Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT)

RAFT Letter of Intent

For households that are currently homeless, doubled-up, in a unit that has been deemed unsafe to live in by the Board of Health or other third party provider, or who are being evicted from their current unit and need to move, may submit a RAFT application for a “Letter of Intent” (LOI) – which if approved, a letter will be sent to the applicant stating that they are pre-approved for potential move-in costs (first/last months rent, security deposit, etc.) and can then use this letter to show all potential property owners when touring apartments. The letter will explain to the potential proper owner that the prospective tenant is eligible for move in costs that would be directly paid to the property owner.

Once the applicant has found an apartment, they will need to follow these instructions:

1) Log in to your RAFT online portal account.
2) Click the yellow button “Resume/Track Status” under Application Actions.
3) Once you see your LOI application #, click the three dots on the right of the application and start a new move-in application.
4) You will then complete the application for move-in costs to your new property owner. You will need to input their email address so that they can be prompted to complete their portion once you submit yours.

To learn more about the RAFT program, visit: Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program | Mass.gov

Application Status

Please be advised due to the high volume for financial assistance applications, it is now taking four weeks for completed RAFT applications to be fully processed.

If you are looking for a status update on your application:

• If you are looking for a status update, please click here to enter in your case number and last name – bit.ly/RAFTStatus  – It will then give you the status of that current RAFT application you entered in. Here are the status definitions for your reference:

Not Submitted – The application as not been completed and fully submitted, please ensure you have submitted all documents and have fully submitted the application/signed all disclosure statements at the end of the application.

Submitted – The application has been completed and is waiting for the other party (tenant or landlord) to complete their application, meaning the two applications have not been matched.

Under Review – Under Review means the tenant and landlord applications have been matched and the complete RAFT application is being processed, there are three steps of the “Under Review”/Processing stage. They are:

• Chaser – Our team of chaser case managers review all completed/matched applications within 72 hours to see if all tenant documents are present. If they are not, the chaser will reach out to the tenant for any missing items and give them 10 business days to provide missing documents.
• Case Manager – Once the tenant submits all needed documents, the RAFT application then gets assigned to a case manager who then works with the landlord to obtain any missing documents. If there are missing documents from the landlord, the Case Manager will give the landlord 10 business days to provide missing documents.
• Final Reviewer – Once the RAFT application has been processed by the Case Manager, they submit it for final review to our Reviewer team. A reviewer does a final review of the application and either approves or denies the file. If the file is still missing documents, the reviewer will ask the Case Manager to obtain missing documents and then resubmit for final review.

Ready for Payment – The Reviewer has approved the file and submitted for payment to be sent out from our payments system within two weeks to the property owner/vendor. An approval notice is sent via email to the property owner/vendor & tenant at the time of approval.

Fully Paid – The awarded payments have been sent out and completed.

Timeout– If the tenant or landlord application is missing documents that are not provided within 10 business days both applications will be timed-out. When an application is timed out the applicant will need to re-apply with a new application. We cannot re-open the case.

Denial- If the tenant application is denied it is due to ineligibility. The applicant has 14 calendar days to submit an appeal including the document that would be able to overturn the decision.  If this is not received during this time, the applicant will need to re-apply.

If you are a tenant or an advocate looking for further RAFT status clarification further from the instructions above, please email RAFTstatus@metrohousingboston.org – you will receive a response within 3-5 business days.

You may also call us at 617-425-6700 – we are experiencing longer than usual wait times, and highly encourage sending us an email with your application number and question(s), it is the quickest way to receive a response from us.

Resource Line phone hours of operation: Monday-Thursday – 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

APPOINTMENTS ARE NOW NEEDED FOR ALL IN-PERSON ASSISTANCE

To meet with a specialist regarding a RAFT application, housing search, or general housing questions, CLICK HERE to make an appointment.

For Landlords

The RAFT application system requires both a tenant application and a landlord application for tenants who are requesting rental assistance.

To begin the landlord/property owner application process, you must first register an account as a new user if you have not already done so here: User Registration (mass.gov)

***Your account must have info entered for the Payee, Properties, and Payment Methods sections on your profile before you can apply.

If your tenant has already completed their application at the time you are submitting the landlord application, be sure to include the 15-digit alphanumeric Tenant Application Code that you received in your email.

