New RAFT Funding Available for Families

How about some good news?  The state-funded Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) homelessness prevention program is back! After several years of minimal funding ($260,000 statewide), RAFT has been funded by the Legislature at $8.76 million for fiscal year 2013. This means that RAFT is once again a statewide program! RAFT is run by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), in collaboration with ten partner agencies.

Eligible families may receive up to $4,000 to pay for expenses to avoid homelessness or rapidly exit homelessness. The program now is targeted to families with incomes at or below 50% of area median income, with at least 90% of the funds for families at or below 30% of area median income. See chart.

Residents may apply for funding through these partner agencies:

Berkshire Housing Development Corporation
1 Fenn St. 3rd Floor  Pittsfield, MA 01201
(413) 499-1630 x-108

Community Teamwork, Inc.
155 Merrimack St. Lowell, MA 01852
(978) 459-0551

Franklin Regional Housing & Redevelopment Authority
42 Canal Road  Turner Falls, MA 01376
413-863-9781

HAP, Inc.
322 Main Street, Suite 1  Springfield, MA 01105
413 233 1600
1-800-332-9667

Housing Assistance Corporation
460 West Main Street  Hyannis, MA 02601
508-771-5400 x-287

Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership, Inc.
125 Lincoln Street, 5th Floor  Boston, MA 02111
617-425-6700
 
RCAP Solutions
205 School Street (P.O. Box 159)  Gardner, MA 01440-0159
978-630-6600 or 800.488.1969

South Middlesex Opportunity Council, Inc.
300 Howard Street  Framingham, MA 01702
508-620-2675

South Shore Housing Development Corporation
169 Summer Street  Kingston, MA 02364
781-422-4222 or 800-242-0957

Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance

6 Institute Road, Worcester, MA 01609
(508) 752-5519

Also listed is the North Shore Regional Resource Center in Lynn, but the state announcement didn't provide contact information for this agency and we are not familiar with it.  If you have information about this organization, please let us know and we will update this post.