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LHAND lands emergency funding for COVID-19 relief
By Gayla Cawley | April 20, 2020
LYNN — Lynn Housing Authority & Neighborhood Development (LHAND) has received emergency funding from the state and federal government, which will be used to help residents who are behind on their rent, at risk of eviction or already homeless.
The funds will go toward two existing programs that LHAND administers: Residential Assistance to Families in Transition (RAFT) and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG).
“They were all existing programs that have had a little bit more money injected into them,” said Sara Johnson, program manager of LHAND’s Family Success Center. “The benefit is being able to hit the ground running and getting the funding out there as quickly as possible.”
The Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has allocated about $5 million in additional funding statewide for the RAFT program for households experiencing instability as a result of COVID-19 related job losses or increase in expenses.
Of that additional state funding, Johnson said LHAND will benefit from about $250,000 that has been allocated to the North Shore region. That funding will supplement the $125,000 that LHAND already had on hand for its RAFT program before the crisis, she said.
When combined, the funding will enable the agency to provide short-term rental assistance for between 95 to 115 families through the DHCD-funded homelessness prevention program, she said.
The amount of families that will benefit is dependent on how much each qualifying household receives. Households are eligible for up to $4,000 in RAFT funds, which can be used to pay for rent, mortgage, utilities, and moving-related costs. More than 200 families have applied for the emergency funds, a number Johnson characterized as “unprecedented.”
Families are eligible for RAFT assistance if their household income is below 50 percent of the area median income (AMI). They must also have documentation that they are facing a housing crisis within 30 days, such as a written notice from a landlord that they are behind on rent, Johnson said.
“It’s definitely a huge help to people who have been applying already,” said Johnson. “There’s definitely a huge need, so hopefully we’ll be getting additional funding in. The need definitely outweighs the resources.”
In addition, the federal government, through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, has allocated funding to the City of Lynn through its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and ESG, which will be used to offset the loss of income faced by individuals and families due to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to a release from U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s office, Lynn received $1.45 million in CDBG funding and $751,083 for the ESG program through the stimulus package. Both programs are funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
About $300,000 of that federal funding will be used by LHAND to assist eligible households with rent, mortgage and utility payments through the ESG program, Johnson said, noting that some of the other allocated funds for the program will be used for an emergency shelter operation.
The purpose of the program is help individuals and families quickly regain stability in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis or homelessness. ESG has two components: Homelessness Prevention, for people at risk of becoming homeless, and Rapid Re-housing, for people who are already homeless.
“Right now, there is a moratorium on evictions,” said Johnson. “The courts aren’t open, but there’s definitely still anxieties around people not being able to pay their rent, (and) being in a position they’ve never been in before. In an owner-occupied building, landlords are worried about being able to pay their mortgage.”
Qualifying households can receive up to six months of rental assistance, along with start-up costs of a security deposit, and first and last month’s rent through the program.
Typically, eligibility is limited to households with an income below 30 percent of the AMI, but the CARES Act allows for additional eligibility for households with incomes below 50 percent of the AMI, Johnson said.
Under normal circumstances, Johnson said LHAND assists up to 20 households through ESG annually, but the additional emergency funding will allow the agency to help many more. She’s also anticipating a second round of funding within the next 60 days.
“it’s significantly more than we were anticipating,” said Johnson. “We’re trying to look at ways to provide help with rental assistance, but if we can find a way to help with other needs, that can be a huge help right now. We’re trying to do the best we can.”
Charles Gaeta, LHAND executive director, added “LHAND administers traditional public housing programs at our state and federal sites, state and federal rental assistance programs, first-time home buying opportunities, as well as emergency assistance.
“These combined programs are the lifeblood of our community, and we will continue to work hard in this time of crisis to ensure they are accessible to the public,” said Gaeta.