Town of Arlington, Fair Housing Action Plan (July 2021)

Citation: Town of Arlington, Fair Housing Action Plan (July 2021)
Jurisdiction: Arlington (municipal)
Source: Official source
Original Source: https://www.arlingtonma.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/57214/637641171662530000 ↗

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• Strategy F: Alter Arlington Housing Authority policy to increase fair housing choice.
o Explore the voluntary adoption of Small Area Fair Market Rents or exception payment standards.
o Eliminate rental application fees for voucher holders.
o Encourage landlords to follow HUD’s guidance on the use of criminal backgrounds in screening
tenants.
o Eliminate barriers to tenant participation in AHA meetings by providing childcare and/or meeting
at alternative times and days of the week.

• Strategy G: Protect tenants in protected classes from displacement.
o Bolster protections of tenants by requiring property owners to give significant notice to tenants
when they are preparing to redevelop or sell a property and when they are planning to raise
rents.
o Advocate for passage of the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act at the state level. If it passes,
support tenant purchasers through funding and technical support.

• Strategy H: Encourage access to private housing by protected classes.
o Conduct targeted outreach and provide tenant application assistance and support to persons with
disabilities, including individuals transitioning from institutional settings and individuals who are at
risk of institutionalization.
o Maintain a database of housing that is accessible to persons with disabilities.
o Partner with one or more financial institutions and quasi-public institutions like the Massachusetts
Housing Partnership to market available financing options to protected classes. Ensure those
mortgage products are fair to borrowers.

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Arlington Fair Housing Action Plan