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

Click here to learn more about Rosewood Way, our newest development in Agawam!

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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 FY22 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 Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC). 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

The Holyoke Hub: A collaborative initiative that makes a difference, case-by-case

The best innovations are, with little doubt, the ones that elicit this collective refrain: “Why didn’t anyone think of this sooner?” Such is the case with the Holyoke Hub, a low-cost initiative that has been delivering a high rate of success for at-risk youth, individuals, and families since it began in 2022. A partnership of the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department and community agencies, the Holyoke Hub takes a collaborative, holistic approach to helping people get to a better place. Among the Way Finders’ staff members to join in the weekly Hub discussion is Accountable Care Organization Manager Sara Pena. In her words: “Navigating that maze of resources as an individual at risk? It’s intimidating, it’s exhausting. The Hub has worked out for some of our clients as a really, really good idea. There are people who I don’t think would otherwise ever have really connected to all the systems of care that they need. So seamlessly, and in a really timely fashion.” more >>

Emergency funds from the United Way: A game changer for Resident Services

A big thanks to the United Way of the Franklin and Hampshire Region for their donation of emergency funds to our Resident Services team. Their support of our tenants—and their trust in our staff to deliver that support—is helping people to stay housed. In the words of Director of Resident Services Shalyn Kempema:
“The emergency funds we received from the United Way have really been a game changer, I can’t stress that enough. When we come across a tenant that we know is struggling, we’ve never had something like this before, where we can give tangible assistance in a way that best benefits tenants and supports their housing stability.” more >>

Tech Foundry interns at Way Finders earn high praise—especially for their communication skills

Way Finders is a proud employee partner of Tech Foundry, a nonprofit workforce development organization based in Springfield. Offering a free 18-week IT training support program—which includes a four-week internship—Tech Foundry is helping to meet the Pioneer Valley’s need for entry-level IT workers. Way Finders was delighted to have interns Terrance Blalock and Haroon Rahmani, graduates of Tech Foundry’s fall 2023 cohort, on board for January 2024. more >>

Upcoming Events

Mar 21

Housing Search Workshop - FREE!

1780 Main Street, Springfield
10:00 am to 12:30 pm
Mar 30

Post Purchase Workshop

1780 Main Street, Springfield, MA 01103
9:00 am

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
learn more >>

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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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