Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Truro are remote. Go to truro-ma.gov and click on the meeting you want to watch. The agenda includes instructions on how to join.
Thursday, Dec. 1
- Local Comprehensive Plan Committee, 4 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 2
- Cultural Council, 1 p.m., Public Library
- Community Preservation Committee, 3 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 5
- Conservation Commission, 5 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 6
- Budget Task Force with Finance Committee, 8:30 a.m.
- Board of Health, 4 p.m.
- Select Board, 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 7
- Planning Board, 5 p.m.
Conversation Starter
Rental Assistance Program Extended
Truro renters will be able to get financial assistance for two more years after the select board at its Nov. 15 meeting approved the extension of the Truro Rental Assistance Program.
Betty Gallo, vice chair of the Truro Housing Authority, asked the select board for “continuous funding for the Truro Rental Assistance Program.”
The Homeless Prevention Council helped create the program, but its contract ended on Nov. 1. That contract was for the allocation of up to $50,000 from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The Homeless Prevention Council also helped participants apply to other programs that aided with “fuel assistance, reducing utility costs, household budgeting, and community food resources,” Gallo said.
Gallo explained that the housing authority’s housing production plan indicates that up to 25 percent of Truro residents are unemployed during the off-season. This puts people in a precarious position. “Winter’s here, and fuel prices are very high,” Gallo said. “We thought it would be a good time to remind residents about the program.”
There were six Truro families participating for most of this year, though one recently moved out of state. The five families now involved with the program include “one multigenerational family, two senior citizens, and two single working women,” Gallo told the select board.
Of the $50,000 allocated for the current year, $20,700 has been spent so far, including $5,750 that went to the Homeless Prevention Council, while the rest was put toward rent support for program participants.
The select board unanimously agreed to allocate $50,000 this year and next from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund — a total of $100,000 — to continue operating the rental assistance program. —Sophie Mann-Shafir
