LIFT, Open Sky, SMOC receive funding to build at-risk housing
Photo | Brad Kane
Ken Bates, president & CEO of Open Sky Community Services
Three Central Massachusetts organizations were among six statewide to be awarded $9 million total by the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services to expand access for temporary and low-threshold permanent housing and support services for adults experiencing homelessness, substance use disorder, co-occurring illness, mental health conditions, or are at risk for or living with HIV.
Living in Freedom Together in Worcester, Open Sky Community Services in Worcester, and South Middlesex Opportunity Council in Framingham will benefit from funding to produce 156 housing units across the state for people experiencing homelessness, according to a December 22 press release from the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.
“Safe and stable housing for individuals with behavioral health conditions and who are vulnerable to chronic health issues is a crucial step toward recovery,” Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders said in the press release. “The Housing First model removes what is a significant barrier for individuals with complex health needs to receive much-needed support and services.”
Housing First is a homeless assistance approach prioritizing providing permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness, thus ending their homelessness and serving as a platform from which they can pursue personal goals and improve their quality of life, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, a Washington D.C.-based organization fighting homelessness.
“Housing First rests on the premise that the most important step in supporting a person who is experiencing homelessness from getting out of that cycle, is to provide safe housing, which then, would be coupled with supportive services,” Etel Haxhiaj, Worcester city councilor who advocates for affordable housing and increased support for people experiencing homelessness said in a direct message on Twitter.
Other organizations in Massachusetts receiving the funding include the Center for Human Development in Holyoke and Pine Street Inn in Boston.
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