Emergency Financial Housing Assistance Funds

Are you facing housing instability? Funds are available for rent, mortgage, and utility payments for eligible households.

News

Read about our developments, our clients, and more.

Homeownership & Financial Education

Way Finders helps people improve their finances and purchase their first home. Our housing counselors help every step of the way.

Support our mission

Making a gift to Way Finders supports hundreds of families working towards stable housing, employment, and a bright future.

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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.

View our FY21 Annual Report.

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

Buying a home is a big step.

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

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.

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

Project Spotlight: City of Homes

Neighborhoods aren’t static—they are constantly changing, often right before our eyes. So what to do when changes aren’t for the better? When houses are let go, not lived in, not cared for? Do you cross the street upon approach? Avert your eyes? Sigh in resignation? Not if you’re Associate Project Manager Meridith Whippen, a Springfield resident and driving force behind Way Finders’ City of Homes initiative. She’s drawn to properties in distress by the vision of what they could be—to future owners and the greater community. “Just the other night, I walked my dog a way I don’t often take. And there was a house that is boarded up,” says Meridith. “I was like, ‘I’ve got see what the deal is with this house!’ It doesn’t hurt to ask.” more >>

Hat’s off to 2023 FSS graduate Tia Best

On the day we met up with Tia, assistant manager at two local Subway stores, at our Springfield Housing Center, she was dressed for work. And she was desperately needed at work. But, for this one morning, she said she wasn’t available until after noon. She didn’t want to miss her graduation appointment with FSS Program Specialist Sonia Colon, who came bearing some two checks—a real one and a big photogenic one. “Oh, my goodness, I can’t believe it. I’ve never had this much money in my hand at one time! This money is financial freedom, to make sure we’re comfortable. So when emergencies come, we don’t have to stress the way we used to.” more >>

Monique’s path to the White House

When Monique Lawson called her kids last fall and asked them to meet her at an address in Springfield, they were skeptical. And a little confused. “They were like, ‘For what? Whose house is that?’ And I’m like, ‘It’s yours.’ It’s brand new, with a double lot backyard. It’s white and it’s big, I call it the White House! It’s like everything has fallen into place for me this past year. Everything. It’s just exciting. It was just my year.” more >>

Upcoming Events

Mar 25

Post Purchase Workshop

Zoom Webinar

9:00 am

Mar 30

Improve your home's safety and accessibility - Home Modification Loan Program info session

1780 Main Street

10:00 am

Apr 8

First-time homebuyer workshop (English)

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
learn more >>

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
learn more >>

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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“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