A housing authority which, as a lessee or tenant, enters into a lease or rental agreement with a cooperative corporation or other legal entity which is the owner of a cooperative project may require that any tenant occupying the leased premises with the consent of the authority shall have all the rights of a member of the corporation.
If a resident of a city or town is eligible for rental assistance and locates or occupies a standard dwelling unit or said other housing unit other than the one receiving financial assistance or leased by the local housing authority and if said dwelling unit or said other housing unit and the rental thereof is reasonable and acceptable to said housing authority in accordance with this section, and if the owner of said unit is willing to enter into a contract or lease agreement with said authority, said authority shall within thirty days of application to it by said resident execute a contract or lease for occupancy of said unit for not more than five years by said resident under the guidelines of the rental assistance program as established by the department. All housing authorities shall make application to the department of community affairs for funds with which to participate in the rental assistance program. The department may directly enter into contracts to rent, lease or otherwise provide financial assistance and exercise all other rights and duties of housing authorities under the rental assistance program in cities or towns where no local housing authority exists or where the department finds that the local housing authority has not carried out the provisions of the rental assistance program.