ORLEANS – As the moratorium on evictions ends in October and the winter off-season approaches for Cape Cod, the Homeless Prevention Council has prepared its resources to help any local families that may need assistance.
Hadley Luddy, CEO of the Homeless Prevention Council, said that calls were up 50% in the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic and that the council was able to transition effectively to a remote-working environment and respond to the influx.
“We’ve seen a combination of existing clients who are in need of support, but also a lot of calls from people who have never been in a situation before where they’ve needed to ask for help,” said Luddy.
She said the Homeless Prevention Council has been focusing on outreach to connect with those from the lower and outer Cape who would not usually have considered assistance from the council and provide them with any necessary resources.
Luddy said that lack of childcare options and job loss induced by the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the housing crisis on Cape Cod and increased the demand on Homeless Prevention Council.
“That really makes it impossible for folks, especially folks in the service industry looking after children, to be able to return to work if there are no full-time, or in many cases part-time options for them,” said Luddy.
Luddy said that the uncertainty surrounding unemployment benefits has also increased stress in some of the council’s clients as well as been a challenge for case managers who are also in the dark on the issue.
“We know that we can connect folks with emergency resources and various services that will help them in the short-term, but in the long-term, it’s very hard when we don’t have the answers,” said Luddy.
Luddy said that the council has increased focus on programs it does have more control over such as its Backpack-to-School event in order to help local families wherever possible.
“Even though going back to school is very uncertain for a lot of families and children, we know they’re going back in some form or another, and so we’re really focused on how can we provide those additional supports to be sure kids and families have what they need in areas that we do have some control over,” said Luddy.
The program provides headsets, technology support, money for shoes, and other supplies for students of families in need.
Other assistance the council provides includes helping families with general budgeting, as well as helping them apply for housing—the waiting lists for which can be 5 to 10 years long on Cape, according to Luddy.
The Homeless Prevention Council has also been assisting families impacted by COVID-19 in applying for financial assistance through programs such as the Cape Cod and Islands Major Crisis Relief Fund and other local funds.
Luddy said that the council’s case managers are holding steady and prepared to assist with whatever resources local families require as fall approaches.
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