Friends of Hampshire County Homeless Individuals Inc

UPDATE: We're over 4/5 of the way to our goal of a house to provide supportive housing for homeless youth, with partner DIAL/SELF Youth & Community Services. DIAL/SELF has used this model with great success in Franklin County, and we're happy to be bringing it to Hampshire County. Please donate between now & Giving Tuesday to help us reach the finish line.  Read on, for more details.

The Friends of Hampshire County Homeless is raising funds this year to buy and set up a house for unaccompanied homeless youth aged 18-24.  This is a high risk group which is also in danger of sliding into chronic homelessness.  Our goal is to divert youth into a better outcome by providing supportive housing and services.  The house will be managed by DIAL/SELF, a Pioneer Valley youth agency which specializes in providing this mix of housing and services to enable homeless youth to rebuild their lives and become independent.

One of DIAL/SELF's current youth participants in a Franklin County house says:

"I never really had housing stability, my dad split and we were constantly moving around. My mom would kick me out for the simplest things and eventually one day she said, “Oh, we're getting evicted, time to pack up.” So, at that point I knew that I had to leave and figure my own stuff out for survival's sake. I couldn't really rely on anyone. I have been with the DIAL/SELF Housing First Program for the past year.  For the first time in my life I've felt like the ground isn't going to be moving out from underneath my feet. It's been an immensely overwhelming feeling and having the supportive people around me to help me get paperwork and stuff taken care of isn't something I've ever had in my life, even with family."

The Friends of Hampshire Homeless mission is to provide financial and volunteer support for the Interfaith Winter Shelter for homeless individuals and associated programs. Every year, hundreds of homeless people are guests at the Interfaith Shelter and the Easthampton Annex, adding up to thousands of hot, nutritious meals and nights in a warm bed. Over time, we have added other programs - see below.

How did we get here?

Our story begins during the cold winter months of 1994. A homeless man, who could not get a bed at the Grove Street Inn because it was full, froze to death on the railway tracks. Subsequently, then-Mayor Mary Ford appealed to local churches to provide emergency overnight shelter. Seven churches responded and rotated housing and feeding the homeless during the winter months.  Over the years this has grown into a permanent location run in partnership with ServiceNet, a six-bed Annex location in Easthampton, and other programs.

The other programs include a boot program providing winter footwear to guests needing it; prescription assistance for uninsured clients until they are signed up with state help; first and last month's rent for people who can now afford the rent for a small apartment or room, but find the security deposits a barrier; and the Happy Frog sculpture which collects donations to support community meals.

More recently, we have been inspired by the Housing First movement to create permanent housing for homeless individuals. Housing First shows that homeless people are more able to rebuild their lives when provided with permanent housing first, and then receiving support services, rather than the other way around as in the traditional shelter model. In 2008 the Friends purchased a duplex in Florence to be a residence for six chronically homeless individuals; this house is called Yvonne’s House, and now is owned and managed by ServiceNet.  In 2011, the Friends purchased another duplex in downtown Northampton, this time to be a permanent residence for six homeless people who are also committed to recovery from substance abuse (often a factor in homelessness.)  Now we are in the final stages of gathering funds and support for our third house, this time for homeless youth.