Chapter 23B

Section 1. The executive office of housing and livable communities shall be the principal office of the commonwealth to formulate and carry out state housing policy, responsible for expending funds, marshalling resources, and advancing innovative solutions to provide safe, access…

Section 10. Wherever, in any general or special law, there are used the following words:— (a) division of housing, (b) division of urban renewal, (c) bureau of relocation, (d) bureau of project development services, (e) bureau of construction services, (f) bureau of property mana…

Section 10A. The executive office may enter into a contract with a local housing authority for the purpose of assisting housing development by expending such monies as may be appropriated for the purpose of making non-interest bearing advances to housing authorities organized und…

Section 24. As used in this section the following words, unless the context requires otherwise, shall have the following meaning: ''Community action agency'', a nonprofit agency which has previously been designated and authorized to accept funds from the federal Community Service…

Section 24A. Subgrantees of fuel assistance programs shall provide written notice of the existence of weatherization assistance programs when such programs are available to all recipients of fuel assistance, and shall provide written notice of the names of said recipients to weat…

Section 24B. The executive office of housing and livable communities shall, subject to appropriation, operate a low-income sewer and water assistance program to provide assistance in paying the sewer and water bills of homeowners earning less than one hundred and fifty percent of…

Section 25. As used in sections twenty-six to twenty-seven, inclusive, the following words shall have the following meanings, unless a different meaning clearly is indicated from the context: ''Annual income'', a person's or family's gross annual income less such reasonable allow…

Section 26. It is hereby found and declared that there now exists in many cities and towns in the commonwealth an acute shortage of decent, safe and sanitary housing for persons and families of low or moderate income and others. That this shortage is inimical to the safety, healt…

Section 27. The commonwealth, acting by and through the executive office of housing and livable communities, may, to the extent of appropriations provided for such purpose, enter into contracts with sponsors of rental housing projects for financial assistance in the form of a gra…

Section 29. As used in this section, the following words shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly requires otherwise: ''Community development block grant'', funds designated to promote the development of viable urban communities within the commonwealth and whi…

Section 30. Subject to appropriation, the executive office shall administer a program of emergency housing assistance to needy families with children and pregnant woman with no other children. The executive office shall administer the program throughout the commonwealth at locati…

Section 31. (a) There shall be within the executive office of housing and livable communities an office of fair housing. The secretary of housing and livable communities shall appoint a director of the office who shall serve at the pleasure of the secretary. (b) The office shall:…

Section 32. (a) For the purposes of this section ''year-round housing'', shall mean housing for occupancy by persons or families who occupy either rental or other housing as their principal residence for not less than 10 months a year and ''attainable housing'' shall mean housing…

Section 33. (a) As used in this section and section 34, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings: ''Eligible applicant'', an owner of residential property in the commonwealth who, as determined by the executive office o…

Section 34. (a) There shall be within the executive office of housing and livable communities a Massachusetts healthy homes program fund. The fund shall be credited with: (i) revenue from appropriations or other money authorized by the general court and specifically designated to…

Section 35. (a) As used in this section, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings: ''Homeless'', a veteran: (i) who is undomiciled and unable to secure permanent and stable housing without special assistance, including,…

Section 36. (a) As used in this section, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings: ''Development cost'', an expenditure directly related to the construction or substantial rehabilitation of a qualified conversion projec…

Section 5A. There shall be within the executive office a housing appeals committee, consisting of 3 members to be appointed by the secretary, of whom 1 shall be an officer or employee of the executive office or any agency or division within the executive office, and 2 members to …

Section 5B. There shall be within the executive office a joint task force on housing for persons with disabilities, consisting of one employee of the executive office to be appointed by the secretary; 1 employee of the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency to be appointed by the e…

Section 6. The secretary shall prepare and submit to the governor and the general court an annual report which shall contain the description of organization of the executive office of housing and livable communities, including all divisions, bureaus, offices, and agencies within …

Section 7. The executive office of housing livable communities may accept any gifts or grants of money or property, whether real or personal, from any source, whether public or private, including but not limited to the United States of America or its agencies, for the purpose of …

Section 8. The secretary shall appoint and may remove all employees in the executive office and its divisions and agencies. Unless otherwise provided by law, all such appointments and removals shall be made in accordance with chapter thirty-one. From time to time the secretary ma…

Section 9. The secretary or such person or persons he may designate from time to time may certify to the existence of any fact which may be a condition to the validity of any bond or note of any housing authority as defined in section one of chapter one hundred and twenty-one B o…