The state's eviction moratorium is over, but Construct Inc. Housing Director June Wolfe says the governor's new Eviction Diversion Initiative will keep many people in their homes.
"I think that, if we can implement that, then we can get by without an onslaught of evictions," said Wolfe.
The legislation provides millions of dollars in rental assistance funding, and allows for community mediation, rather than court cases, in rental disputes. Wolfe says the key part of the program is the ability for landlords to apply for renters assistance for their own tenants.
"When people are in crisis mode, they're not good at filling out forms, they're not good at following through, and so for the landlord to be able to do that with them as a partner, that is just going to make it so much easier," said Wolfe.
Affordable housing in the southern Berkshires is hard to find. A new 45-unit development in Great Barrington will be completed in May, but Construct Inc. Executive Director Jane Ralph says other opportunities may start to disappear because of the competitive real estate market.
"Landlords could, if someone were to move out, they could easily demand a higher rent if they chose to, and so I have concerns about those sort of unofficial affordable housing opportunities," said Ralph.
Ralph says all of their affordable units have been filled since July and it's unlikely things will get better as more people go back to work once the pandemic is over.
"Most of our housing that we provide is actually for folks who are working and have otherwise good jobs, but the south Berkshires is an expensive place to live, and so it's hard for folks to make ends meet, and folks with good jobs still are eligible for the housing."