LHAND opens housing resource center

LYNN – The Lynn Housing Authority is opening doors for those with housing needs with a new Regional Housing Resource Center on Franklin Street.”It’s a brand-new program,” said Norm Cole, director of Planning and Development for the Lynn Housing Authority and Neighborhood Development. “We put all our resources under one roof.”Cole said the Resource Center, located at 117 Franklin St., offers both regional and localized help for those with housing concerns. It will provide housing assistance focusing on homeless prevention and re-housing for individuals and families.On the regional level the center will provide screening assessment for state programs such as RAFT, Regional Assistance for Families in Transition, and the HomeBase Program, implemented last year, which provides $4,000 in financial assistance to EA-eligible families to avoid going into shelter and $4,000 to help families leave shelter, Cole explained.There are also resources and assessments aimed for local individuals who might need help with back rent or a security deposit or referrals, Cole explained.In addition to financial support, referrals are made for services such as job training & employment programs, mental health & substance abuse, benefits maximization, fuel assistance and case management services, he continued.Prior to opening the resource center, families with housing concerns would likely have to go to one or more agencies until they found the help they needed.Cole said the center will allow LHAND to more effectively disburse funds, information and support to people in crisis as well as spread the resources across the region, which stretches from Lynn to Cape Ann.”It made sense to centralize,” Cole said. “It works better for families and for us.”Aaron Gornstein, Undersecretary for the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) joined city and state officials for the center’s official opening. Cole said he also addressed the North Shore Housing Action Group (NSHAG) on current state housing initiatives for homeless families.Cole admitted it was exciting to have Gornstein see what was going on in Lynn. He said has been a push for more regionalization between cities and towns and, for LHAND, it is working out well.LHAND and its main partners, Catholic Charities North, Centerboard, Citizens for Adequate Housing, Lynn Shelter Association, North Shore Community Action Council and Wellspring, are providing stabilization and case-management services to approximately 600 families, he said. In addition, they are currently working with DHCD to move families living in local hotels and motels.Cole said bringing all the programs and agency information together under one umbrella simply made sense.”It makes it better for the clients and we can better utilize resources from Peabody to Salem to Gloucester,” he said. “It’s everyone just pitching in.”Chris Stevens can be reached at [email protected].