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Worcester homelessness programs help people who are homeless or in danger of losing their housing. Homelessness programs help Worcester residents who have nowhere to live, or are facing eviction or foreclosure, living in unsafe housing, or paying too much for housing. Prevention services provide financial help, counseling, and other services to help families stay in their homes. Emergency Assistance and community shelters provide temporary shelter, help finding permanent housing, and other services to help the homeless.
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Homelessness Programs
- IN WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS -
Click on a program name for more information:
The Emergency Assistance program helps pregnant women and families with children who are homeless with nowhere to live. The program provides emergency shelter and help finding permanent housing. Emergency Assistance is run by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). Use the MassResources.org online EA Eligibility Check to see if you might qualify for benefits.
RAFT (Residential Assistance for Families in Transition) is a state-funded homelessness prevention program. RAFT helps families who are behind on rent, mortgage payments, or utility bills. RAFT also helps families who have to move but do not have enough money to pay a security deposit, utility startup costs, or first/last month’s rent. Funding is limited.
The Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) helps homeless and at-risk individuals and families who only need short-term assistance to resolve their housing crisis. HPRP helps with rental assistance, back rent, utility bills and arrearages, security deposits, moving and storage costs, and hotel/motel vouchers.
Worcester residents in need of help should call the Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance at 508-791-7265; the Worcester DTA office at 508-767-3100; or the DHCD Division of Housing Stabilization toll-free at 1-877-418-3308.
Foreclosure prevention programs are free counseling and mortgage assistance programs that help you if you are in trouble with your home loan, or think you will be in trouble in the future. The programs may make it possible for you to keep your home. Tenants in foreclosed buildings are protected by Massachusetts law and do not have to move out right away.
Emergency shelters and transitional programs give temporary housing and support services to homeless people. Some shelters are for families with children, some are for runaway teens and teen parents, and some are for single adult men and women without children. Transitional programs provide many support services to help homeless people find housing and live independently.
There are several other organizations and agencies in the Worcester area that offer homelessness prevention services:
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Abby's House offers homelessness prevention services to women and their children, including victims of domestic violence.
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Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance provides housing counseling assistance, elder home repair and maintenance, and other education and support programs.
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Community Healthlink recognizes that homelessness is often linked to mental illness and substance abuse, and offers community outreach, case management, supportive and group housing, transitional housing, outpatient services, and residential treatment programs.
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Friendly House, Inc. is a multi-service organization with a wide variety of homelessness prevention services as well as emergency shelter and transitional housing for Worcester County residents.
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Homeless Prevention Center (Catholic Charities) provides financial assistance and housing counseling to very low-income families and individuals at risk of homelessness.
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Massachusetts Legal Services Programs offer free legal assistance to low-income people and elders who need legal help with housing issues (such as evictions), government benefits, and other non-criminal issues.
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