Big money for rent relief is coming to Mass. Will it block a long-feared eviction crisis? By Tim Logan Globe Staff,Updated March 15, 2021, 4:56 p.m. Email to a Friend Eviction has been a hot topic in Massachusetts since the pandemic began.Jim Davis/Globe Staff Massachusetts will soon receive the deluge of federal money that housing advocates have long said is needed to hold off a devastating wave of evictions. Now the challenge is getting that money to the people who need it most. The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, signed into law Thursday by President Biden, includes more than $21 billion in emergency rental relief, money designed to help struggling renters â and their landlords â keep up with monthly bills. On the heels of $25 billion in similar funds Congress allocated in December, it should, advocates say, be enough to help many tenants stay in their homes, and to stay current for months to come.