HACbeat February 2024

FEBRUARY 2024 | VOL. 33, ISSUE 1

A NEWSLETTER FROM HOUSING ASSISTANCE CORPORATION

Housing Assistance Unveils Plan to Enhance Shelter Program & Create Year-Round Housing Housing Assistance has launched a comprehensive plan that will enhance its family shelter program and accelerate clients’ transition to permanent housing, while also creating urgently needed year-round housing units for working individuals and families on Cape Cod. The cornerstone of the plan is the transformation of a former skilled nursing facility at One Love Lane in Dennis to replace three family shelters: Angel House in Hyannis, the Village at Cataumet in Bourne, and Carriage House in North Falmouth. These sites are owned and operated

by Housing Assistance and will be redeveloped into studios and twobedroom, year-round rental units to provide permanent housing opportunities for individuals and families who have been affected by the region’s housing crisis. The 79 Cape and Islands families currently at these sites will relocate to the new facility in Dennis.

“One Love Lane will become stable, supportive transitional housing for families, many with deep roots on Cape Cod, who would otherwise be out on the street,” said Alisa Magnotta, CEO of Housing Assistance. “As we help these families on the path to permanent housing, we will continue our collaborative and constructive relationship with the Town of Dennis.” continued on page 5

In this issue One Love Lane COVER STORY, continued on page 5 Donor Spotlight: Cape Cod 5 PAGE 2 Entering a Milestone Year With Momentum Editorial by Alisa Magnotta

PAGE 3 Housing Development Team Working to Add Hundreds of Affordable Homes PAGE 4 New Housing Assistance Website Features New Search & Translation Tools PAGE 6 Housing Assistance Turns 50 PAGE 7 Community Embraces Give Hope Where You Live PAGE 8 Matching Gifts Double the Impact of Year-End Contributions PAGE !0

Housing Assistance

Donor Spotlight Cape Cod 5 Collaborating to solve the housing crisis The regional housing crisis can best be explained by one factor, said Bert Talerman, president of Cape Cod 5, a community bank serving the region.

“We continue to be a victim of our desirability,” he said. “The Cape and the Islands are essentially a global brand and viewed as one of the most desirable places to have a second home.” An extremely successful market for second homeowners puts a strain on yearround residents, driving up home prices and limiting housing stock, he said.

“Housing Assistance is operating on a multitude of levels, providing direct assistance to people, developing housing and, maybe most importantly, working collaboratively with others to develop solutions for the long-term well-being of our community,” said Talerman. “The collaborative approach is very important. The only way we’re going to solve these challenges is by working together.”

An additional stressor on the housing market has been the rapid rise in interest rates. “When rates were really low for a long time, there was a lot of movement in housing – selling one house and buying a slightly different one,” he said. “Now, anyone who has a mortgage with a rate that starts with a three, they’re just not giving up that loan and selling the property.”

When housing inventory is constrained, local banks are among the many businesses affected, he said.

“We’re in the business of building long-term relationships, whether it’s someone who opens a bank account with us in high school and keeps the account forever, or someone who finances their first home with us,” he said. “Trying to play a role in bringing people together to create housing solutions is part of our commitment. If we end up with a hollow community here, that doesn’t bode well for anyone in the long run.”

It’s why Cape Cod 5 supports Housing Assistance. The bank was a Champion Sponsor of the 2023 Housing to Protect Cape Cod Summit and is an Annual Corporate Sponsor. Liam Cahill, director of residential lending operations at Cape Cod 5, is the Housing Assistance treasurer and a member of the executive committee on the agency’s board of directors.

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Trying to play a role in bringing people together to create housing solutions is part of our commitment. If we end up with a hollow community here, that doesn’t bode well for anyone in the long run.”

– BERT TALERMAN PRESIDENT, CAPE COD 5

Entering a Milestone Year With Momentum EDITORIAL BY ALISA MAGNOTTA

If you visited our website earlier this year, you may have noticed an update at the top of the homepage: a new version of our logo with a conspicuous number, the “big five-oh.”

Housing Assistance is proudly celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024. We have a number of special initiatives and events in the works to mark this milestone, including a celebratory event in the fall. We will share more information in the near future.

