Boston Launches $50 Million Rental Relief Fund as COVID Positivity Rate Rises

BOSTON — July 22, 2026 — Boston releases $50 million in rental relief as COVID positivity climbs to 4.2 percent. City officials announced the expansion of the Boston Rental Relief Fund Tuesday, one day after the CDC extended its national eviction moratorium through June 30, with individual households eligible for up to $15,000 in assistance covering rent, utilities, internet access, and certain moving costs. The funds are drawn primarily from federal COVID-19 relief appropriations, including $36 million from the most recent federal bill, with the remainder augmented by the city's Administration and Finance office. Shayla Dillon, Chief of Housing and Director of the Department of Neighborhood Development, was credited with administering the program, which has already helped nearly 1,900 households at risk of eviction. Separately, officials called "disturbing" the U.S. Department of Justice fraud charges against retired Boston Police Captain Richard Evans, who oversaw the city's Evidence Control Unit, and said a director for the new Office of Police Accountability and Transparency would be named "very soon."