November 2019 - Housing Assistance

Bringing Housing Services to Those Most in Need in Falmouth

November 30, 2019

Housing Assistance Case Manager Deborah McDonnell

Since July 2017, Deborah McDonnell has helped stabilize housing for Falmouth residents at risk of homelessness.

Since our inception in 1974, Housing Assistance has had a strong connection to Falmouth, serving individuals and families in need in that Upper Cape community. Over the past two years, we’ve been able to reach even more Falmouth residents through Case Manager Deborah McDonnell’s efforts.

Thanks to a three-year grant from the Town of Falmouth, McDonnell has held office hours two days a week at Falmouth Human Services, connecting individuals and families who are at risk of homelessness to the services they need to stabilize their housing.

That funding has enabled McDonnell to provide support to those who may find it difficult to make the trek to Housing Assistance’s Hyannis office.

Currently, McDonnell has a caseload of roughly 40 clients. “When I first started, the caseload was 80 and I had to start a waiting list,” McDonnell said.

“To me it is very, very rewarding to help someone and see them no longer have to worry about their housing.” – Deborah McDonnell

The demand ebbs and flows with the seasonality of the region’s economy. In the winter when businesses close, seasonal employees will come in seeking help. Those seeking assistance, McDonnell said, are often in the midst of a crisis – financial, health, or personal – that has turned their lives upside down.

One 62-year-old single man she is currently helping recently had a heart attack and has fallen behind on his rent. “He can’t go back to work yet and he’s struggling to keep up,” McDonnell said.

Another client with young children has early-onset Parkinson’s disease. Working with the Falmouth Housing Authority, McDonnell was able to secure her housing.

Getting to know each client and helping them successfully navigate life’s difficulties are the joys of her job. “To me it is very, very rewarding to help someone and see them no longer have to worry about their housing,” she said. “They shouldn’t have to be without a house, without a home, and without a bed.”

New Home Gives Cataumet Client Hope for Future

November 29, 2019

Vanessa and her son Aamal moved into their apartment in January. They are looking forward to celebrating their first Christmas in their new home next month.

At the beginning of June 2017, Aamal was born. His name means “hope” in Arabic which is fitting, considering that is exactly what his mother Vanessa was seeking when she entered our Carriage House shelter three weeks later.

“He is everything,” Vanessa said of her son at the end of October, from her apartment at High Meadow Townhomes in Bourne, where a large black faux spider was perched over her doorway, just one of several Halloween decorations that served as a sign of something bigger – this is home.

Since January, Vanessa and her smiling, wide-eyed, adventurous toddler have found stability and happiness in a 44-unit neighborhood that Housing Assistance built and completed with the Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) a year ago.

“[Vanessa] really wants a better life for herself and her son and she’s proven it. So far, she’s taken all of the necessary steps to give him a life she did not have.” – AnnMarie Torrey

The pair were one of four families at our Village at Cataumet shelter to move into High Meadow at the beginning of this year. After 18 months in shelter – Vanessa and her son spent time, first at Carriage House and then Cataumet – the pair were able to move forward with their lives when they were chosen for the housing lottery for High Meadow.

While in shelter, she said, she was able to focus on practical life skills, such as fixing her credit, that she would need once she moved into permanent housing. “In the end, you have to keep it in your head that your main goal is stability for you and your family,” she said.

Halloween decorations outside a client's apartment in Bourne.

A few of the Halloween decorations Vanessa added to her home in October.

That stability has continued thanks to HomeBASE, a state re-housing program that Housing Assistance manages on Cape Cod and the Islands and which funds up to $10,000 to cover first and last month’s rent, security deposit, and moving expenses that enable families in shelter to move into permanent housing.

For up to one year, HomeBASE clients also have the support of a stabilization worker who meets with them on a regular basis to ensure they can remain in their housing. Housing Assistance’s AnnMarie Torrey has acted in that capacity, supporting Vanessa over the past 11 months.

“She is kind of fearless in her endeavors,” Torrey said. “She really wants a better life for herself and her son and she’s proven it. So far, she’s taken all of the necessary steps to give him a life she did not have.”

Recently, Vanessa secured a job at a local restaurant and has plans to go to school to get her degree so she can become a CNA or registered nurse.