Our organization has started the year strongly on two fronts – here on the Cape, with the announcement of a comprehensive plan to consolidate our family shelter operations in Dennis; and in Boston, where we testified in support of the governor’s Affordable Homes Act, a bill packed with proposals and funding that would go a long way toward solving our persistent and seemingly intractable housing crisis.

The new shelter operation at One Love Lane will take the place of a shuttered nursing home – one that closed, in part, because there was no available housing for its workers – and provide stable, supportive housing for families, many with deep roots on Cape Cod. As part of the plan, we will repurpose existing shelter sites to create urgently needed yearround housing units for individuals and families.

At the State House hearing, we warned legislators how the housing crisis is crushing the dreams of many who want to live and work on the Cape and Islands.

We are optimistic about the proposed legislation, as it features a variety of adaptable tools that different regions of the state can use to address housing needs.

For example, the creation of a Seasonal Communities Designation could help jumpstart year-round rental and homeownership developments in key Cape communities.

Solutions to the housing crisis are at hand. However, the same voices of opposition that we heard five decades ago are still at it. These voices may seem louder today because they reverberate from town meetings out across social media, but we can find comfort in the knowledge that they are not actually stronger than the concerned and supportive community that has gathered together with us and continues to fight for change and progress.

We were founded in 1974 as a pilot project that provided rental vouchers to help secure housing for year-round workers on Cape Cod. And look how far we’ve come! We now serve more than 6,500 households across the region. We operate shelter, rental assistance, and stabilization programs; we provide housing education and weatherization; and we build high-quality, attainable homes that strengthen our diverse communities. In fact, we currently have 250 units in the construction pipeline, including 40 units dedicated to home ownership.

Now, more than any time in our history, we need your support. We must remain steadfast and resolute in the face of the opposition that seeks to divide us and stop our progress. We are the champions for our families, our businesses, and a thriving future for the Cape and Islands. On behalf of all my colleagues, we thank you and appreciate all that you are able to do to help us bridge the gap between homelessness and homeownership. Together we will keep our momentum strong!

Alisa Magnotta, CEO

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Housing Development Team Working to Add Hundreds of Affordable Homes One piece of the puzzle in solving Cape Cod’s housing crisis is the construction of new affordable housing.

Housing Assistance is the largest developer of affordable housing in the region and has built almost 600 units since its founding in 1974. Another 250 units are in the development pipeline.

Site plans for Stevens Street, Hyannis

“It is challenging to create affordable homeownership and rental opportunities on Cape Cod, but it is an important part of our mission,” said David Quinn, Housing Assistance’s vice president of real estate development. “We have in-house expertise and history building new units, and we partner with other agencies and organizations to see complex projects through from conception to completion.”

107 Main Street (Orleans): The Town of Orleans selected Housing Assistance to develop the 1.25acre property into 14 affordable rental units on town-owned land. All units will be restricted to households that earn below 80% of the county median income. With local permitting finalized and all funding committed, groundbreaking is expected in early 2024.

In 2023, Brewster Woods opened to new tenants and quickly filled to capacity. The 30-unit affordable rental complex was built in collaboration with Housing Assistance’s long-running partner, Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) and the Town of Brewster.

Work will continue in 2024 to create new affordable, attainable housing for workers, families and seniors.

Stevens Street (Hyannis): 268 Stevens Street will provide affordable condominium units in the heart of downtown Hyannis, with 40 units for purchase by 100% AMI households and the remaining 10 units available at market rate. We are working with the Town of Barnstable on zoning approval and expect the project to break ground in late 2024.

“Homeownership has become increasingly out of reach for our critical workforce, leading to displacement,” said Quinn. “This project will increase economic vitality and stability of our community by providing a path to ownership for households at or below the median income.”

LeClair Village Apartments (Mashpee): Construction is underway on another collaboration with POAH that will include 39 affordable apartments for families and individuals. A groundbreaking and naming ceremony in May 2023 honored Mary LeClair of Mashpee, a former Barnstable County Commissioner and longtime champion of Housing Assistance.

