Assistance programs from Neighborworks Housing Solutions in Plymouth County.
The regional nonprofit NeighborWorks Housing Solutions (NHS) operates locally to provide help to tenants, homeless people and homeowners. The organization offers rental assistance, home-ownership support, foreclosure prevention, and homelessness interventions that are tailored to the needs of Plymouth County and the surrounding southern Massachusetts region. Learn more about programs from NeighborWorks Housing Solutions below.
The agency uses a combination of rental subsidies, homeless prevention services, counseling, and homeownership support to help low-income residents locate and keep stable housing. Their Kingston office manages programs that cover most of the county and works with local partners that understand the region’s housing pressures.
Rental assistance and voucher options
One of the key rental assistance and homeless prevention resources available is RAFT, or the Residential Aid to Families in Transition. This particular resource is administered at the office by the Housing Consumer Education (HCEC) team in partnership with NHS. Any type of rental assistance provided by NeighborWorks Housing Solutions will be in the form of a monthly stipend.
- Assistance for paying rent is available for families with children under the age of 21, with some exceptions made. Funds can help these families make it through a crisis with referrals given to other rental assistance programs in Massachusetts. Or if they are homeless, then assistance may be available for paying security deposits, first months rent and otherwise helping the resident move into a new home.
- The demand for housing support is very high and funds are limited. Therefore all applications for any type of rent assistance will be processed based on the families income levels, their need, and based upon how successful the program would be for the client.
The agency works with landlords across Plymouth County, including in Brockton, Plymouth, Kingston, Middleborough, and surrounding towns. Unlike many organizations, NeighborWorks NHS manages both tenant-based and project-based units within the county. This gives low-income renters two different pathways to affordable apartments.
- As part of this, the non-profit runs the Housing Choice Voucher Program, or Section 8, in the region. Tenant-based vouchers allow a household to rent in the private market based on their income, while project-based units offer more predictable availability in designated affordable developments owned or managed by NeighborWorks or partner organizations.
- Case managers from NeighborWorks will work with families, many of them who are enrolled into section 8, and the agency will help them create long and short term goals. This can included a new and better job, increased income, and other social services. The goal is to help people retain their housing over the long term.
Plymouth County is one of only two counties where NeighborWorks administers the statewide HomeBASE program directly under contract with Massachusetts. HomeBASE provides flexible emergency housing funds to homeless families who are already enrolled in the Massachusetts Emergency Assistance shelter system. NeighborWorks coordinates stabilization services for these families and works with regional partners such as Father Bill’s and MainSpring, which operates local shelters and housing programs in as part of HomeBASE - learn more about the program.
- What makes the Plymouth County HomeBASE model different is its integration with job placement and workforce services. Families receiving HomeBASE assistance in this region may also be linked with employment programs to help them increase income, reduce shelter stays, and maintain long-term housing stability. This combination of housing and employment is not available in every state.
These housing services also include short term, transitional housing services for special needs populations and the disabled. Support is also for homeless families who are victims of domestic violence. Some of the partner organizations are the Scattered Site Transitional Apartment Program as well as the Greater Plymouth Area Supportive Housing Program. In addition, clients will also generally be partnered with the Family Self Sufficiency Program. All of this and more provides economic and educational support and guidance to families receiving rental assistance who wish to become more financially and economically self sufficient.
Homeownership services from NeighborWorks Housing Solutions and down payment help
Those looking to buy a home, or prevent a foreclosure, can also get help from the South Shore Housing Consumer Education Center. The non-profit will offer a wide variety of housing education and counseling services to qualified residents of both Bristol and Plymouth counties Massachusetts.
The down-payment programs vary by city or town because different municipalities allocate local housing trust funds to NeighborWorks. In Plymouth County, assistance may be available for buyers in Brockton, Quincy, Plymouth, Kingston, Hanover, and other South Shore communities. Each program has different purchase-price limits, loan structures, and deferred repayment terms. Because the housing market in Plymouth County differs from Boston and the western part of the state, the agency shapes its requirements and income limits to match local market conditions.
What makes NeighborWorks different
NeighborWorks Housing Solutions delivers more than one type of service under a single agency. For Plymouth County specifically, the biggest differences include the following. The organization combines rental subsidies with employment support for HomeBASE families. It offers both project-based and tenant-based vouchers in the same county, giving residents more choices.
NHS also administers RAFT for local households, which streamlines eviction prevention. It also maintains a local office with dedicated staff who understand the South Shore housing market, which is important for homebuyers and renters facing high costs.
Contact information
Households in Plymouth County can contact the NeighborWorks Kingston office, located at 169 Summer Street, Kingston, MA 02364. The main phone number is 781-422-4200, and additional contact information is at https://nhsmass.org/contact/. If you are seeking information about affordable housing, rental assistance or housing services, please call.
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