For guidance on using the End to End application system, please see the following resources, including a step-by-step guide, on Landlord/Property Owner and Property Manager profiles from EOHLC (formerly DHCD) below:

1. Recording (fast-forward to 21:00 for account-related information): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZeiIV6nIVE
2. Presentation Slides: https://www.mass.gov/doc/landlord-and-property-manager-fy24-raft-training/download
3. EOHLC Landlord/Property Manager Portal Reference Guide: https://www.mass.gov/doc/landlord-portal-reference-guide-0/download
4. Landlord FAQ: https://www.mass.gov/doc/landlord-faqs-for-emergency-housing-payment-assistance-portal/download

Here are some additional tips when creating your profile/account:

1. IRS TIN verification: Make sure the name associated with the IRS TIN (the EIN or SSN) is exactly the same as what you enter when you are creating your account or payee (spaces, characters/punctuation, etc. will affect verification).
2. Account type: Make sure you are in the correct account set-up (there are options for property managers versus individual property owners). Please note that if you are using a Guest account, you will not be able to make the necessary corrections, and will instead need to reapply.
3. Property Manager identification (not applicable to individual property owners): You may upload a work ID, business card, or an authorization letter that allows you to upload documents on behalf of the property management company. You will also need to upload a property management agreement/authorization between the property management company and the property owner.

After reviewing the above resources, if you need further assistance, please email raftoperations@metrohousingboston.org, including your application number and a detailed description of the issue.

What can RAFT Funds be used for?

Program funds can be used for housing-related expenses only. Appropriate uses of funds include, but are not limited to:

• Rental arrearages (A notice to quit or eviction notice/court summons is now required).
• Security deposits.
• First and last month’s rent.
• Utility arrearages (with utility shut off/termination notice).
• Moving expenses.

Emergency Rental Assistance Update

In accordance with the House and Senate budget proposals for FY24, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) will be implementing a $7,000 maximum benefit limit for new applications effective July 1, 2023.

EOHLC will also implement an administrative policy change at this time, no longer offering future rent payments (“stipends”). This change is being made to allow EOHLC to serve as many unique households as possible over the coming fiscal year.

These changes will be in effect beginning July 1, 2023, for all new applications. There will be a 30-day transition window for this policy to take effect for pending applications. Households who apply prior to July 1 will be able to access program funds at the up to $10,000 benefit limit and a one-month stipend payment so long as their application is approved before August 1, 2023.

Finally, effective July 1, 2023, the RAFT program will again serve homeowners facing homelessness and housing instability by covering mortgage arrears. As previously announced, the Massachusetts Homeowner Assistance Fund will no longer accept new applications after June 30, 2023. Homeowners who are three months or more behind on their mortgage, or who are otherwise at risk of foreclosure or utility shutoff, may apply for RAFT beginning on July 1.

Housing Search Resources From HCEC

Housing Consumer Education Center (HCEC) staff helps people navigate the housing system by assisting in obtaining the forms and documents that tenants need to apply for housing and making sure people understand their housing options moving forward.

Using our extended network of service providers, HCEC connects people with resources for:
• Financial assistance • Legal aid • Housing search • Move-in/transition support • Furniture and furnishings assistance • Budget support • Utilities • Arrearage assistance

For more information about HCEC, click HERE

Appointment Information

The Housing Consumer Education Center (HCEC) Team is now having walk-in appointments on Mondays from 9:30 to noon only. Once capacity is reached for the day, participants who were not seen may schedule their next appointment by calling the Resource Line at 617-425-6700 or Resourceline@metrohousingboston.org.

Appointments are available with the RAFT and HCEC teams for the following types of inquiries:

1. Budget support – I need a group workshop or one-on-one financial coaching with Green Space.
2. Housing search resources – I need assistance locating and using housing search resources.
3. Financial assistance resources other than RAFT – I need assistance locating and/or applying for housing-related financial assistance other than RAFT.
4. Status update on existing RAFT application – I need assistance checking the status of my RAFT application, or assistance uploading documents.
5. RAFT Letter of Intent-related questions – I have questions about my approved Letter of Intent, or I need help converting my approved Letter of Intent into a RAFT application.
6. Help applying for RAFT – I do not have an application already started and need help with the RAFT application process.
7. Payment inquiry for approved RAFT application – I have questions about a RAFT payment that was made to me/my landlord.
8. Tenant/Landlord RAFT portal help – I’m having trouble using the RAFT application portal and need help.

To schedule an appointment, click HERE. Click HERE for the Spanish version.