Cape View Way (Bourne): Construction also started in 2023 on a 42-unit affordable project located on Cape View Way in Sagamore Beach. The project, also in partnership with POAH, is designed to passive house energy efficiency standards and will include four handicapped-accessible apartments. Most of the apartments will be affordable to residents earning 60 percent of the area median income (AMI), with 16 units subsidized for residents at 30 percent of AMI. HACbeat February 2024 | Page 4

Spring Rock Village (Brewster): A proposed development of 45 affordable housing units located on Millstone Road on land owned by The Town of Brewster will provide apartments for a range of household types with affordable rents that working outer Cape families can support. The site design creates a sociable neighborhood that preserves the existing 16-acre woodland habitat and minimizes building footprints by centering several four-unit apartment buildings around a town center.

ONE LOVE LANE - continued from cover

The initiative corresponds with Housing Assistance’s multi-year strategic plan to address housing insecurity across the region. “One Love Lane property was a natural fit when we were approached to purchase it by the former owner last year,” Magnotta said. “They indicated that the nursing home operator was challenged by a workforce shortage exacerbated by the lack of attainable housing on the Cape – the same housing crisis that is forcing many families to turn to shelters.”

The former owner and operator has closed the nursing home and relocated residents following state regulatory requirements. Housing Assistance has filed plans with the Dennis Planning Board for special review of the new use of the property, which is allowed by right under a state law known as the Dover Amendment.

“We have already identified transportation, financial literacy, and job training as additional elements of comprehensive assistance at One Love Lane to help accelerate successful transitions for these families into permanent yearround housing.”

The new facility is set to open to clients later this year.

To learn more about the One Love Lane project, visit bit.ly/one-love-lane to watch a 10-minute presentation by Alisa Magnotta.

The 57,000-square-foot building is in good condition and many of the property’s amenities, including a full-size professional kitchen, will benefit shelter families. Housing Assistance is collaborating with an architect and other consultants on an interior renovation and redesign that will best accommodate family housing needs.

Housing Assistance will also leverage its partnerships with regional providers, its 30-plus years of shelter operational knowledge, and its experienced in-house team to create a 24-hour staffing plan and expanded educational programming that will allow families to move to year-round rental housing or even into home ownership.

“We plan to partner with other experts to establish expanded services with a focus on helping working parents staying in the shelter,” said Cassi Danzl, Chief Operating Officer of Housing Assistance.

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New Housing Assistance Website Features New Search & Translation Tools Housing Assistance has launched a redesigned website with new features to enhance accessibility and usability for clients, supporters, staff and donors.

The new website incorporates a sophisticated search tool that will allow users to type keyword phrases to connect them more easily with the information they’re looking for. The site also includes Google Translate, which will make the entire website available to users who speak and read up to 100 other languages than English.

“The search function is brand new for us and will be a game-changer for both clients and staff,” Housing Assistance Chief Operating Officer Cassi Danzl said.

“Google Translate will also help a growing number of our clients who speak Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Spanish and other languages to access our information in their primary language.”

Housing Assistance contracted with the Lowell-based design firm, Tomo360, in June 2023 to lead the website overhaul.

Tomo360 is a state-certified Minority, WomenOwned and LGTBQ full-service marketing agency with specialties that include website development and search engine optimization (SEO). The company has designed award-winning websites for agencies including Barnstable County, Lowell Community Health Center and MassHousing.

Housing Assistance staff from every department were recruited to take part in developing the site’s new navigation, provide feedback on early iterations of the design, and curate hundreds of existing pages to prepare them for the new site.

“We took our time with this project and worked across the agency to ensure we were putting client needs front-and-center with this latest website update,” Danzl said. “The result is a website that highlights the broad range of programs and services we provide while also making it easier for those who need our help to quickly navigate to what they need so they can find, or stay in, safe, stable housing.”

The Housing Assistance website was last updated in 2018.

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Housing Assistance Turns 50 2024 marks a major milestone for Housing Assistance—50 years of service to the Cape and Islands community.

The agency got its start in 1974 with a pilot program to test whether rental vouchers would help year-round workers secure housing on Cape Cod. One year later, Housing Assistance began to administer the HUD Section 8 Rental Assistance program for the region.

We will celebrate our 50th anniversary in many ways throughout the year, including a special event in September —stay tuned for details. We will highlight our accomplishments, our clients and supporters and we will look at what’s ahead for Housing Assistance, and the region, over the next 50 years.

None of this would have been possible without supporters like you, and we invite you to celebrate with us. Thank you for helping to make Housing Assistance an integral part of the Cape and Islands community!

