed below the market rate but does not fluctuate with the household’s income, meaning the rent amount stays the same regardless of any income changes. These opportunities are typically available for low-to-moderate-income households.
- Deep subsidies refer to affordable housing programs in which the rent is calculated as a percentage of the tenants' income, usually around 30%, meaning the rent can go up or down if the tenants’ income fluctuates. Deep subsidies are typically available for extremely low, very low, and low-income households and are most generally found in public housing or voucher-based programs such as the Section 8 program.
- Federal Public Housing application here
- The state public housing application is now called the Common Housing Application for Massachusetts Public Housing (CHAMP). You can now apply for state public housing through the CHAMP website. You can select all housing authorities you are interested in applying to, but it is recommended that you only apply to towns and cities you are willing to live in. Apply here.
Salem Housing Authority
Salem Housing Authority provides subsidized housing for eligible low and moderate-income families and the elderly. To determine if you are income eligible for the state and federal public housing program, view the guidelines here. For the Section 8 income guidelines, click here. Please note there are different immigration eligibility criteria for state and federal housing programs, including public housing. Certain federal housing programs require certain types of recognized immigration status. Eligibility for state public housing does not include any immigration restrictions; households may apply regardless of immigration status. SHA offers emergency status for eligible households applying for public housing who are homeless or at risk of homelessness due to certain reasons. The eligibility criteria for emergency status slightly differ between state and federal public housing, please see below:
| State Public Housing Emergency Priority | Federal Public Housing Emergency Preference |
|---|---|
| Displaced by Natural Forces, such as a fire, earthquake, or flood | Displaced from federally subsidized units by Hurricane Katrina or by Fire or Natural Forces, such as a fire, earthquake, or flood |
| Displaced by Public Action, such as the building of a low-rent public housing project, urban renewal project, or public sum clearance | Displaced by Public Action |
| Displaced by landlord Action, such as no-fault eviction | Displaced due to Code Enforcement |
| Displaced by Acute Medical Emergency | A. Displaced due to No Fault Eviction B. Displaced due to Domestic Violence |
| Displaced by Abusive Situation | C. Displaced due to Medical Emergency |
- Use the EOHLC housing locator tool for housing resources outside of Salem
- Mass Access Housing Registry is a free online program that matches people with disabilities with accessible housing in the community.
- The Housing Navigator is a nonprofit search engine for Affordable housing
- MassHousing search tool for MassHousing-financed properties
Currently, as soon as an eviction case is filed in Court, regardless of whether the case is for fault or no-fault, and prior to any hearings before a judge and regardless of the outcome, this eviction information is available to the public online. Landlords often search eviction records themselves or hire screening services to do so. This can be devastating for those looking for new housing. In addition, landlords and/or their attorneys often name minor children in eviction cases, and these children then have a court record of eviction regardless of age and despite not being a party to the tenancy. For more information on how publicly available eviction court record information that is harming tenants and exacerbating the housing crisis, visit Evicted for Life Report released by Massachusetts Law Reform Institute.
For more information contact Lori Stewart, Neighborhood Stability Coordinator, at (978) 619-5600 or lstewart@salem.com
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 Viviendas multifamiliar privadas en Salem con apartamentos asequibles | 155.68 KB |
| Privately owned Affordable housing | 134 KB |