EASTHAMPTON — Debra Bell’s bank account has been stretched by high rents for several years now, preventing her from doing many of the activities she would like to in retirement. But after being accepted to a new housing unit by the Easthampton Housing Authority (EHA), that has changed.

And Bell isn’t alone. The EHA has filled nearly 60% of the 17 units that were vacant three months ago, providing 10 households with a place to live. The authority has a total of 188 units for individuals and families.

“It means more than you can imagine,” said Bell, who will soon move into a single-person unit on Echo Lane. “The unit is adorable, it’s clean. It’s just the right amount of room for one person.”

The EHA provides public housing to hundreds in the city, under the purview of the state’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC). When the authority hired Lindsi Sekula as its new executive director in April, there were a total of 17 vacancies, two of which had not been reported yet. Sekula joined the EHA in April, after the Northampton Housing Authority’s three-year contract to manage the agency ended.

“My main priority as an executive director is to ensure that people get housed,” Sekula told the Gazette. “I’m really excited to be housing people in our community and in Massachusetts.”

Bell moved to Easthampton from Swansea roughly two and a half years ago to live with her sister, who died a short time later. Bell, who uses federal Social Security for income, has since been living in an apartment, paying $1,300 a month for rent.

In her EHA unit, Bell said she will have “peace of mind,” paying just under $600 a month, with utilities included. State housing authorities receive funding from the EOHLC, but also rely on a percentage of tenants’ income to remain operational. Sekula said for elderly housing, the percentage is 30% of a tenant’s monthly income, and 27% for a whole family. All tenant income is included for the percentage, including things like Social Security funding and food assistance.

“I’m going to be able to do things I want to do,” Bell said. “Before I could never say ‘yes’ if people invited me out on a whim, to go to a show, to a restaurant, because I just didn’t have the extra money.”

There are several EOHLC programs that tenants can use to apply for public housing, but the EHA only accepts those through the Common Housing Application for Massachusetts Program (CHAMP).

Yael Petretti, a new tenant under the EHA, used CHAMP to move into one of the now-filled vacancies as she nears retirement. Petretti was on the waiting list for nearly five years and tried calling the EHA last year to see if there were any open units, but said she was “abruptly told no.”

“I’m going on 76 (years old) and I need to retire from my job,” Petretti said. “The rents are impossible. Even trying to find folks who can share housing is not easy … this is the best solution I could find.”

There’s a high demand for public housing right now, Sekula said, with more than 22,000 applicants on the EHA waiting list. To fill a vacancy, Sekula said the EHA follows many necessary steps to ensure a qualified applicant will be selected. The unit must also be turned over before that, making sure it is livable and up to code.

Sekula said the EHA is working to fill the remaining seven vacancies, with offers for some planned to be sent by the end of the month. Vacancies come and go as time passes, Sekula added.

Sekula said since starting in the role, the EHA has been working to fulfill the goals that she established when entering. “We’ve been filling units, rebuilding trust, I’m on site every single day. It’s been great,” she said.

Sekula has also established a three-year capital improvement plan, which the EOHLC funds, addressing housing maintenance needs and upgrades. She said one of her hopes is to turn as many bathtubs into walk-in showers as possible when units are flipped, to increase accessibility and safety, along with upgrading cabinets and counter tops.

Broadband installation, expected to be completed in December, is also underway at several properties, increasing fiber-optic internet capabilities for tenants. Participating tenants will have access to internet service for just under $16 a month, for up to 10 years, with no contract required.

Sekula has hired three and a half new staff positions — an administrative assistant, a resident services coordinator, a combined CHAMP coordinator/clerk role, and a part-time maintenance worker — all within the budget she inherited.

“My experience has been extremely positive,” Bell said. “Everyone in the office (has been) so wonderful to me.”