LYNN — More than 650 local families were assisted with funds remain in their homes, preventing homelessness, keeping kids in their schools, and ultimately stabilizing neighborhoods. The Lynn Housing Authority & Neighborhood Development (LHAND) has deployed the entirety of funds received from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for the Rental Assistance for families in Transition (RAFT) program and the Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) program.
The City of Lynn received approximately $75 million dollars from the U.S. Treasury as part of ARPA. This funding was awarded to the city to support its ongoing economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Through a comprehensive community outreach plan and application process, 100+ projects were approved and funded by Mayor Jared Nicholson and the Lynn City Council. Two of those projects aimed to stabilize families by strengthening and supplementing LHAND’s ongoing rental assistance programs, RAFT and TBRA.
“RAFT has been an incredible lifeline for our residents during times of significant stress and anxiety and we were grateful we were able to increase funding to the program through ARPA,” Nicholson said. “We are aware of the very real challenges our residents face and the increasing cost of housing, and we will continue to do whatever we can to keep individuals and families in their home. I’m very grateful to the team at LHAND for their dedication and commitment to making this program so successful.”
In 2022, LHAND was allocated $2 million in RAFT/ARPA funds and $1.5 million in TBRA/ARPA funds. These additional funds were deployed in 2023 and have just recently been fully allocated. It was a huge success in assisting Lynn residents prevent homelessness and stabilizing families during the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath. Some highlights include:
- RAFT assisted a total of 544 Lynn residents, 532 renters, and 12 homeowners.
- RAFT assisted with rent arrears, startup costs such as first month’s rent, last month’s rent, security deposit, utilities,
and mortgage arrears with a cap of up to $5,000 per household. - The average spent per household is $3,308.82 in RAFT funds.
- TBRA assisted more than 110 families.
- TBRA aided families for 12 months with the possibility of six additional months.
- The average assistance in TBRA is approximately $11,500 per family.
Although administered by LHAND, applications for the ARPA funds for both programs were put forth by housing-advocacy groups, Lynn United for Change, Neighbor to Neighbor and Essex County Community Organization in their Community Plan for Equitable Recover Through Housing Stabilization. Not only did these organizations highlight the programs in their applications but also aided in connecting the families in need to the appropriate program for critical assistance.
“The additional ARPA funds for RAFT and TBRA have been a blessing to the community, and it was made possible by Mayor Nicholson and the City Council,” LHAND Executive Director Charles Gaeta said. “Every family in Lynn was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in one way or another, but missing a few months’ rent due to loss of income can put you in an unescapable hole. These supplemental funds helped prevent that hole and keep families in their homes until they were back on their feet. The staff at LHAND’s Housing Stability Center and also the Neighborhood Services Department worked around the clock to make sure these critical funds were used to help the families truly in need.”