Continued Marketing Requirements

If through the lottery there are not enough households to occupy all the affordable units and you move to a first-come, first-served process, you will want to continue to do some outreach and marketing to minority groups and those least likely to apply. It is recommended that every 3-4 months until all units are occupied, the leasing office should at least contact all the community contact groups in the Lottery Marketing Plan. If you run any additional print or online advertising, be sure to periodically run ads in affirmative newspapers (like El Mundo, Sampan, BayState Banner etc)

Additionally, after lease-up, at least every 12 months you should do some sort of affirmative marketing for your affordable units to ensure that you have households on all of your waiting lists as the program administrator will take a lack of households as an indication that you have not adequately marketed your affordable units. At the very least, you should contact all the community contact groups in the Lottery Marketing Plan. If you run any additional print or online advertising, be sure to periodically run ads in affirmative newspapers (like El Planeta, Sampan, BayState Banner etc)

All future advertising should include the following information: Property name, address, property email and phone contact info, your waiting lists are still open, NEW rents and income limits, unit/development description, the accessibility and fair housing logos, and a TTY number or the MassRelay number, and the phrase “Free Translation Available.”

Continued MassAccess Posting Requirements

Please see the MassAccess Set-Up and Maintenance for details. If you have any questions about this, you need to contact CHAPA at 617-742-0820 and ask to speak to their current MassAccess administrator.

MassAccess is a free program funded by the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC) that tracks vacancies of subsidized affordable housing units and more specifically all wheelchair accessible and adaptable apartments for people with disabilities. MassAccess was created under Chapter 151B (commonly referred to as the Housing Bill of Rights for People with Disabilities) which requires all managers and owners of accessible housing in Massachusetts to report vacancies to MassAccess.

MassAccess is widely known throughout Massachusetts as a clearinghouse for affordable and accessible housing opportunities, and CHAPA believes it will serve as an excellent tool for marketing your available properties. In addition, to ensure your compliance with Chapter 151B, CHAPA requests that you visit the site, create a username, and update information associated with your development:

http://www.massaccesshousingregistry.org

The 5 Year Marketing Plan Update

Five years from now, a new marketing plan will need to be submitted. Per new changes in the 40B guidelines, “The Developer and contractor shall review and update the AFHMP at least every five years, or more frequently if relevant demographics change, or as otherwise needed in order to ensure compliance with applicable law and DHCD’s AFHMP guidelines, as may be amended from time to time (or any successor guidelines or directives).”