A 79-year-old Falmouth woman fighting Stage 4 cancer called the Neighbors Fund for assistance with rent. She has resided at the same address for over a decade and her landlord, sympathetic to her situation, told her he wouldn’t raise her rent. That changed when the house was sold and the new landlord raised the rent 60%.
Despite grueling rounds of treatment, she still manages to work two days per week. However, while she lives humbly and could manage the previous rent, the increase is too much for her to bear. As she looks for more affordable housing, she contacted the Neighbors Fund to see if it could help with the difference between the old and new rent. She feared being put out on the street with no place to recover after her treatments.
The Neighbors Fund stepped up and put her in touch with elder services, senior housing, fuel assistance and other agencies — many of which she had no previous knowledge of — to help further stabilize her situation and ensure she remained housed.
What is the Neighbors Fund?
The nonprofit Cape Cod Times Neighbors Fund, formerly the Needy Fund, has provided emergency financial assistance to thousands of Cape Codders and Islanders since 1936. That assistance is made possible because of the continued generosity of neighbors helping neighbors.
The Neighbors Fund provides short-term emergency assistance to Cape and Islands residents so they can continue to go to work and/or stay in their homes. People in need submit their requests for help to the Neighbors Fund, which in turn pays for the goods or services — a medical bill, for example — through a voucher system. No cash is given to Neighbors Fund recipients.
How to donate to the Neighbors Fund
Donations, which are tax-deductible, may be made online at neighborsfund.org/cct
Checks can be made payable to:
The Cape Cod Times Neighbors FundP.O. Box 36Hyannis, MA 02601
How to get Neighbors Fund assistance
Those needing assistance may contact the Neighbors Fund at 508-778-5661 or 800-422-1446.
Questions can be emailed to info@neighborsfund.org. The Neighbors Fund is also on Facebook (facebook.com/Neighborsfund) and X (@Neighborsfund). Visit the site at neighborsfund.org.
