Community Teamwork Striving to Place Homeless as March 31st Deadline Looms

Lowell, MA, March 30, 2023 – Community Teamwork (CTI) announced that it is working diligently to find temporary housing accommodations for homeless individuals who have been living at a hotel in Chelmsford, some for more than two years.

As of March 31st, COVID Funding, which was provided by DHCD (Department of Housing and Community Development) to house the homeless during the pandemic, will no longer be available. In addition, Winter Protocol Homeless Funding ends each year on March 31st.  These two funding sources enabled Community Teamwork to house close to 80 individuals in hotels during the past two years. 

Community Teamwork is pleased to announce that they will be able to keep 25 rooms available to house homeless individuals after March 31st. These 25 rooms would provide housing for 50 individuals who choose to stay at the hotel, two to a room. In addition CTI has worked with area providers to find permanent supportive housing, other shelter settings, and other safe housing options for the remaining individuals. 

“Our case workers have supported these individuals for many, many, months, and worked around the clock to ensure that no one is without a place to stay on April 1st. We will provide continued support to those individuals who remain at the hotel and for those who move to other locations.” Said Carl Howell, Chief Program Officer at Community Teamwork. “We are pleased that the March 31st deadline will not be as dire as originally thought.”

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About Community Teamwork
Established in 1965, Community Teamwork is a non-profit Community Action Agency (CAA) serving more than 56,000 individuals and families in the City of Lowell and the seven surrounding towns of Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Dunstable, Tewksbury, Tyngsboro, and Westford. Community Teamwork also serves as a Community Development Corporation and as the Regional Housing Agency for the Merrimack Valley and the rest of the Northeastern Massachusetts, including 71 cities and towns inclusive of the North Shore and Cape Ann. Community Teamwork is a catalyst for social change. We strengthen communities and reduce poverty by delivering vital services and collaborating with key stakeholders to create housing, education and economic opportunities. Our vision is a community whose institutions, systems, and people support everyone’s opportunity to thrive. www.commteam.org