IMPORTANT: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has changed the application process for emergency rental assistance! Click here to learn more

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With your help, Way Finders can provide the tools and guidance our neighbors need to avoid homelessness and live their best lives. 

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View our FY21 Annual Report.

To build and advocate for a thriving, equitable region? We help neighbors, transform communities, and reimagine trajectories.  

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Buying a home is a big step.

Way Finders is here to help first time homebuyers through the process, every step of the way.

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Employment Support

Way Finders is an approved provider of programs that combine housing and employment services. The good news is these programs are easily and readily available. Thanks to these programs hundreds of people have more stable housing and jobs. 

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Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT)

The RAFT Program is a homelessness prevention program funded by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). RAFT provides short-term financial assistance to low-income families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

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Latest News

Ringing out in Liberty Heights? A story of generational wealth building

Can you hear it? Ringing out in Liberty Heights: a story of generational wealth building. Much gratitude to Isaiah and Priscilla Delmoral for sharing their path to first-time homeownership—which featured a stint living at home with his parents and siblings and a year dedicated to building financial capacity via personalized coaching. All in pursuit of being able to make—and sustain!—a home purchase. Says Isaiah: “It’s amazing, we’re so happy! For us, homeownership means creating generational wealth and changing the whole dynamic of our family line. And it means breaking paradigms that exist right now in Black and brown communities. Way Finders’ programs change the game for a lot of us.” Read their story. more >>

Staff Spotlight: Mayra De Leon, Homelessness Prevention Advisor

“Don’t even worry, I’ve got you!” Such is the philosophy—delivered with electric energy—that Mayra De Leon brings to her role of homelessness prevention advisor, starting from the moment a client arrives at Way Finders’ Springfield Housing Center. Equal parts confidence, inquisitiveness, and warmth, Mayra prides herself on being a hands-on resource to people in need. “I love my role because I get to be a counselor, a friend, a good ear. I don’t treat clients as just any person. No, you’re my sister, you’re my brother. I say, ‘How can I help you? Listen, if I don’t have the answer, we will find it together. You hit the right person, I’m the walking phone book!’” 
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Introducing the Western Massachusetts Housing Coalition

The Western Massachusetts Housing Coalition—47 organizations strong—has together identified a series of legislative priorities for Western Massachusetts that are tailored to address our area’s specific housing challenges. more >>

Upcoming Events

Featured Communities

Butternut Farms

12 Longmeadow Drive, Amherst, MA. A quiet, rural setting with plenty of open space and easy access to the surrounding communities. Amherst, MA
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Parsons Village

71 Parsons Street, Easthampton, MA Energy-efficient homes in a development designed to enhance community, conserve resources and set a new standard for affordable housing. Easthampton, MA
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Olympia Oaks

85 Olympia Drive, Amherst, MA. A mixed-income community incorporating green space and access to nature, within walking distance of downtown Amherst. Amherst, MA
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Needs are great;

so too is our vision. Our work requires many hands and many supporters. We invite you to join us.

 

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By joining our mailing list, you will stay apprised of news, ideas and the impact of our work throughout the region.    

 

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“Look forward, don’t look back.”

Jonel relocated to Massachusetts from Connecticut, where, despite working two jobs, she couldn’t afford rent. She lost everything and moved north with her daughter, right before the start of a global pandemic. Her plan—to stay with family—didn’t work out.  

“I had no choice but to go into a shelter,” says Jonel. There she connected with programs and people who helped her start over. Today, Jonel pays market rent in Holyoke, works in the food industry, and is saving to get to the next steps in life. To others who are facing housing insecurity, Jonel offers these words: “Don’t be afraid. Look forward, don’t look back. And if you’re serious about changing your life, Way Finders is the way to go.” 

learn more about the lives that way finders has impacted 

 

Community Collaborators

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