Scituate Housing Authority

791 Country Way
N. Scituate, MA 02060
Telephone: (781) 545-3375
Fax: (781)-544-0058

Housing Authority Properties and Eligibility Requirements

The Scituate Housing Authority owns and manages 209 units of studio, one-bedroom and wheelchair accessible units in three developments for seniors and disabled persons. 

Lincoln Park at 791 Country Way in North Scituate is a state-aided development of forty (40) one-bedroom units built in 1960.  The rent is 25% of household income.  To be eligible, an applicant must be at least 60 years of age or have a qualifying physical or mental impairment, and have a household income that does not exceed 80% of the Area Median Income.  As of March 2006, the maximum incomes for households of one and two persons are $46,300 and $52,950, respectively.  The rent includes heat and hot water, but not electricity. 

Wheeler Park Phase I off Common Street is a state aided development of forty (40) one-bedroom units built in 1965.  Rents and eligibility are identical to those at Lincoln Park.

Wheeler Park Phase II, built in 1975, consists of seventy-eight (78) one bedroom units, including six designed to be wheelchair accessible.  The rent is 30% of household income, and includes all utilities.

The above state-aided developments are all of the garden apartment style.  Most especially Scituate veterans, but also Scituate residents and people who work in Scituate, have preference on the waiting list for the state-aided developments.  Applicants time on the waiting list ranges from one or two months to several years, depending mostly on their qualification for the Scituate preferences.

Central Park was adapted from the Central School building in 1985.  With its long corridors, large mail box panel, and elevator, it, has the look and feel of an apartment building.  It is a HUD supported building of 7 studio and 44 one-bedroom apartments.  Five of the one-bedroom units are wheelchair accessible.  To be eligible for residency at Central Park, an applicant must be at least 62 years of age or have a qualifying physical or mental impairment, and have a household income that does not exceed 60% of the Area Median Income.  As of March 2006, the income limits for households of one and two persons are $29,450 and $33,650, respectively.  Rent is 30% of household income, and includes all utilities.

There are no Scituate preferences on the Central Park waiting list, and, excepting certain emergencies, applicants should be prepared to wait two to three years for an offer of an apartment there.

A qualifying physical or mental impairment meets all four of the following requirements:

1. The applicant must have a qualifying physical or mental impairment that:
1. is NOT alcohol or drug abuse, unless the applicant has not used these substances within the last twelve months, or has otherwise proven that the he has permanently ceased such use,  and
2. does not pose a direct threat to the health and safety of others, and
3. is expected to be of long, continuous and indefinite duration (at least more than six months), and
4. substantially impedes his or her ability to perform the activities of daily living in conventional housing (i.e. housing not specifically designed or adapted for use by a person with a handicap).  Such impairments may include:
1. significantly impaired mobility (wheelchair, braces or arthritic, spastic or pulmonary condition),
2. significant coordination deficits due to brain, spinal or nerve injury,
3. blind or deaf, as defined by applicable Mass. law or regulation, or
4. developmental disabilities such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, epilepsy, certain neurological conditions, and other such impairments which prevent the person from living totally independently in conventional housing, but which would be mitigated by the particular housing characteristics of the housing authority property.  (See #2 below.)
2. The ability of the applicant to perform the activities of daily living must be improved by the particular characteristics of the Scituate Housing Authority properties.  For example, a wheelchair accessible apartment, the slower pace of neighborhood activity in a senior housing environment, or the proximity of laundry facilities and opportunities for socializing in the community building. 
   In all cases, the applicant must be able to comply with the terms of the lease.  If an applicant requires support to be able to comply with the terms of the lease, he must provide sufficient evidence to convince housing authority management that the support will be provided on a regular and continuous basis for as long as the applicant should require it.
3. The local market rate for rent and utilities for housing with the necessary design features and meeting minimum housing standards exceeds 30% of the applicant’s income.
4. The applicant’s household income is within the income limits set for the state or federal housing program to which he or she is applying.

An applicant must satisfy all four requirements, as well as be able to comply with the terms of the lease.  The first requirement, the Qualifying Disability, is typically verified by a physician.  The housing authority will verify the other requirements based on information provided by the applicant.

For an application, write or call the Scituate Housing Authority Management Office:  Please specify whether you want the state or HUD application or both.

Scituate Housing Authority
791 Country Way
Scituate, MA  02066