Our work rapidly evolved to include shelter operation, additional rental assistance and stabilization programs, housing education, weatherization and the building of safe, highquality, attainable homes that strengthen our local economy and community. These programs and services have assisted more than 200,000 low- and moderate-income households on Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard over the past five decades.

Today, Housing Assistance is a trusted leader in the Cape and Islands community, known for implementing innovative and effective programs, providing support for our most vulnerable, and for developing critical year-round units for both rental and homeownership opportunities in response to the unprecedented housing crisis and the complex needs of those affected by it.

“We are acknowledging the agency’s history and positive impact at a pivotal time as our community grapples with an unrelenting housing crisis,” said Housing Assistance CEO Alisa Magnotta. “There are no quick and easy solutions. That’s what makes our work, with its variety of approaches, partnerships and clients, so important now, and in the years to come.”

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Community Embraces Give Hope Where You Live in Its Inaugural Year Housing Assistance introduced a new year-end community fundraiser this past fall, offering supporters several opportunities to “Give Hope Where You Live.”

Through peer-to-peer fundraising and the provision of inkind donations, the Cape community once again showed overwhelming generosity to those who need it the most.

Together, we collected over $102,700 in gifts, including both financial contributions and 1,850 essential items such as toiletries, winter weather gear, diapers, and home necessities that will go directly to our clients in need.

The money raised will enable our team to assist more than 6,500 families next year through the provision of shelter; housing stabilization and homelessness prevention services; and educational programs.

$103,000 RAISED

368

$12,215 1,850

MONETARY GIFTS

IN GIFT CARDS DISTRIBUTED TO PEOPLE IN NEED

IN-KIND ITEMS*

229 ADULTS AND CHILDREN IN SHELTERS AND OTHER PROGRAMS RECEIVED GIFT CARDS TO ASSIST WITH THE HOLIDAYS AND OTHER DAILY NEEDS *Welcome Home items, items for daily living

HIGHLIGHTS: Congratulations to the team at Mid-Cape Home Centers for continuing their reign as Top Fundraising Team, and to Gordon Correia from Mid-Cape for being the Top Individual Fundraiser for the second year (last year through our Telethon for Hope). We are so grateful!

Members of the Osterville Men's Club joined us to deliver donated items valued at $1,800 and helped us organize donations for the Welcome Home Room, where Housing Assistance staff can access items to support their clients in need.

Mid-Cape Home Centers (Top Fundraising Team), and Gordon Correia (Top Individual Fundraiser)

Kelli Dottridge of Osterville brought together several local groups and individuals in her network to support her effort to assemble 180 gift bags containing items for daily living: hats, gloves, socks, snacks, toiletries, and feminine hygiene products. She arrived at our offices with 4 cars continued on next page

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Osterville Men’s Club delivered donated items and helped us organize our Welcome Home room.

GIVE HOPE WHERE YOU LIVE - continued from previous page

full of items, which went straight to our outreach team so they could offer them to individuals living on the street or in camps.

We were blown away by the generosity of four local book clubs: Bookmark Book Club, Tennis Book Club, Brewster Book Club, and Bray Farm Book Group. Together, they filled new backpacks with essential items for daily living for young people experiencing homelessness, including gift cards for a warm meal or gas. Their donations totaled over $4,500.

The Cape Cod & Islands Association of REALTORS® continued their tradition of providing Welcome Home Baskets for families moving out of shelter into stable housing. Their generous gifts filled the Housing Assistance conference room to overflowing with everything from shower curtains to cleaning supplies to pots, pans, and cozy blankets.

Kelli Dottridge rallied the support of her network to assemble 180 gift bags.

CORNERSTONE SPONSORS

Local book clubs filled backpacks with donations valued at more than $4,500.

BEAM SPONSOR

PILLAR SPONSORS

BRICK SPONSORS

LAW OFFICE OF EUGENE CURRY

The Cape Cod & Islands Association of REALTORS® provided a conference room full of Welcome Home Baskets!

FRIENDS & IN-KIND DONATIONS Frank FM Handren Brothers Builders, Inc. Law Offices of Bruce Bierhans

Union Studio Architecture & Community Design Tasha Fuels and Propane, Inc.

