$12.5 Million Homeless Resource Center Opens Its Doors
November 12, 2010 at 1:27 PM
CBS3
"It's kind of hard getting an apartment yourself, maintaining it yourself," says Chris Cardinale of Springfield.
When Cardinale lost his job as a kitchen worker, he also lost his apartment. So he looked to Friends of the Homeless for help.
"It's comforting and I know they're here to help you out. So if there are any needs necessary I'm sure they'd do it for you," Cardinale said.
The Friends of the Homeless are taking their effort to end homelessness to the next level, showing off their new resource center on Worthington street.
"In this economy the number of people who are homeless continue to rise, so I think we're very fortunate that this plan has been in the works for the last five years, is now available in the worst of times," says Executive Director Bill Miller.
What's now available is 32 new apartments for men and women who are chronically homeless, elderly, or disabled-- folks who may be there for a long time.
The resource center also includes a women's shelter with beds, washers, and even a flat screen TV. A Kitchen that can serve 500 meals a day, and a licensed medical and dental clinic. Not to mention workers available to help people get back on their feet and back into individual housing.
"It sort of marks the change in the general approach to ending homelessness which is instead of relying solely on emergency shelter and food programs, and bring the services that people need to get out of the cycle of homelessness," Miller said.
To read complete story and watch the video, follow this link:
http://www.cbs3springfield.com/news/local/125-Million-Homeless-Resource-Center-Opens-Its-Doors-107563848.html
Kathy Tobin
After almost thirty years covering the news for television affiliates in Western Massachusetts, Kathy joined Friends of the Homeless in the fall of 2009 to help raise money and the profile of the organization to fulfill its mission. As Director of Development, Kathy is available to help you understand the work we are doing and how you might contribute to end homelessness in our community.