Section 8 Tutorial, SNO Mass

[Jillian Campayno]

Section 8 Tutorial:

This part of the presentation will give attendees a comprehensive overview of the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8). We will cover:

What to say when an applicant asks, "Do you take Section 8?"

Why and to what extent Massachusetts landlords must participate

How to deal with inspections

How to screen a Section 8 applicant

Why your insurance can't stop you renting to Section 8

and more!

Permanent rental subsidies like the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) can be great programs to participate in. But they can be tough on the unprepared landlord: your first Section 8 applicant may expose weaknesses in your non-discriminatory tenant screening process, sanitary code compliance, or other aspects of your business!

Attendees will leave with knowledge of the program, confidence in working with Section 8 applicants, and pro tips for navigating the process with flying colors.

SNO Mass:

This part of the presentation will explain Supporting Neighborhood Opportunity in Massachusetts (SNO Mass), a special program for Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) voucher holders that started in Fall 2020. SNO Mass seeks to address challenges sometimes faced by families and landlords participating in the Section 8 program, with the goal of creating long-lasting tenancies in high-opportunity neighborhoods. We will cover:

How SNO Mass helps families obtain access to good school districts

Which communities are eligible (use the SNO Mass Locator Tool)

Why the program offers two years of support to participants and landlords not available to other Section 8 participants

How much of the move-in monies may be covered

and more!

SNO Mass is interesting for those of us with large units. Typically large units are used in the college market, which turns over frequently. Participating in SNO Mass could lead to longer tenancies, as families want to stay in these high-opportunity neighborhoods. (This is a new program and we don't have a ton of data on turnover yet, but initial results confirm that SNO Mass renters stay longer than the average tenancy of 18 months.) Find out if any of your properties may be eligible using the SNO Mass Locator Tool.

Attendees will leave knowing whether their properties are in a SNO Mass area, why participation is highly desirable, and how to get started.

Part of the SNO Mass presentation will be given by Kristin Haas. Kristin currently serves as the Planning and Implementation Coordinator in the Division of Rental Assistance at the MA Department of Housing & Community Development. In her role, she oversees the Supporting Neighborhood Opportunity in Massachusetts (SNO Mass) housing mobility program. Prior to joining the DHCD team, Kristin worked in the nonprofit sector supporting anti-poverty and homelessness prevention work. Kristin is a board member and former board president of the Community Action Agency of Somerville. She holds a Master’s Degree in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Middlebury College.

Part of the SNO Mass presentation will be given by Brendan Goodwin. Brendan currently serves as the Director of the Division of Rental Assistance at the MA Department of Housing & Community Development. In his eleven years at DHCD, Brendan has played leading roles in homeless systems reforms and the design and implementation of homelessness prevention and rehousing programs, the major expansion of state-funded rental voucher programs and a recently launched statewide housing mobility program. He currently oversees state and federal voucher programs serving more than 30,000 households annually. Prior to DHCD, Brendan has held various nonprofit positions mostly focused on housing, homelessness and community development issues. He holds a Master’s Degree in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University and a BS in Business Administration/Marketing from Xavier University.

The Section 8 presentation will be given by Doug Quattrochi, Executive Director, MassLandlords, Inc. Doug was a founding member of MassLandlords in 2013. He became the association's first Executive Director under new bylaws in 2014. Since then, he has scaled the organization from a core of 160 members in Worcester to approximately 2,000 dues paying businesses from Pittsfield to the Cape, and from an all-volunteer team to approximately 20 full and part-time staff plus 50 volunteers. Doug has been instrumental in advancing democratic governance mechanisms, including score voting for policy priorities and a staggered and democratically elected Board of Directors. Doug also oversees the RentHelper spin-off, which is expanding access to electronic banking for those of us who are unbanked or underbanked. Prior to MassLandlords, Doug held leadership roles in various Massachusetts startups, two of which are still operating. Doug holds a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Networking time will be moderated by Patrick Sullivan. Patrick has been an avid landlord since 2007 primarily focusing on multi families in the greater Worcester area. Having worked in high level IT his whole life he looks at things from a different perspective which he applies to real estate. He became a Real Estate agent in 2015 and now primarily focuses on Sober living facilities for people recently out of drug and alcohol treatment centers.

"No Sales Pitch" Guarantee

MassLandlords offers attendees of directly managed events a "No Sales Pitch" guarantee. If a guest speaker offers services, their presentation will not discuss pricing, promotions, or reasons why you should hire them. We do not permit speakers to pay for or sponsor events. Guest speakers are chosen for their expertise and willingness to present helpful educational content. Your purchase of an event ticket sustains our nonprofit model, a virtual registration desk, event software, and event staff..

Open to attendees statewide

This event is regionally branded in keeping with a local tradition. This region used to meet in-person on this day at this time. You are welcome to participate in this virtual meeting no matter where you are in the state.

Wednesday, May 5th

Virtual Meeting Agenda

5:00pm Sign-in and virtual networking: you can chit chat with others as people log in

5:40pm MassLandlords Business Update and Member Minutes

Member Minutes - Any member can have the mic for 60 seconds (introduce yourself, ask a question, share words of wisdom, etc.)

6:00pm Section 8 and SNO Mass

7:00pm Virtual meeting ends

Participation is Easy

As a result of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, our events have been replaced by webinars or virtual meetings held during the traditional event time for each former location:

Virtual meetings include optional audience participation via video, phone, and screenshare and are not recorded.

Webinars have limited participation options (typed questions only) and are recorded.

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If joining a virtual meeting, please use the zoom "test audio" feature. You will be allowed to talk to others if your microphone is good and there is no background noise. We reserve the right to mute anyone for any reason. Attendees without a microphone or who don't want to be heard can type questions.

Virtual Meeting Details (hosted by Zoom)

We will share our video, audio, and computer screen and slides.

Optional: You can share your video with everyone, talk to everyone, and type chat with everyone. Video sharing is not required. Talking is not required.

Password will be emailed and viewable online.

Topic: Virtual Meeting May 5, 2021 Section 8 and SNO Mass

Time: May 5, 2021 05:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8498...

Meeting ID: 849 8168 4077

Passcode: Will be emailed and viewable online

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Meeting ID: 849 8168 4077

Passcode: Will be emailed and viewable online

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Open to the public. Membership is not required!

Contemporaneous participation:

Public: No charge, registration required

Members: No charge, registration required

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This event will not be recorded. Slides and handouts if any will be uploaded to our page on SNO Massachusetts.