Let’s Hear it For The GOOD.

It’s important to acknowledge the good.  In the work we do, it is so easy to get caught up in the struggles and barriers that seem so abundant; but when we do that, we miss the big picture…and what works.

Yesterday, DHCD announced $4 million in federal funding from the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) to be distributed across agencies throughout the state to support homeless families and individuals through supplemental funding for emergency shelters, rapid rehousing, homelessness prevention programs and the creation of DV emergency shelters for families.

These funds are estimated to help an additional 618 low-income families and individuals avoid entering the shelter system and 612 homeless individuals into permanent housing from shelter.  In addition, an additional $285,000 will be used to create 12 new units of emergency shelter for families fleeing DV situations.

This supplemental budget reflects the Patrick Administration’s plan to move from a responsive system to that of prevention by focusing on rapid rehousing, a method that is highly regarded by some who believe the rapid rehousing is a more inexpensive and efficient way to frame way ways in which we react to homelessness in the state.

We would love to hear your comments regarding the ESG Funds and Rapid Rehousing.

Let’s hear it for the good!

Recipient Agencies of ESG Funding:

Organization Name	City	Grant Amount
Shelter Support:
Friends of the Homeless	Springfield	125,923
SMOC (Shadows)	Ashland	30,541
Pine St./Childrens Serv. Rox.	Boston	208,253
Boston Public Health Com	Boston	155,620
Father Bill’s/Mainspring	Quincy /Brockton	135,178
MHSA	Boston	211,552
Housing Assistance  Corp	Hyannis	39,588
Steppingstone	Fall River	103,280
Action, Inc	Gloucester	32,286
River House	Beverly	95,397
CASPAR, Inc	Cambridge	87,588
Totals		1,225,206
Non-Emergency Assistance Beds:
IHN-Friendly House	Worcester	48,339
MIHN Fitchburg	Fitchburg	67,342
Totals		115,681
Domestic Violence Shelter Beds:
Dove	Quincy	14,092
Y of Western MA	Springfield	69,242
Asian Task Force	Boston	49,642
Elizabeth Stone House	Jamaica Plain	50,960
Y of Central MA	Worcester	25,480
Renewal House	Boston	50,960
HarborCov	Chelsea	25,480
Totals		285,856
Rapid Rehousing:
Father Bill’s/Mainspring	Quincy/Brock	165,795
Catholic Charities	Springfield	126,380
Lynn Housing Dev Group	Lynn	43,630
MHSA	Boston	719,897
Emmaus	North Shore	104,123
Community Teamwork (CTI)	Lowell	61,082
HAC	Hyannis	43,385
CMHA	Worcester	97,930
Community Teamwork (CTI)	Lawrence	34,904
Catholic Social Services	Fall River	34,904
Catholic Social Services	Attleboro	34,904
Totals		1,466,934
Prevention:
Catholic Social Services	Fall River	43,630
SMOC	Framingham	225,601
City of Cambridge	Cambridge	112,800
Tri-CAP	Malden	61,082
Community Action	Greenfield	122,164
Somerville Homeless Coalition	Somerville	43,385
Brookline Community MHC	Brookline	61,434
Totals		670,096
Tenancy Preservation Program:
MHA	Springfield	77,387
Father Bills/Mainspring	Brockton	50,842
Bay Cove	Boston	55,018
Totals		183,247
Grand Totals		3,947,020

Click Here for the Original Article

In addition to your comments on rapid rehousing and ESG funding, tell us what other good you see. What is working for you as a family, or as a provider?  The more good we have to go off of, the more we can replicate it.