Newton officials have extended the city’s COVID-19 Emergency Housing Relief Program to help local households that have faced a loss of income due during the pandemic and struggle with housing costs, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller said in a statement.
The city’s Community Preservation Committee voted earlier this month to extend the program’s assistance to qualified households from three months to as many as eight months, according to Fuller.
The fund was launched last spring with $2.5 million, including $2 million from Community Preservation Act funds.
The program is aimed at Newton renters who earn 80 percent or less of the area median income, according to the statement. That’s roughly $113,000 for a family of four, according to the city’s Housing & Community Development Division.
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Households currently receiving rental assistance also are eligible for this program, Fuller said.
Newton homeowners also are encouraged to apply for the program if they meet the same criteria as renters and live in a deed-restricted affordable home, she said.
The program was extended at the request of the city’s Department of Planning and Development in September. At the time, the department said the relief program played a crucial role in keeping nearly 200 low- to moderate-income households in Newton.
Newton’s housing relief program is administered by Metro West Collaborative Development. More information can be found on the city’s website, newtonma.gov.
John Hilliard can be reached at john.hilliard@globe.com.