General Info

This program provides housing for the physically and mentally disabled. Programs are administered jointly with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services which provides support services. The State grants funds for new construction and/or the acquisition of existing buildings or adaptive reuse of non-residential sites. Both transitional and permanent housing are eligible for grants under this title. Family Low-Income Housing The BHA currently provides 52 units of housing under Chapter 705, the Family Low-Income Housing Program. Our stock consists of 2, 3, and 4 bedroom homes scattered throughout the Town of Barnstable. Each 705 family pays for their own utilities, maintains their yard ( mowing and raking ), and shovels snow when necessary. This program is designed to assist local housing authorities with developing family units on scattered sites throughout the town. The funds are allocated for new construction, adaptive reuse, and for purchase of units. HUD Elderly/Handicapped Housing Colony House is a federally subsidized development with sixty eight 1 bedroom apartments for income eligible elderly and disabled adults. Residents pay 30% of their income for rent which includes heat. Each tenant pays for their own electricity with a built-in utility credit allowance. Cable TV is $3.00 per month. The BHA administers 35 units under the HUD ShelterPlus Care Program which provides rental assistance for hard-to-serve homeless persons with disabilities in connection with supportive services funded from sources outside the program. Shelter Plus Care ( S+C ) is a program designed to provide housing and supportive services on a long-term basis for homeless persons with disabilities, ( primarily those with serious mental illness, chronic problems with alcohol and/or drugs, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome ( AIDS ) or related diseases ) who are living in places not intended for human habitation ( e.g., streets ) or in emergency shelters. The program allows for a variety of housing choices, and a range of supportive services funded by other sources, in response to the needs of the hard-to-reach homeless population with disabilities. This program provides State grants to local housing authorities to develop housing for lower income elderly residents for new construction, purchase of existing apartments or condominiums, or major rehabilitation of existing buildings. Grants are also available for the development of congregate housing for older persons who require supportive services to maintain their independence or for those who prefer a shared living environment. Housing Assistance Programs The Barnstable Housing Authority administers several State and Federal rental assistance programs including Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program ( MRVP ), Alternative Housing Voucher Program ( AHVP ), Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers ( Section 8 HCV ), and Disabled Individual Alternative Living ( DIAL ). For more information on State or Federal voucher programs, contact Kim Gomez or Jenifer Callahan at 508 ) 771-7222.