The issue of homelessness is finally getting well-deserved and long overdue attention at all levels of government. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts completed a study by a special commission to investigate and make recommendations about resolving the homelessness crisis at the end of 2007. The mayors of the major cities in the Pioneer Valley produced a comprehensive report early in 2008 about how solutions to homelessness might be approached. Springfield also produced a plan in 2007 with recommendations to solve the problem. These plans are available on the Resources page of this website.
Friends of the Homeless, a private, non-profit agency, is leading a citywide effort to ensure that emergency shelter is only the first step toward permanent housing. The new resource center under construction is part of a comprehensive approach to eliminate homelessness in our community. Experience demonstrates that simply adding more beds is not the solution.
Financial hardship is the overwhelming reason for homelessness. One in ten people in poverty will experience homelessness in their life. Since 32% of Springfield’s population lives in poverty that means that 3500 city residents are vulnerable. For the majority of the 1200 to 1400 residents who will spend time in our shelter this year, it will be a once in a lifetime occurrence and an average 39-night stay. Since 2005, the number of people served by Friends of the Homeless has increased by more than a third. With the recent economic downturn, that number will most certainly go much higher. Band-Aids have not worked; the time for a new approach is now and the building of a new resource center is a significant step in that direction.
We are uniquely poised on the front line to bring together multiple service providers from a variety of disciplines to our clients’ doorstep. We are their link to dental, medical and mental healthcare, income eligibility, job training and placement, housing referrals and nutritional access. Many partner providers (including Healthcare for the Homeless, Milestone Ministries, Catholic Charities, and The City of Springfield) deliver these desperately needed services on site.
We strive to always provide space for non-violent individuals over the age of eighteen in crisis. We offer bed, bath, laundry facilities and 3 meals a day to those truly in need, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.
We own and operate 60 single room occupancy units and 18 efficiency apartments at two locations on Worthington Street. These units supplement the low-income housing options throughout our community. We help place and re-house homeless people in a timely and effective manner. In 2008, 78 clients moved from the open bed shelter into our permanent housing units.
A majority of our clients and tenants are originally from Springfield. However, like all small urban centers, our surrounding suburbs also look to Springfield for solutions. Friends of the Homeless works to fulfill our service mission in a manner that is sensitive to community concerns. We seek to work with elected officials, administrators and business leaders in a cooperative and holistic way to eradicate homelessness.
Years of planning and fundraising are paying off as the development of the $12.5-million construction and renovation project on Worthington Street takes shape. At the heart of The Friends of the Homeless campus will be the resource center which will include women’s shelter beds, additional permanent single room housing, new kitchen facilities and space for meaningful life skills programs. Renovations to existing buildings will ensure the best use of space and resources in an atmosphere of dignity for both residents and employees.
755 Worthington Street
Springfield, MA 01105
(413) 732-3069
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