Welcome to the Affordable Housing page of the town’s website. This page contains general information about affordable housing in the Town of  Scituate.

INFORMATION FOR FIRST TIME HOMEBUYERS:

Anyone purchasing affordable housing in Scituate must meet the following requirements:

• May be either an individual or household which meets income criteria with assets less than $75,000 who has not owned a home in the previous three years or
• May be an individual over 55 years of age, a household with one member over 55, a displaced homemaker or single parent who meets income criteria with assets less than $75,000 who doesn’t presently own a home.
  

Maximum income levels are as follows:

LOTTERIES:
Information about affordable housing lotteries will appear on this page when applications are being accepted.   

DOWNPAYMENT ASSISTANCE:

Quincy Community Action Program administers the American Dream Downpayment Initiative, which offers up to $10,000 towards the downpayment on homes for Scituate residents who have less than $25,000 in assets. This program is available for homes with an appraised value of up to $362,790. See QCAP Homeowner Assistance for information on the workshop schedule and downpayment assistance or call 617-479-8181 X115.

INFORMATION ABOUT CHAPTER 40B:

Chapter 40B is a state law that establishes certain requirements for affordable housing developments in the State of Massachusetts.  It allows developments which do not conform to local zoning to be approved and constructed if less than ten per cent of the housing in a town is considered affordable by persons earning 80% of the median income.  In Scituate, approximately 4.5% of the town’s housing is “affordable.”  More information on Chapter 40B is available from this link: Background on M.G.L. Chapter 40B.  

MORE INFORMATION:

Construction of affordable housing is a difficult task for many communities.  Good planning is important to make sure a town ends up with affordable housing where it wants it, constructed to meet the needs of town residents and their families.  Scituate completed a Housing Needs Survey in 2005.  A summary of this survey is found through the link at right.  The Planning Board and Housing Authority are currently jointly overseeing the first phase of an Affordable Housing Production Plan.  Information about this plan will be posted as it becomes available.

HELPFUL LINKS:

Massachusetts Housing Partnership - http://www.mhp.net/

Citizens Housing and Planning Association - http://www.chapa.org/

MassHousing - https://www.masshousing.com/portal/server.pt

Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development - http://www.mass.gov/dhcd/default.htm