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For Action Inc.
Update on Federal Funding
The federal government has passed its budget for the current fiscal year, thanks to advocacy from community action supporters across the country.
All Action Inc. programs are open and operational.
We are here to help – please call us at 978-282-1000 for assistance.
Threats to Housing Programs
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced changes to permanent supportive housing for people experiencing chronic homelessness. Although the courts have ordered HUD to renew existing Continuum of Care (CoC) grants for 12 months, Congress has not yet passed the legislation needed to allow those renewals to move forward. This will have a devastating impact on people in our community. In the past year alone, 140 people received stable housing through Action Inc.’s HUD-funded programs.
What are the implications of the recently announced changes to the Department of Housing & Urban Development’s Continuum of Care housing program?
The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) is making fundamental changes to a federal program that provides permanent housing and supportive services to formerly homeless people in our region and across the country.
The Continuum of Care (CoC) is a long-standing, successful HUD program that helps formerly homeless individuals and families find stability. Participants must have a long history of homelessness and a diagnosed disability to receive any services through this program. CoC program participants work with their case managers toward achieving their goals – including finding employment, accessing medical care, and reconnecting with family – from the safety of their own apartments.
The changes to the CoC program will cause widespread and devastating increases in homelessness across the country. In our region, Action Inc.’s Supportive Housing program provides permanent housing and case management services to 87 households – and 40 percent of this program is funded via CoC.
The CoC program provides a vital stream of guaranteed rent payments to local landlords, as well. Through the CoC program, Action Inc. works with 35 local landlords who rely on CoC funding to assist participants with their rental payments.
To learn more about these changes to CoC funding, click here to review materials created by the Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance. Click here to read an article that appeared in the Boston Globe about the impacts to local organizations: ‘Unimaginably inhumane’: Federal cuts threaten to undo Boston’s progress fighting homelessness
Read more in a recently published article in the CommonWealth Beacon: ‘You want to put me back on the street?’: Advocates brace for deep cuts to ‘Housing First’ programs
What You Can Do
Action Inc. has spent the last 60 years helping hard-working people on the North Shore find housing, heating, and hope. Now, we need your help!
- Share our Federal Advocacy Toolkit on social media and with your networks.
- Contact your representatives today at the local and federal levels and ask them to keep fighting for HUD.
- For HUD-funded programs, advocate on behalf of our community by requesting they support a provision in the THUD appropriations bill that directs HUD to renew all existing Continuum of Care grants expiring during calendar year 2026 for 12 months. This no-cost provision is consistent with bipartisan Congressional direction and will ensure there are no unnecessary gaps and delays in resources. Please request they find a path that will ensure future HUD funding for the CoC program is awarded quickly and in accordance with law and statute.
- Share your story with us. Action Inc. wants to hear from Cape Ann residents who have received help from us in the past since this helps us with our own advocacy efforts. Tell us about your experience below.
No one in our community should have to choose between food, heat, or a safe place to call home.