10 Worcester Business Journal | September 13, 2021 | wbjournal.com
Together we can
make a difference.
Together we can
end racial inequity.
Partnering with our local
community to build an equitable
and inclusive community.
49 Church St. • Whitinsville, MA 01588 • www.unibank.com
800.578.4270 • Member FDIC/Member DIF
Equal Housing Lender
WBJ diversity ad.qxp_Layout 1 9/30/20 3:50 PM Page 1
ing hard to create a long-lasting solution to
Worcester's affordable housing crisis.
"e eviction moratorium is just a delay,"
said Bradley, calling the policy a stopgap.
"It's not as if people don't need to pay their
rent going forward."
Instead, Bradley's organization has been
collaborating extensively with state and
local agencies to improve rental assistance
programs, which has reached 35,000 house-
holds in the state, she said.
is spring, the state amended the pro-
gram to allow landlords to apply directly
for assistance if a tenant doesn't finish an
application, which would solve the issues
Branagan faced. Tenants can now access
assistance more directly if a landlord is
unresponsive.
"We're constantly looking at who isn't
accessing it, who's getting denied, what are
some of the things we can change in order
to make it more accessible," said Bradley,
as she explained the next challenge is to in-
crease the program's accessibility offline for
seniors and people without internet access.
CMHA is also advocating that Worcester
allocate 20% of its $111 million in
American Rescue Plan Act funds to create
500 affordable housing units. e city
currently has $12.5 million earmarked for
housing.
Continued from page 9
Tenants of David
Branagan's former
Worcester units
were asked to
move out after he
sold the property.
W
F O C U S D I V E R S I T Y & I N C L U S I O N
