Bill > H1491

This bill modifies the statewide public housing application system known as CHAMP (Centralized Housing Application and Management Portal), which was launched in April 2019, to prioritize local residents over other applicants. Specifically, the bill changes the existing waitlist system so that local residents who have been screened as emergency applicants will receive priority over other applicants. Under the new provisions, applicants will no longer be able to self-certify their emergency status, which means they will need to go through a formal screening process to be considered for emergency housing priority. The bill relates to updates in the Eligibility and Selection Criteria regulation (760 CMR 5.00), which governs how local housing authorities (LHAs) determine an applicant's priority, preference, eligibility, and qualification for public housing. By reverting to a system that gives preference to local emergency-screened applicants, the bill aims to ensure that housing resources are more directly allocated to residents with the most urgent local housing needs.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H1491