DHCD Listening Sessions on Emergency Housing Vouchers
The MA Department of Housing and Community Development issued this notice: DHCD has received an award of 917 Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV) under the American Rescue Plan. These are tenant-based vouchers available to 1) homeless; 2) at-risk of homelessness; 3) fleeing, or attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking; […]
DPH RFR for Low-Threshold Permanent Housing and Support Services
An important opportunity for our region! Please see below and attached for information about an RFR from DPH for low-threshold permanent housing and support services. More information is available on COMMBUYS here: https://www.commbuys.com/bso/external/bidDetail.sdo?docId=BD-21-1031-ADMIN-ADM07-62215&external=true&parentUrl=close The COVID-19 Pandemic has created an extraordinary public health challenge in Massachusetts, further complicating the ongoing opioid crisis, contributing to homelessness, and exacerbating […]
American Jobs Plan Proposes More Affordable Housing
More promising news from our federal government (with thanks to the National Low Income Housing Coalition for the summary): President Joe Biden announced on March 31 his priorities for the “American Jobs Plan,” an approximately $2 trillion infrastructure and recovery package that includes robust resources for housing. The “American Jobs Plan” includes $213 billion “to produce, […]
NLHIC Releases The Gap: Shortage of Affordable Homes; Greater Springfield Area Housing Study
The National Low Income Housing Coalition just released its annual report, The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes, which finds a shortage of nearly seven million affordable and available rental homes for extremely low-income renters. Even before the COVID-19 public health and economic crisis began, low-income households struggled to find decent, affordable homes. The report also […]
NEW: Emergency Rental Assistance Strategies for Achieving Racial Equity and Serving Extremely Low-Income People
Check out these latest reports from the National Low Income Housing Coalition: NLIHC, the NYU Furman Center and the Housing Initiative at Penn released Learning from Emergency Rental Assistance Programs: Lessons from Fifteen Case Studies today. The report follows our recent report on findings from a survey of 220 emergency rental assistance program administrators throughout the country. Today’s report […]
Heads-up on National Housing and Homelessness Conferences this Month
We have a chance to fuel our work (without using any fuel) with the help of these virtual national conferences on the horizon: National Coalition to End Homelessness: Meeting Challenges and Seizing Opportunities – March 8-10To see the agenda, click here.Registration deadline is March 5This conference costs $350 but there is a consumer rate of $50 […]
New Rental/Mortgage Assistance Available in Hampden County
Valley Opportunity Council (VOC) announced new resources are available for rental and mortgage assistance for those impacted by COVID. In addition to offering this resource, case managers will connect households to other VOC supports (fuel assistance, specific job training, child care, etc.) and community supports. Please help spread the word and share the attached flyers […]
COVID Eviction Legal Help Project: Let’s get it out there!
Please see this latest update on available legal assistance and please distribute widely! The COVID Eviction Legal Help Project (CELHP) was formed to expand the capacity of legal aid organizations in Massachusetts to provide urgently needed legal assistance in COVID-related eviction cases. The CELHP website allows organizations to provide referrals, along with guiding you to legal information and […]
