Page 10 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, APRIL 9, 2021 BAKER | FROM PAGE 13 health and the health of our communities. Our state and local governments have dedicated tremendous resources to help people pay their rent. However, as unemployment persists, work hours change, and kids are not fully back in school, federal funding is critical to keeping up with the need,” said Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association CEO Rachel Heller. “This new federal funding provides us with the resources we need to help people and our neighborhoods stay stable through the pandemic.” Over the last nine months, DHCD and partners have worked to reduce paperwork, streamline the application process, implement technology upgrades and provide better language access. To increase capacity, DHCD and regional agencies hired more than 200 new staff and created the new RAP Center to lend added support with increased applications across the state. DHCD is also working to expand access and awareness with a public information campaign and targeted outreach to vulnerable communities. To address this immense increase in demand due to COVID-19, DHCD worked with administering agencies to transform the RAFT program from a narrow homelessness-prevention program into a comprehensive disaster relief program to stabilize renters and landlords. The RAFT program was more targeted in its aid, requiring a court summons or other evidence that a household was facing an unstable situation, and was limited to $4,000 to address a short-term BAKER | SEE PAGE 19
11 Publizr Home