Housing Assistance Survey Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form. available? housing Email The June 2025 Outreach Zoom Meeting, an open conversation about housing, demonstrated the high-priority of housing assistance in Councils on Aging as well as the complexities. MCOA staff are devising a training for Outreach Coordinators that will offer concrete tools and strategies for helping housing seekers and those who are struggling to stay stable in the homes they have. Your feedback will help us continue to shape this idea. Kindly respond to this survey by Thursday, July 31 (the survey will no longer be active after 11:59 PM). Thank you for the important work you do and for your knowledge and insight. Name *FirstLastTitle *Email *EmailConfirm EmailName of Council on Aging *Municipality/Municipalities Served by Your COA *Housing SupportDo you take walk-in appointments with housing seekers? *--- Select Choice ---YesNoDo you take scheduled appointments with housing seekers? *--- Select Choice ---Select Yes or NoYesNoDo you offer printed housing applications and/or online application help? *--- Select Choice ---Printed Applications onlyOnline application assistance onlyBoth printed applications and online application assistanceDo you assist clients with the Common Housing Application for Massachusetts Programs (CHAMP)? *--- Select Choice ---YesNoPlease share your impressions of the CHAMP application process. *Have you referred clients to Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT)? *--- Select Choice ---YesNoHave you referred clients to MA Community Based Housing (units for people with disabilities)? *--- Select Choice ---YesNoDoes your community have local, unique resources that you have made use of to help a client maintain their current housing or find temporary housing? (i.e. Municipal gifts and donations accounts, donated services like dumpsters and storage, municipal hoarding task force assistance, etc.) *--- Select Choice ---YesNoPlease list local resources that contribute to housing stability and eviction prevention. *How many apartment complexes with income restricted units does your COA’s municipality have? *According to staff at your local housing authority, how long is the expected wait time for a unit to become available? *Does your town or city have a Housing Production Plan (a municipal housing plan that inventories all existing housing and makes recommendations for increasing and diversifying housing; these can generally be found on municipal websites)? *--- Select Choice ---YesNoWhat year was it published? *Case Studies Your stories of working with clients will help us educate potential partners in our housing training about the specific kinds of assistance that COA staff provide.Respecting confidentiality, please share a housing success story (e.g. stabilization, finding permanent housing, preparing for inspections)? *Respecting confidentiality, please briefly summarize a current difficult case you are working on. *Technology & Training Does your COA offer computer access for housing searches and applications? *--- Select Choice ---YesNoDoes your COA offer computer assistance (provided by staff members or volunteers)? *--- Select Choice ---YesNoPlease describe ways that you help housing seekers with technology. *If you do not provide this, please note that.MCOA is envisioning a train-the-trainer model class that will help participants with building capacity for both housing navigating and working with older adults who are new to computers. Would MCOA-sponsored training on housing assistance interest you? *--- Select Choice ---YesNoClient & Staff Collaboration How long do you typically work with housing clients from start to finish (i.e. you usually work with a housing seeking client for a minimum of 9 months before they secure a unit)? *Do you collaborate with family, shelters, or colleagues to support clients? *--- Select Choice ---YesNoSelf-CareDo you have a colleague that you talk about housing client experiences with? *--- Select Choice ---YesNoHow do you maintain boundaries and self-care in this work? *Submit
