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Join us for the 20th annual Northampton Shelter Sunday, to be held on October 2 from 10:00am to 4:00pm at Pulaski Park on Main Street in Northampton and Florence Savings Bank in Florence. And then join us for our 20th Birthday Party at Pulaski Park at 4:00!
Five different organizations are participating in Shelter Sunday this year. Each organization provides essential services to the hundreds of homeless individuals and families in our community.
Grove
Street Inn/ServiceNet
ServiceNet’s Grove Street Inn offers emergency
shelter for up to 24 men and women year-round. A seasonal shelter is
made available in cooperation with the Friends of Hampshire County
Homeless Individuals at the Interfaith Emergency Shelter. A Drop-In
Center is open Monday through Friday offering help with housing and
employment searches, case management, and access to medical care.
ServiceNet also manages transitional (up to two years) and permanent
housing at the Florence Inn and the Hawley Street residences. In 2008,
ServiceNet opened a residence in Florence as supportive housing for six
homeless adults with special needs. The Friends of Hampshire County
Homeless Individuals raised the funds to purchase this house through
Community Preservation Act funding and community donations. They have
generously donated this house to ServiceNet to be used as a safe haven
for the most vulnerable of those experiencing homelessness. With regular
case management, this site fills a long-recognized gap in the range of
community services. 413.585.1300.
Interfaith Emergency Shelter
The Interfaith Emergency Shelter
provides emergency shelter for 20 homeless individuals during the
coldest nights of the winter. A cooperative effort among the City of
Northampton, ServiceNet, and the Friends of Hampshire County Homeless
Individuals, the shelter in the basement of 43 Center Street is open
from 6am - 7pm from November 1 to April 30. Teams of volunteers from
houses of worship and organizations in Northampton and neighboring
communities bring meals to the shelter every evening, providing comfort,
friendship, and security to those in need. During the hours of
operation, it is staffed by at least one professional ServiceNet staff
member in addition to volunteers. 413.586.2354.
MANNA Soup Kitchen
MANNA celebrated its 25th year with a big cake during the regular weekly
meal at St. John’s Episcopal Church, where the soup kitchen got its
start. The MANNA Soup Kitchen has provided three free hot meals a week,
year-round, for anyone in need. With the help of community volunteers,
MANNA also prepares and serves a holiday dinner on Thanksgiving and on
Christmas Day for over 300 in-house guests. We work to create a safe and
hospitable setting where our guests can find warmth and fellowship and
are treated with respect. MANNA also provides take-out meals to help our
guests get through the week; they in turn help others who cannot reach
the meal site. This past year, MANNA volunteers delivered pre-ordered
holiday meals directly to homebound individuals and families in
Northampton, Florence, Leeds, Easthampton, and Williamsburg. MANNA looks
forward to preparing its 2011 community holiday dinners in the sparkling
new kitchen at Edwards Church which was completely renovated over the
summer. MANNA was able to contribute to the much needed kitchen upgrade
thanks to Shelter Sunday. Also, this year directors of the two soup
kitchens in Northampton, MANNA and the Catholic parish's
Tuesday/Thursday noon meal, have begun working together to coordinate
services and share resources. Weekly meals are served Wednesday evenings
and Saturday noontime in Edwards Church and Mondays at noon in St.
John's Episcopal Church. MANNA is an interfaith effort. 413.584.1757.
Safe Passage
Safe Passage serves women and children primarily from Hampshire County,
who have experienced physical or emotional abuse. Services provided
include a 24-hour hotline; a residential program for families fleeing
abuse; individual counseling and support groups; legal representation by
a panel of private attorneys; disability services; specialized Latina
and immigrant services; counseling for children who have witnessed
domestic violence; advocacy for housing, benefits, and other services;
on-call advocacy for victims of domestic violence during police calls;
and referral to court advocates for assistance with obtaining emergency
restraining orders. 413.586.1125.
Single Room Occupancy
Project
The Single Room Occupancy Project’s Outreach Program serves roughly 300
citizens residing in rooming houses located in Northampton, Florence and
Easthampton. The majority of these tenants live on a limited fixed
income and often pay as much as 80% of their monthly income in rent. The
purpose of the program is to provide support services to low-income,
rooming house tenants who are not fully connected with the supportive
services and have few social supports. SRO Outreach services promote
housing stabilization, food security, improved physical and mental
health, and community networking that helps prevent homelessness and
improves peoples’ quality of life. 413.584.4457.
Each of these
organizations is committed to helping the homeless in our community.
With your help, we will continue to meet the needs of our neighbors in
need. Thank you for your support!
