Ayer Affordable Housing Committee pushes municipal trust to October Town Meeting ballot

AYER -- August 24, 2020, Ayer Affordable Housing Committee moves to place a housing trust warrant article before voters at the October 26 Town Meeting. Chair Jana Provadakis led a public Zoom information session Monday, outlining a proposal for a seven-member trustee board, appointed by the Select Board, to govern a locally controlled fund for rental assistance, affordable housing construction, and property rehabilitation for low- and moderate-income residents. The committee has applied to the Community Preservation Committee for $30,000 in seed money, with a public hearing on that request set for September 2. Karen Swampfield, director of the Council on Aging, said her office is "inundated with phone calls every day" from residents unable to pay rent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alicia Hersey of the Office of Community and Economic Development noted that $25 million in state emergency rental assistance is currently available but will eventually be exhausted, underscoring the case for a permanent local mechanism. A second public information session is scheduled for September 21 at 7 p.m.