Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent housing crisis, the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) allocated additional funding to the Lynn Housing Authority & Neighborhood Development (LHAND) to mitigate the crisis facing Lynn families experiencing job loss, increased expenses and other COVID-related issues.
“The financial assistance that people received working with LHAND staff during the pandemic kept thousands of individuals and families safely in their homes during one of the most turbulent times in recent history,” said Mayor Jared C. Nicholson. “We appreciate (LHAND Executive Director) Charlie Gaeta and his outstanding staff for their dedication to LHAND’s mission and commitment to keeping people housed. Access to safe and affordable housing continues to be a top priority for our administration.”
More than 5,340 families have received assistance in the amount of $49,244,750. These funds have been used to pay for rent, mortgage, and utility bills, as well as other moving-related costs.
“This is an unprecedented amount of assistance to be given out within a short time frame,” said Gaeta. “I am so impressed by the efforts of the staff of the Family Success Center and the LHAND fiscal department in getting out this emergency funding to provide stability so many families.”
For the past decade, LHAND has been administering emergency state and federal funds aimed at assisting youth, families and the elderly facing housing crisis. These programs are commonly known as RAFT, ESG, Homebased and NSHAG. LHAND has been successfully administering these programs leading to housing stabilization and a dramatic decrease in rent-based evictions.
“The Lynn Housing Authority & Neighborhood Development remains committed to addressing housing issues and ensuring that the residents of Lynn receive help and assistance they require to keep them in them homes,” said Sara Johnson, director of the LHAND Family Success Center.
To learn more about applying for RAFT or other emergency assistance visit www.lhand.org or the Family Success Center Facebook page.
