In 2021, 898 evictions were filed in Worcester, according to a report from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development shared with the Worcester City Council.
The reports were requested by city officials in light of City Council requests for information about rental assistance and eviction protections during the coronavirus pandemic.
Under eviction protections effective January 2021 through April 1, 2022, landlords must upload a Notice to Quit for nonpayment of rent to DHCD in order to begin the eviction process. A Notice to Quit is the first step a landlord must take to initiate an eviction.Â
In 2021, there were 898 units where Notices to Quit were filed. The average amount of rent owed at these units was $2,586.Â
The landlord cannot evict solely on the basis of rent nonpayment, if the nonpayment was due to financial hardship exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, or if the tenant has attempted to apply for rental assistance.
The Worcester City Council has requested eviction data for the last five years, but has not yet received it.
According to the report, 3,300 households in Worcester have received assistance through Rental Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT), Emergency Rental and Mortgage Assistance (ERMA), or the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, totaling $22 million.
