Since last March, Housing Assistance has approved over $1.48 million in financial assistance to keep more than 400 households on Cape Cod and the Islands in their homes. “Without this safety net, they would all be at risk of homelessness or foreclosure,” said Vice President of Programs and Client Services Cassi Danzl.
This current fiscal year, Housing Assistance has received nearly $1.8 million in funding through RAFT (Residential Assistance for Families in Transition), a state program which provides financial support to prevent clients, earning up to 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI), from becoming homeless. By comparison, we received just under $360,000 in Fiscal Year 2019.
The amount of funding that individual households can receive through RAFT has also increased, from $4,000 to $10,000, as the state deals with the impacts of the pandemic. The amount of funding each household receives is based on need.
We’ve also raised over $1 million for our Workforce Housing Relief Fund for clients who don’t qualify for public assistance, but who have lost income or jobs due to the pandemic and are struggling to pay their rent or mortgage. Clients eligible for the relief fund can earn up to 100% of the AMI.
All this means that financial help is available now to households who may have fallen behind on their rent or mortgage payments. “People should apply as fast as humanly possible,” Danzl stressed.
Anyone in need of assistance can apply confidentially, online on our website at www.HAConCapeCod.org. Clients also can call our office at 508-771-5400 or email hac@haconcapecod.org. Our Hyannis office is open weekly, 9 am to 1 pm. And on Mondays, 9:30 am to 1 pm, clients on the Outer and Lower Cape can receive support from our staff by stopping into the Lower Cape Outreach Council in Orleans.
For households who are struggling with their rent, some relief has come from President Joe Biden’s extension of the federal eviction moratorium from the end of January to March 31.
Even with the moratorium in place, Danzl said, landlords can still file a Summary Process for Eviction notice for non-payment of rent. Courts are prohibited from issuing a court order to evict a tenant until after the eviction moratorium ends.
To avoid future complications, tenants who owe past due rent should seek help now from Housing Assistance.
Landlords who own less than 20 units on Cape Cod and the Islands can also apply for RAFT or ERMA (Emergency Rental and Mortgage Assistance) to cover past due rent on behalf of their tenants as long as they have their tenant’s consent. This application is available on our website.
If you owe past due rent, please ask for help now from Housing Assistance.
Call 508-771-5400 • Email hac@haconcapecod.org • Visit haconcapecod.org/programs/homeless-prevention
