Westford Launches Emergency Rental Assistance Program
Westford rolled out a new Emergency Rental Assistance Program on Wednesday to help residents struggling to keep up with housing costs, one of several resident-facing updates the town posted this week alongside a call for election and Town Meeting volunteers.
TOWN HALL
The town announced the Westford Emergency Rental Assistance Program, known as WERAP, on Wednesday afternoon. The program is aimed at helping residents facing rent hardship; additional details on eligibility and how to apply are posted on the town's website.
Separately, Westford is asking community members to volunteer to help support elections and Town Meetings, and the town said overflow bags for its pay-as-you-throw trash program will soon be available for purchase at local retailers. The town also published its August Town Manager's newsletter this week.
SCHOOLS
Westford Public Schools' governing board, the School Committee, is scheduled to meet Monday, Aug. 31, according to the town calendar.
COMMUNITY & ARTS
The J.V. Fletcher Library, operating from its temporary location at 515 Groton Road, has an Adult Nonfiction Book Club discussion set for Tuesday, Sept. 1. The library is also hosting a virtual job-search workshop for jobseekers age 50 and over, focused on self-assessment and mindset, on Wednesday, Sept. 2.
ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS
"🌱 Patch AM: How a shuttered Westford hotel will become 300 much-needed homes": Patch reports that a vacant hotel in the Westford area is slated for redevelopment into roughly 300 homes, part of a broader regional push to add housing stock (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/westford).
"What Sold: Westford's 10 Most Recent Closings": Patch's real estate roundup lists the town's most recently closed home sales, drawing on Zillow data, according to Patch (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/westford).
"Massachusetts Residents Lost $24.5M To This Type Of Phone Scam: FBI": The FBI is warning that Massachusetts residents have collectively lost $24.5 million to a specific type of telephone scam, according to Patch (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/westford).
"Deborah J. Searle Obituary (1954 - 2026) - Groton, NH - My Keene Now - Legacy": Deborah J. Searle, who was raised in Westford and graduated from Westford Academy in 1972, is remembered in an obituary published this week, according to Legacy.com (read it at https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/mykeenenow/name/deborah-searle-obituary?id=62280418).
COMING UP
The Board of Water Commissioners holds its monthly meeting Thursday, Aug. 27, and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee also meets that day, per the town calendar. The School Committee meets Monday, Aug. 31. The library's Adult Nonfiction Book Club meets Tuesday, Sept. 1, followed by its virtual 50+ job-search workshop on Wednesday, Sept. 2.
Compiled from official town feeds, community organizations, and local press. Outside reporting is attributed inline.