The Town of Arlington has selected Housing Corporation of Arlington (HCA), a nonprofit organization working to prevent homelessness and provide more affordable housing, as the lead agency for Arlington’s Homelessness Prevention and Rapid ReHousing Program (HPRP).

This new federal initiative is aimed at assisting very low-income households for up to 18 months. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, $1.5 billion will be distributed to 400 communities across the country for homelessness prevention services. Of this, $533,800 was allocated to the town. HCA will bill the town for the services provided under HPRP, including third-party costs.

Starting in January, HCA began assisting Arlington residents struggling to stay in their housing. Like the rest of the country, Arlington residents have fallen on hard times. Many have lost their jobs, and for some, unemployment has run out.  Those who were self-employed — consultants, small business owners, and others—are struggling to find work and have no safety net. Families and individuals are left to look for other ways to make ends meet: doubling up with relatives, reluctantly using credit cards and leaving bills unpaid.

HCA has experienced a steep rise in the number of Arlington residents seeking assistance. In the last six months of 2009, those requesting help from HCA increased by 70 percent over the previous year.

A month before HCA’s annual Homelessness Prevention Fund appeal went out to the Arlington community, HCA had virtually run out of funds to help Arlington residents stabilize their housing situation. Although the small homelessness prevention grants given to families and individuals in danger of becoming homeless are helpful to many, it was clear that the demand for assistance was outpacing the resources that HCA could provide.

Arlington’s HPRP provides short- and medium-term assistance and services to families and individuals who are homeless or in danger of homelessness due to circumstances arising out of the downtown in the US economy.  Unlike HCA’s original Homelessness Prevention Fund, which only gives short-term grants for housing assistance, the HPRP will help very low-income households with rent assistance and other housing-related services for up to eighteen months.

HCA Executive Director David J. Levy is pleased to take on this new challenge, “Not only does this program save taxpayers from paying towards the shelter system, but it helps families and individuals to remain in their homes or find stable housing. This perfectly aligns with HCA’s mission,” he said in a news release.

HCA is based in Arlington. Its advocates for and provides affordable housing and homelessness solutions to low-income members of the community. 

HCA directors, committee members, volunteers and small professional staff work closely with Arlington residents, congregations, businesses, tenants and housing professionals in an effort to keep Arlington diverse and stable. HCA was established in 1986 and is a 501(c)3 corporation.

For more information, call 781-316-3451, e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit the Web site at www.housingcorparlington.org.