News
Donor Spotlight: Pat and Scott Barron
The drive from Orleans to Bourne is a little less than an hour. The distance hasn’t stopped Scott Barron from making that trek from his Orleans home, nearly once a week for the past 17 years, to volunteer at the [...]
Faith Pays Off for First-Time Homebuyer
For over two years, Evette Brown had been on Housing Assistance’s Ready to Buy list, waiting for the right opportunity to realize her dreams of becoming a homeowner on the Cape. “What struck me about her is her faith,” said [...]
New Playground Brings Joy to Children at Angel House
Children at Angel House received an early Christmas gift in the form of a new playground that was installed at the Hyannis shelter in November. “This playground is such a powerful statement of care and compassion for our community,” said Angel [...]
Special Delivery of Toys
COVID may have forced the cancellation of many events this year, but it couldn’t stop more than 40 motorcyclists from participating in the 21st Annual Chris Wetherbee Memorial Toy Run at the beginning of November. Over $2,000 worth of toys [...]
Financial Assistance Allows Family to Stay Stably Housed
Not long after the pandemic hit, Beth’s* employer reduced her position to 32 hours per week. It stayed that way until June when she was furloughed. “I work five hours a week currently,” Beth said. “They keep me on because [...]
Telethon for Hope Will be a Local Music Celebration
Prepare to dance and sing along with some of the Cape’s top entertainers during Housing Assistance’s 17th Annual Telethon for Hope on Tuesday, December 15, 6-8:30 pm. You can view next week's telethon on local cable access channels 98 & [...]
FORWARD at the Rock a Community Effort
When it comes to developing affordable housing, it’s a community effort. That was certainly the case with FORWARD at the Rock, a new development completed on Hokum Rock Road in Dennis. Featuring eight affordable apartments for adults on the autistic [...]
Finding Purpose at Angel House
One day before her 31st birthday last December, Amanda* entered treatment to deal with her addiction to alcohol. For Amanda, she had reached her lowest point. “I knew my way wasn’t working,” she said. “I avoided the important things I [...]
Editorial: Extraordinary Achievements in Challenging Times
At Housing Assistance, we’ve always said that housing is the foundation for everything a person wants in their life. Before we can build toward our dreams, we need to have a safe place to call home. This year especially, the pandemic [...]
Gifts That Give Back Locally!
Amiplify People of Color www.amiplifypoccapecod.com In late May, Housing Assistance board member, local artist and activist Tara Vargas-Wallace fielded many requests from Cape Codders looking for a resource that would help them support local Black-owned businesses. Finding none, Tara created [...]
Virtual Big Fix-A-Thon Recap
Even with the pandemic, Housing Assistance’s 11th Annual Big Fix-A-Thon was a success with volunteers helping raise nearly $20,000 for our Workforce Housing Relief Fund. Some even embraced the spirit of the annual event by donating their time to give [...]
Unpaid Rent May Cause Some Landlords to Sell Rentals
Even before the pandemic hit our economy, Cape Cod was suffering from an extreme lack of rental properties for our workforce. In Barnstable, we had a vacancy rate of less than 1%, when real estate experts consider a 7% vacancy rate [...]
Tenants Must Apply for Assistance to Qualify for Federal Eviction Moratorium
The Massachusetts’ eviction moratorium, which is credited with delaying “tens of thousands” of evictions in the state expired October 17. Many landlords will start eviction processes for tenants who are behind on rent. There’s a lot of confusion about the [...]
Virtual Summit Highlights Impacts of Pandemic on the Cape
Even before the pandemic hit, the housing crisis on Cape Cod was at a tipping point. One indication could be seen in this statistic: pre-COVID, 45 percent of renters in our region were either extremely cost burdened or burdened. “What that [...]
Role at Housing Assistance a Labor of Love for Keith Trott
A little over seven years ago, Keith Trott saw an ad for a part-time position at Housing Assistance overseeing maintenance at our Carriage House and Village at Cataumet family shelters. It came at the perfect time for Trott who had been [...]
Municipal Officials Discuss Ways to Improve Equity in Housing
Addressing systemic racism and economic exclusion in housing zoning and policy have been a focus of our agency since our inception, as it has been for all who support affordable housing and housing equity. Our communities did not become segregated by [...]
Donor Spotlight: Sullivan & Sullivan
In the spring of 2015, Housing Assistance Board Member Ron Winner convinced Marianne Sullivan to organize a drive for our Welcome Home Gift Basket Program. “Ron has been a dear friend of our family for a long time,” explained Marianne, owner [...]
Ready Renters Program Accepting Applications for Apartments in Barnstable Dennis, Falmouth, Orleans, and Yarmouth
The Ready Renters Program is currently accepting applications on a rolling basis for 5 affordable apartments in Dennis, Falmouth, and Yarmouth through Friday November 20. The available units include: 2-Bedroom Affordable Apartment at 72 Swan River Road in West Dennis [...]
Davis Family Becomes Homeowners Through Yarmouth Buydown Program
The Davis family, in Yarmouth Even before Danielle and Jarrek Davis learned they had been selected as one of three lottery winners for the Yarmouth Buydown Program, they had already started looking at homes to purchase. “We were really [...]
First Citizens’ Teams Up to Help FSS Clients Strengthen Credit
Matt Bolinder still remembers the day he first saw his credit score. “At the time, my girlfriend, who is now my wife, was working with me and we went on Credit Karma. I got incredibly emotional. It was like a gut [...]