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Matching Gifts Double the Impact of Donors’ Year-End Contributions We had much to be grateful for this holiday season at Housing Assistance, as a group of generous donors combined efforts to pledge a $75,000 match as part of Housing Assistance’s year-end appeal.

Our supporters were quick to meet the moment, raising over $100,000. With $75,000 of those dollars being matched, over $250,000 in vital financial support came into our organization at the end of 2023.

The Hermann Foundation from Worcester, Massachusetts was one of the leading donors with a match gift of $25,000 in addition to a general program grant.

529 GIFTS

$168,233 RAISED

The generosity of our community does not go unnoticed. The funds raised through this campaign will enable us to assist the more than 6,500 people who will come to Housing Assistance in 2024 looking for a helping hand. That will include hundreds of seniors on fixed incomes trying to age in place, and dual-income working families who struggle to find housing they can afford.

“There’s not a day that goes by that I’m not reminded of the compassion of our supporters,” said Alisa Magnotta, CEO of Housing Assistance. “We start our 50th year of service to the Cape and Islands buoyed by this incredible support in our vision of a thriving year-round community!”

Upcoming Virtual Classes & Workshops Learn more and register at haconcapecod.org.

MONEY MATTERS Free two-night workshop that will help you set financial goals, make a spending plan and identify ways to create an emergency fund.

February 20 & 22 March 6 & 13

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FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYER Overview of the homebuying process. Topics include money management, mortgage loan programs, insurance and more.

April 2, 4 & 9 May 15 & 18

HOMESAFE Fulfills the post-purchase education requirements and provides a forum to share experiences with other homeowners.

March 25 & 27

2024

CALENDAR OF EVENTS Save the dates! Celebrate our special community and help raise awareness and funds for Housing Assistance’s mission at these great events throughout our anniversary year!

Walk for Hope Sunday, May 19 · WalkRoutes in Falmouth, Hyannis & Orleans Celebrate 50 years of community connections by taking part in a beloved Housing Assistance tradition! Walk alongside Housing Assistance staff, volunteers, supporters, and donors to raise awareness of the housing crisis on Cape Cod and the Islands and raise critical funds to keep our neighbors in safe, stable housing.

Oysters & Champagne Thursday, July 11 · Garden Terrace at Wequassett Resort in Harwich Enjoy summer’s delicacies while making an impact during this elegant evening overlooking Pleasant Bay. Guests will be invited to Fund-A-Need and commit to ensuring the thousands of households we serve each year have access to affordable, stable housing.

50th Anniversary Celebration September · More Details Coming Soon It’s our birthday! Join us in celebrating 50 years of meaningful impact in the lives of families and individuals across Cape Cod and the Islands. We'll recognize influential community leaders, celebrate recent successes, and toast to a future of housing stability across our region.

Housing to Protect Cape Cod Summit Thursday, October 17 · Emerald Resort in Hyannis The Housing to Protect Cape Cod Coalition proudly presents its third annual Summit, a day for housing advocates from Cape Cod and the Islands to learn, engage, and connect. Featuring local and state leaders, the day presents an opportunity to hear about the current housing crisis and learn how to become involved in advocacy efforts across the region and on Beacon Hill.

Give Hope Where You Live Friday, November 22 · Housing Assistance Headquarters in Hyannis Embrace the spirit of the giving season throughout November! Raise critical funds and collect essential items to help those experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity across our region.

Give Hope Where You Live and help keep Cape Cod a thriving year-round community.

Interested in sponsoring our events?

Please contact: Christina Wiseman, Director of Events at 508-771-5400, ext. 271 or cwiseman@haconcapecod.org

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460 W. Main Street Hyannis, MA 02601 508-771-5400 haconcapecod.org

@HACONCAPECOD

Annual Corporate Sponsors LEADERSHIP SPONSORS

FOUNDATION SPONSORS

VISIONARY SPONSORS

INNOVATOR SPONSORS

Housing Assistance Annual Sponsors provide vital assistance to families and individuals in our community struggling with housing issues. Businesses, corporations, families, and individuals are eligible to become annual sponsors and receive valuable public awareness at our special events and community programs throughout the year. To learn more, contact Ann Schiffenhaus, Senior Director of Major and Corporate Gifts, at 508-771-5400, ext. 274 or achiffenhaus@haconcapecod.org.