Houston-area program to give $500 monthly payments to some residents on hold after Texas lawsuit
The Victory Connector, where she is a harm reduction specialist, provides a range of services to women, transgender, and nonbinary individuals who are at high risk of overdose and who are reluctant to engage with other care systems. If implemented, Harris County would become one of the largest counties in the country with guaranteed income programs that have been replicated since the pandemic. Other major Texas cities, including Austin and San Antonio, have previously offered guaranteed income programs but did not face a lawsuit by the state. MassHousing (The Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency) is an independent, quasi-public agency created in 1966 and charged with providing financing for affordable housing in Massachusetts. The Agency raises capital by selling bonds and lends the proceeds to low- and moderate-income homebuyers and homeowners, and to developers who build or preserve affordable and/or mixed-income rental housing. MassHousing does not use taxpayer dollars to sustain its operations, although it administers some publicly funded programs on behalf of the Commonwealth.
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For many, New Beginning Recovery represents the last possibility for hope and the first chance for sustained success in their battles with substance use or illness. Allston-Brighton Community Development Corporation, Boston, $75,000Grant funds will help create 14 new affordable sober housing units for individuals in advanced recovery in Allston. Last year, 4,775 people turn to New Beginning Recovery for shelter, sustenance, recovery, care, and professional, compassionate support.
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Remembering her own experiences — of sleeping in cars or under a bridge, of wanting to end her own life — and the moments when people helped, or failed to help, Rivera said she continues to find herself wanting to do more to aid people in similar need. She ended up working as a staff member at Casa Esperanza for almost 12 years, becoming first a peer recovery coach, then a house manager, then a treatment coordinator, a senior treatment coordinator, and a supervisor. “Every time I had an appointment, they had somebody to come with me because it’s how I felt safe,” she said. By the time she was 10 or 11, Rivera and her siblings were placed in foster care because of their mother’s alcohol use.
About MassHousing
“MassHousing is pleased to provide this resource for sober housing for men, women, families and senior citizens in communities across the Commonwealth.” The grants come from the Center for Community Recovery Innovations, Inc. (CCRI), a nonprofit subsidiary corporation of MassHousing that helps nonprofits create or preserve affordable sober housing in Massachusetts for individuals in recovery. During the height of the AIDS epidemic, when people diagnosed with both HIV and substance use disorder found themselves with nowhere to go for treatment and care, we were the first to open our doors. We used what we learned from being the first to develop successful service models we could share with other organizations. Gandara Center, Springfield, $14,000Grant funds will help renovate eight units of affordable sober housing for men at Miracle House in Springfield. In the years that she’s been working in harm reduction, Rivera has shared bits and pieces of her own experiences with addiction, trauma, and violence with those she works with.
New Beginning Recovery: Housing. Health. Recovery. Hope.
Since its inception, MassHousing has provided more than $27.5 billion for affordable housing. North Star Family Services, Leominster, $125,000Grant funds will help create 14 units of affordable supportive housing for families in Leominster. Dismas House, Oakham, $125,000Grant funding will help construct six new affordable housing units for families and individuals. “People in recovery from substance use have been particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and these CCRI grants will positively impact those working to overcome addiction,” said MassHousing Executive Director Chrystal Kornegay.
- Other proposals that provide services for residents in MassHousing-financed rental housing, specifically those that address alcohol and/or drug abuse or addiction, are also considered for funding.
- “I am proud that the City of Boston’s investment helped create this beautiful new home for women and their families who are suffering from addiction,” said Mayor Walsh.
- CCRI grant recipients must be 501c3 non-profit organizations and matching funds must be provided.
- MassHousing does not use taxpayer dollars to sustain its operations, although it administers some publicly funded programs on behalf of the Commonwealth.
- It is funded by $20.5 million from President Joe Biden’s 2021 pandemic relief package and follows in the footsteps of dozens of cities and counties across the country that have implemented guaranteed income programs to reduce poverty and inequality.
The individuals and families we serve are homeless or precariously housed —but their challenges are even more complicated. The great majority have histories of trauma, chronic substance use, and mental health issues. New Joelyn’s Home is a fully functional residential treatment program for substance abuse and addiction issues, and will be staffed 24 hours a day with skilled direct-care clinicians and community case managers. In total, Victory’s programs span 18 health, housing, and prevention programs that serve low-income households with supportive needs. The City of Boston continues to encourage and sponsor the creation of new, transitional and permanent housing opportunities with recovery services for homeless individuals and families towards a goal of ending chronic homelessness and substance abuse. Through partnerships like those with Victory, the City of Boston has restored full capacity to its shelter and treatment system, with as many shelter and treatment beds in the system as were formerly located on Long Island.
Rivera starts each day with a cup of coffee and greets her staff, ensuring the plan is set for the day. When Rivera was moved to Casa Esperanza’s new housing on Eustis Street, she again felt flooded with feelings of fear and nervousness about the change, she recalled. “We were always left alone, and the violence that was in the house was not normal,” she said of living with her mother. Corporations, foundations, and individuals have long supported New Beginning Recovery to help make our mission possible! As an event sponsor, you will have a direct and positive impact on our communities while promoting your company and its core values. We focus on what a person is doing “well,” with a nurturing effect that fosters continued effort from the first steps toward progress and growth.
The program is the latest rift between state and local leaders in the Houston area, where Democrats in recent years have gained political ground. Rivera said whenever she learns of another fatal overdose, she finds herself wondering about how there could have been a different outcome. “It’s happening New Beginning Recovery a lot,” Rivera said, emphasizing that there are more dangerous substances being put in the drugs being consumed on the street. The hardest moments are when Rivera and her colleagues learn from members coming into the Connector that someone has passed away from an overdose, she said.
It’s why the 46-year-old loves her job, working as a harm reduction specialist with individuals experiencing addiction, homelessness, and mental health issues in the area of Mass. and Cass in Boston. It’s why the 46-year-old loves her job, working as a harm reduction specialist with individuals experiencing addiction, homelessness, and mental health issues in the area of Mass. and Cass in Boston. The Center for Community Recovery Innovations, Inc., issues an annual Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit projects for funding.