In the short term, she’s planning on celebrating her first holidays with her son in an apartment that she proudly calls her own. “I can’t wait for Christmas so I can put the tree in the front window,” she said. “I’m ready to start traditions with my son… I’m trying to do the things with him I didn’t really do as a kid.”

For once, Vanessa finally can say she has hope in her life. “Everything I have now is because of Housing Assistance,” she said. “I don’t think I would be the same person I am now without them.”

Institute Offers Strategies to Address Housing Crisis

November 26, 2019

Mike Kennealy gives the keynote speech at the 2019 Cape Housing Institute.

Massachusetts Secretary of Housing & Economic Development Mike Kennealy gives an update on the efforts the state is making to boost housing production in the Commonwealth at our 3rd Annual Cape Housing Institute.

Nearly 100 municipal officials, community leaders, and realtors from 15 Cape Cod towns packed the Cape Codder Resort & Spa in Hyannis to learn about ways they can take steps to address the region’s housing crisis.

Now in its third year, the institute is geared toward educating participants about the housing crisis in our region and giving them practical strategies to solving it in their towns. As Housing Assistance CEO Alisa Magnotta said, “We’ve been talking about the problem for a long time… We are losing families. We’re losing workforce. Our communities are changing and we need to take charge of what our future will look like.”

Cape & Islands Association of REALTORS CEO Ryan Castle said, “the solution sounds too simple – build more housing… But that should be the goal.”

Housing Assistance CEO Alisa Magnotta with Cape & Islands Association of REALTORS CEO Ryan Castle

Housing Assistance CEO Alisa Magnotta introduces Cape & Islands Association of REALTORS CEO Ryan Castle.

Keynote speaker Mike Kennealy, the Massachusetts Secretary of Housing & Economic Development, said the state is working to help communities achieve that goal by making “it easier for citizens and towns to develop the housing they need that works for them.”

“It’s time that we get back into the business of housing production,” he said, noting that “in a single generation, we’ve cut in half our housing production. It’s a big issue for our economic competitiveness.”

The institute was provided free-of-charge thanks to financial support from the people of Falmouth through the Community Preservation Fund, The Cape Cod Foundation, and the Cape Cod & Islands Association of REALTORS.

View more photos from our 3rd Annual Cape Housing Institute on our Facebook page here. To learn more about the Cape Housing Institute or our Cape Housing Advocacy Training, click this link.

Telethon for Hope Partners with Love Live Local

November 26, 2019

Amanda Converse and Jen Villa of Love Live Local

Amanda Converse (left) and Jen Villa, co-founders of Love Live Local.

Housing Assistance is partnering with Love Live Local this December to energize its Telethon for Hope which will take place on Saturday, December 7, 5-8:30 PM, during the first night of LoveLocal Fest: Holiday Edition at Barnstable High School.

For Love Live Local CEO Amanda Converse, whose mother Deborah Converse worked at Housing Assistance for nearly 25 years, it’s a fitting partnership. “I have a close, personal connection to Housing Assistance: my mother worked passionately for the organization for over two decades,” she said. “During that time, I became familiar with the agency’s great work which is why I believe it’s so important to raise funds for Housing Assistance’s efforts to build a strong, vibrant community.”

Housing Assistance CEO Alisa Magnotta said the decision to align the Telethon for Hope with LoveLocal Fest made sense. “Love Live Local is all about finding ways to ensure that local businesses, entrepreneurs, and artisans can succeed here. These makers are a critical part of our economy and our community character,” she said. “Through our programs and services, we are working toward the same goal. Adequate housing is necessary for those of all income levels, especially so our workforce can continue to shape this special place we call home.”

Produced by the Cape Cod Community Media Center, the Telethon for Hope will run concurrently with LoveLocal Fest so people can not only shop local, they can give local this holiday season. More than 125 local makers, artisans, businesses, and restaurants will be attending LoveLocal Fest.

Now in its 16th year, the telethon will feature Housing Assistance staff, community leaders, and sponsors talking about the need for adequate housing and the work we’re doing to address that need.

In keeping with the spirit of the season, there will also be live performances from a variety of local musicians, including Brendan Princi, Kim Moberg, Brian Kelly, and David Bussiere and Troy Williams. Choirs from St. Pius X School in Yarmouth, St. Francis Xavier Preparatory School in Hyannis, and North Falmouth Elementary School will be singing holiday favorites.
As in previous years, students from the Nathaniel H. Wixon School in Dennis will be reading essays they have written on the topic of homelessness.

