Way Finders
Family. Neighborhood. Community.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Rental Assistance
Way Finders is the regional administrator for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher and Massachusetts Rental Voucher programs which assist low income families rent decent, safe apartments on the private rental market. Way Finders Family Self-Sufficiency Program helps rental assistance program participants set goals and work towards economic independence and financial self-sufficiency.
Housing Counseling
Way Finders provides first-time homebuyer workshops, financial education, post-purchase counseling, foreclosure prevention counseling, and rental property management education as well as access to affordable mortgage financing and programs that help finance home modifications for those with disabilities.
Affordable Housing Development & Management
Way Finders is the largest nonprofit developer of affordable housing based in western Massachusetts. Projects include affordable rental housing, special needs housing, and homes for first-time homebuyers. Many development projects are part of comprehensive neighborhood revitalization efforts. Way Finders manages over 800 affordable rental units throughout the region.
Emergency & Transitional Housing
Way Finders operates a congregate shelter and leases scattered site apartments as emergency shelter for homeless families with children; Way Finders also operates transitional housing programs for survivors of domestic violence and pregnant and parenting teens.
Housing Consumer Education Center
Way Finders Housing Consumer Education Center provides answers to all types of housing questions to renters, landlords, homebuyers, and homeowners. It also administers a variety of programs aimed at preventing families with children from becoming homeless including emergency financial housing assistance programs. Those programs provide both counseling and direct financial assistance. Way Finders also administers a regional fair housing education and outreach program.
Community Building and Engagement
Since 2011, Way Finders’ Community Building & Engagement team has been meeting residents where they’re at, with an eye toward addressing systems and issues that benefit everyone in the community. We provide the training, tools, and resources to help residents grow into skilled, capable leaders. And we partner with organizations at the national and local levels who share our belief that healthy communities are best built at the community level.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
NeighborWorks America - Member 2008
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Average number of service recipients per month
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
In FY21, Way Finders impacted the lives of over 46,000 people including 10,000 children. 77% of the households we serve are headed by women, and 57% of or client identify as Hispanic/Latinx.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planHow we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, Technology barriers for clients
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Way Finders
Board of directorsas of 10/20/2022
Mr. James Sherbo
PeoplesBank
Term: 2019 - 2022
James Sherbo
PeoplesBank
LeeAnn Pasquini
UMASS
Jessica Fraga
Jasmine Matta-Naylor
Clare Higgins
Community Action Inc.
Brenda S. Doherty
Lidya Rivera-Early
Springfield Technical Community College
George D. Rosa
Citizens Bank
Rosemary Morin
Berkshire Bank
Jim Hickson
Berkshire Bank
Erica True
MassMutual
Marta Alvarez
Glenn Welch
Freedom Credit Union
Karon Tyler
Denise Cogman
Springfield School Volunteers
Rondey Allen
Crosspoint Clinical
Harry Montalvo
bankESB
Adlyn Colon
Holyoke Community College
Leonard Underwood
local business owner
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 08/19/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.