The Williamstown board of the Affordable Housing Trust on Wednesday talked about how it can reach more potential beneficiaries of its emergency rental assistance program and how it can structure a companion program for homeowners.
To date, the Williamstown Emergency Rental Assistance Program, funded by the trust and administered by Berkshire Housing Development Corp., has awarded just more than $17,000 in grants since its inception.
The trust recently transferred an additional $30,000 to BHDC to keep the program funded. But the trustees expressed concern that demand for the program, created for residents impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, has not been higher.
Dan Gura asked if the application process could be streamlined to avoid discouraging prospective beneficiaries.
To date, the Williamstown Emergency Rental Assistance Program, funded by the trust and administered by Berkshire Housing Development Corp., has awarded just more than $17,000 in grants since its inception. There also is one pending $1,500 award waiting for some documentation, said Liz Costley, who serves as the trust s liaison to the Pittsfield non-profit. You can see that s a second-time support for a restaurant worker in town, It may be increased depending on the conversation between the renter and the caseworker at Berkshire Housing. It s a hard time for a restaurant worker. They re trying to get more hours, but it s difficult, as you might imagine.