Humanitarian Response
As the regional housing agency serving Cape Cod and the Islands, Housing Assistance Corporation puts people first and helps them find their way.
The Humanitarian Response Fund and Volunteer Coordination was launched in response to humanitarian crises’ as they arise and to focus on people in transition, whether that be immigration-based, due to domestic violence, or homelessness.
As Cape Cod comes together to help Venezuelan migrants at Joint Base Cape Cod, Housing Assistance is helping them navigate the shelter system and connect them with resources. At Housing Assistance, we look at the totality of the need, and we are anticipating future humanitarian response needs based on what we are experiencing.
Displacement happens every day in the world. Sometimes it’s people fleeing natural disasters, war or violent persecution. Other times it’s economic forces pushing our Cape workforce off Cape. We help with the urgent displacement while maintaining our long-term focus on addressing the Cape’s housing crisis. That’s why we’re launching the Humanitarian Response Fund and Volunteer Coordination.
Humanitarian – Means helping people who are suffering and saving lives any time, any place in the world. And so humanitarian work requires being responsible, conscious of the circumstances of other people’s lives, and helping them on the basis of need, without discrimination.
Do You Want to Make a Difference?
Learn more about the Humanitarian Response Fund
Donate Now to the Humanitarian Response Fund
Learn more about Volunteer Opportunities
About the Fund
The Humanitarian Response Fund is a tool for Housing Assistance staff to respond to humanitarian emergencies as they arise, focusing on people in transition, whether that be immigration-based, domestic violence, or homelessness. State and federal programs aren’t tailored to unexpected emergencies and we need to be prepared. That’s why we need a flexible emergency relief fund to help people who don’t qualify for the narrow rules/purposes of existing funds.
Housing Assistance has nearly 50 years of experience responding to humanitarian crises – international, national, and local. The organization provided similar services to residents of New Orleans – also temporarily located on Joint Base Cape Cod – displaced due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. More recently, Housing Assistance helped Afghan and Haitian refugees, in concurrence with its work at the forefront of the Cape’s housing shortage.
Donors interested in learning more about the fund should contact Anne B. Van Vleck, Chief Development Officer by email or by calling 508-771-5400 ext. 228.
Donors interested in contributing gifts in-kind should contact Lin Grace Rohr, Director of Community Engagement and Donor Stewardship by email.
Want to Learn More?
Contact Anne B. Van Vleck, Chief Development Officer by email or by calling 508-771-5400 ext. 228.
Volunteer Coordination
Migrant Individuals and Families moved from Martha’s Vineyard to Joint Base Cape Cod
We thank the public for their tremendous support in response to the 48 people we are serving at Joint Base Cape Cod. Everyone is safe and is being connected to needed resources.
As Housing Assistance works with our colleagues Father Bill’s, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), and the state Department of Community and Housing Development (DHCD), and interview the families, we will update this page with further needs.
Spanish Translators & Transportation Volunteers – Currently we are seeking native Spanish speakers and those willing to drive migrants to appointments, on Cape and/or off Cape, including Boston.
Interested volunteers should contact Lin Grace Rohr, Director of Community Engagement and Donor Stewardship by email.