rich 1.0 Action Network https://actionnetwork.org <link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/letter/raft-covid-19?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-letter-area-raft-covid-19' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div> Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless https://actionnetwork.org/groups/mass-coalition-for-the-homeless https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/letters/photos/000/112/504/normal/1500x400_mch_banner-01.jpg The Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT, budget line item 7004-9316) program is a key tool to help families with children, unaccompanied youth, elders, people with disabilities, and other households in Massachusetts avoid or exit homelessness. RAFT provides funds for needs such as back rent payments, back utility payments, first month's rent, last month's rent, security deposits, and transportation costs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, tens of thousands of Massachusetts households are falling further behind on rent, utilities, and other needs after facing job losses, work hour reductions, and unexpected costs. Read more on how to access RAFT during the pandemic here: English and Spanish Recently, MassHousing transferred $5 million to create a COVID-19 fund within RAFT. The Legislature has acted to decrease the documentation burden on households applying for RAFT funds (see Chapter 56 of the Acts of 2020, Section 5), and has passed the strongest eviction and foreclosure moratorium law in the nation. These efforts are important, yet more action and resources are necessary. The Coalition is working with allied organizations to ask the Legislature to appropriate $50 million in additional funding for RAFT to address COVID-19 needs. We also are working to make positive changes to improve access and eligibility for RAFT: -Allow households to access any new COVID-19 RAFT funds "upstream", before having to begin the eviction or utility shut-off process - Protect access to funds for the lowest income households (with incomes at or below 30% area median income), while allowing a portion of any COVID-19 funds to go to households normally just above the income eligibility limits if they have been impacted by COVID-19 - Further decrease the documentation burden on households applying for funds, and allow households to apply electronically for benefits - Allow households to apply for RAFT funds, even if they received RAFT payments in the past 12 months - Clarify that households accessing the Upstream RAFT pilot program are eligible for up to four months of back rent or back mortgage payments, even if that exceeds the Traditional RAFT cap of $4,000 - Raise the cap for Traditional and COVID-19 RAFT from $4,000/year to at least $10,000/year to more effectively and realistically meet needs Please join with us to take action to prevent and end homelessness in the Commonwealth! https://actionnetwork.org/letters/raft-covid-19