Housing Division Resources Still Available during COVID-19 Office Closures


3/31/2020 • 4 years ago

caution sign The information on this page may be outdated as it was published 4 years ago.

Originally posted: March 20, 2020.  Last update: April 13, 2020

While City offices are closed due to the City’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, CDD’s Housing Division is continuing to work with applicants looking for affordable rental and homeownership housing.  The Housing Division will be prioritizing eligibility determinations for applicants in process for rental units and working with applicants who have signed offers to purchase affordable homes.  

Click here to view the City's COVID-19 Information webpage to  access additional housing resources during this public health crisis.  

Current Residents of Inclusionary Housing or Middle-income Rental Program

Rental team staff are working on annual recertifications for residents living in Inclusionary or Middle-income Rental Housing.

Annual Recertifications

Residents who are completing their annual eligibility recertification for rental housing should provide information requested by property managers to property managers.  

Residents who have been asked by Housing Division staff to provide additional information should submit that information by email to Housing Division staff or contact us.

Current Applicants for Inclusionary Housing or Middle-income Rental Program

Rental team staff are working with Inclusionary and Middle-income Rental Housing Program Applicants. 

Submitting additional information or Final Applications

Applicants who have been asked by Housing Division staff to provide additional information for a pending application, or to submit a Final Application for rental housing,should submit that information by email to Housing Division staff or contact us. 

Please include a copy of the letter received by Housing Division staff with your additional documentation.

Current Applicants for Homeownership Resale Pool 

CDD has suspended showing of available homeownership resale units at this time.  Resale pool applicants can submit application updates (income, assets, household composition, residency, etc.) by mail.  Updated information will be reviewed and processed when City offices reopen. 

Homebuyers with HomeBridge Funding Commitments 

Homebuyers with active HomeBridge funding commitments as of March 1, 2020 will have these approvals extended until May 31, 2020, notwithstanding any earlier commitment deadlines.  CDD may require recertification of eligibility for homebuyers whose eligibility has not been recertified within 120 days.  Homebuyers should contact CDD to request updated approval letters, and to discuss the closing process and timeline for units being purchased with HomeBridge assistance.   

Submitting New Application for City’s Affordable Rental and Homeownership Programs

While City offices remain closed, the Housing Division will continue to accept Preliminary Applications for Inclusionary Rental Housing and Middle-income Rental Housing, and Applications for the Homeownership Resale Pool and HomeBridge.  

All new applications will only be accepted via regular mail.

When City offices reopen, staff will process new applications based on their postmark date, and, if needed, will conduct lotteries to determine the order in which applications with same date are considered.  New applications will be added to the rental and homeownership applicant pools in the appropriate preference group based on the application date and time determined by postmark, or as needed lotteries among applications with the same date.

Current Home Improvement Program (HIP) Borrowers 

Homeowners with a payback loan through the Home Improvement Program (HIP) facing hardship due to the Covid-19 outbreak may opt-in to a short-term payment deferral.  Under the deferral, eligible borrowers will not be required to make payments for three months and the loan maturity date will be extended by three months.   

For more information, please contact the HIP agency that administers your loan: 

For general information about HIP, please contact Emily Salomon at esalomon@cambridgema.gov. 

Contact Us

Housing Division staff are available while City offices are closed.  For questions about: 

For general questions, please contact housing@cambridgema.gov or 617-349-4622.

Click here to view the City of Cambridge COVID-19 Information webpage for additional housing resources.