Businesses interested in sponsoring the telethon should contact Event and Resource Development Coordinator Deanna Bussiere at dbussiere@haconcapecod.org or at 508-771-5400, ext. 270.

Support the Telethon for Hope

Text HAC4HOPE to 41411 (now through the night of the telethon).
Click here to make a donation.
Watch live on Comcast cable channels 98 & 99 or live on our Facebook page (click here).
Attend LoveLocal Fest: Holiday Fest on Saturday, December 7, 5-9 PM. There is a suggested minimum donation of $5 which will go to support both Housing Assistance as well as Love Live Local’s Project Cape Made grant program.
Make a donation the night of the telethon. We will be accepting donations on Saturday, December 7, 5-8:30 PM. Stop by the field house at Barnstable High School. You’ll have the opportunity to gift a donation to a friend or family member this holiday season.
Like and share our Telethon for Hope event page (click here) on Facebook, and invite your friends to the event.

Foundation Gift Upgrades Angel House Building and Grounds

November 22, 2019

The new gazebo at Angel House.

This summer, Housing Assistance’s Angel House shelter buildings and grounds got a makeover thanks to the generosity of the Franklin Square House Foundation. Housing Assistance has been operating Angel House for 28 years, providing shelter and services for mothers recovering from substance abuse, and their children.

As with any property, capital improvements and repairs become necessary to keep it in good working order. The support of foundations and individual donors make these capital projects possible.
The grant covered the cost of a new gazebo to provide shade for an outdoor picnic area; new flooring for the two buildings that house our 13 Angel House clients and their children; and a new kitchen and generator for one of those buildings. With additional funds, Housing Assistance replaced a roof on another building that serves as transitional apartments for graduates of the shelter.

The newly renovated kitchen at Housing Assistance’s Angel House shelter.

Housing Assistance’s Director of Housing Production and Maintenance Keith Trott said the projects had long been on Angel House’s capital repair list.

As to what the work meant to those at the shelter, Angel House family clinician Martha Woods said, “It makes the clients feel valued, that they matter. These types of projects let the women feel as though they are accepted into the community at large.”

This is not the first time that the Franklin Square House Foundation has lent its support to Housing Assistance’s shelters. In 2009 and 2011, it funded projects that included the installation of a new roof, windows, exterior doors, interior doors, and a shed at Angel House.

Two years ago, the foundation funded interior and exterior painting at Carriage House shelter in North Falmouth.

Big Fix-A-Thon Helps 16 Homeowners

November 8, 2019

Homeowner Johanna Crosby (middle) poses with Big Fix-A-Thon volunteers Cheryl Codair and Heather Ferris.

At the beginning of October, 340 volunteers came out on a sunny, seasonable day to make a big difference in the lives of 16 homeowners in Hyannis and Centerville as part of our 10th Annual Big Fix-A-Thon.

One of the recipients included Johanna Crosby who watched in awe as a swarm of volunteers tackled a range of projects at her Hyannis home that included yard work, interior painting, fixing a slider door, installing grab bars in an upstairs bathroom, and hauling trash.

“It restores your faith in humanity,” she said.

At one time, her husband of 44 years, John, could have done this work himself. Today, the former Army medic who was awarded the Purple Heart for his service in Vietnam is fighting ALS, making it impossible for him to do so.

Instead, 17 volunteers did that work for the couple, just one example of how the Big Fix-A-Thon exemplifies the best in our community.

Passing of the Big Fix-A-Thon hammer from Barnstable Town Manager Mark Ells to Orleans Town Administrator John Kelly.

Barnstable Town Manager Mark Ells (right) passes the hammer to Orleans Town Administrator John Kelly. Next year’s Big Fix-A-Thon will be headed to Orleans.

The day of service also raised more than $75,000 to support Housing Assistance’s year-round work. Next year, preparations are already underway to continue the momentum when the Big Fix-A-Thon makes its way to Orleans.

Bringing Housing Services to Those Most in Need in Falmouth

New Home Gives Cataumet Client Hope for Future

Institute Offers Strategies to Address Housing Crisis

Telethon for Hope Partners with Love Live Local

Foundation Gift Upgrades Angel House Building and Grounds

Big Fix-A-Thon Helps 16 Homeowners

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