MassHousing Supports Our Housing
The Megan House Foundation is pleased to announce we have received a $25,000 CCRI grant from MassHousing as part of the agency’s $700,000 effort to help support affordable sober housing for individuals in recovery in Massachusetts during the COVID-19 crisis. The funding will help Erin’s House, the Foundation’s first Success Home, continue to meet the needs of young women in recovery through these challenging times.
“Sustaining recovery is difficult enough in normal times,” said Megan House Foundation Executive Director Pam Huntley. “This grant will go a long way toward ensuring we can continue to meet the health and emotional needs of our residents, while also ensuring we can continue to maintain a safe living environment through the COVID-19 crisis.”
The CCRI grants, which were up to $25,000 to non-profit affordable sober housing providers who had previously received financing from MassHousing, came from the Center for Community Recovery Innovations, Inc. (CCRI), a subsidiary corporation of MassHousing with a mission to increase, improve and support affordable sober housing for individuals and households in recovery in Massachusetts. The grants were considered and allocated on a case-by-case basis.
“The COVID-19 crisis has particularly impacted the lives of some of our most vulnerable citizens and the economic stability of the many non-profit organizations that provide vital sober housing and support services to people fighting addiction around the Commonwealth,” said MassHousing Executive Director Chrystal Kornegay. “Many residents have lost their jobs and cannot pay rent, and many non-profit organizations are struggling to meet their financial obligations due to reduced rental income and increased operating costs connected to the pandemic.”
Erin’s House, like Megan’s House and other non-profit sober housing providers, has seen increased costs for food, supplies, and cleaning. There have been added payroll expenses for overtime or additional staff to maintain sober housing and services, as well as assisting residents in applying for available state and federal COVID-19-related benefits. Some entities have also identified additional costs for technology to allow residents to utilize telehealth options and participate remotely in their regular recovery programs.
About MassHousing
MassHousing (The Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency) is an independent, quasi-public agency created in 1966 and charged with providing financing for affordable housing in Massachusetts. The Agency raises capital by selling bonds and lends the proceeds to low- and moderate-income homebuyers and homeowners, and to developers who build or preserve affordable and/or mixed-income rental housing. MassHousing does not use taxpayer dollars to sustain its operations, although it administers some publicly funded programs on behalf of the Commonwealth. Since its inception, MassHousing has provided more than $25 billion for affordable housing. For more information, follow them on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.