COMMUNITY SERVICES AND INFORMATION
LOCAL SHELTERS
Courtesy/Task Force for the Homeless
Updated 10/24/2014
IF YOU FIND YOURSELF WITHOUT A PLACE TO STAY....
THERE ARE MANY OPPORTUNITIES......
RIGHT HERE IN PLYMOUTH
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overnights of Hospitality: 508-367-0516
Call this number and they will assist you with shelter overnight.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEWS FOR ANYONE WHO NEED SHELTER
Four Plymouth churches will begin an 18-week commitment to
house homeless from:
(Starting Nov. 16 to Ending March 21)
providing overnight
accommodations for the town’s homeless.
Under the Management of Plymouth’s Task Force for the Homeless
These church shelters will provide emergency shelter with chaperons every night for single homeless men.
AND THIS IS THE PROCESS you MUST use to go to the Emergency Shelters
The men must first congregate at 5:30 p.m. in the parking lot of St. Peter’s .
After a brief screening, they are transported by volunteers to that week’s designated shelter site.
Shortly after they arrive a hot meal (usually prepared and served by parish families) is offered to every man.
Call Connie at 508 746-3805 or 508 367-0516
before dropping anyone off at one of the designated shelters.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WOMEN AND CHILDREN
Pilgrim’s Hope: 508-732-3100
Ten minutes away, on Route 80 in Kingston (149 Bishop’s Highway) emergency shelter for families is available through the state’s Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA). The number listed above will connect you to DTA, to arrange for placement.
Downtown Plymouth
The Salvation Army: 508-746-1559
8 Carver St. Plymouth
The Salvation Army occasionally subsidizes temporary housing for homeless individuals, provided that the individuals have a more permanent location to go to afterwards
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
South Shore Women’s Center: 781-582-0078
SSWC provides temporary emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence who are in danger.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carolina Hill: 781- 837-1377
Forty minutes away at 728 Main St. in Marshfield,
Carolina Hill provides transitional housing for women and children who have a DTA referral.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Veterans' Guide to Benefits
Housing
State-aided public housing
Preference in Tenant Selection; M.G.L. ch. 200, Acts of 1948; M.G.L. ch. 121B, s.1 and s.32; 760 CMR 7.04
Veterans applying for state-aided public housing through a local housing authority, who are to be displaced by any low-rent housing project or by a public slum clearance or urban renewal project or who were displaced within three years prior to applying for low-rent housing, when equally in need and eligible for occupancy as other applicants, shall be given preference in tenant selection in the following order:
- Families of disabled veterans whose disability has been determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to be service-connected.
- Families of deceased veterans whose death has been determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to be service-connected.
- Families of all other veterans.
- The word “veteran” shall also include the spouse, surviving spouse, dependent parent or child of a veteran, and the divorced spouse of a veteran who is a legal guardian of a child of a veteran.
Gross income calculation
760 CMR 6.05(3)(C) and M.G.L. ch. 121B, s.32
Any amounts received by the veteran for use in paying tuition, fees, or the cost of books cannot be included in the calculation of the veteran’s gross income for purposes of state-aided public housing. Housing authorities are authorized to exclude disability compensation paid by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to totally unemployable disabled veterans in excess of $1,800. However, it is dependant on the individual housing authority to allow such exclusion.
Continued occupancy
M.G.L. ch. 121B, s. 32
State-aided low-rent housing projects cannot deny continued occupancy to veterans, widows or widowers of veterans, or a Gold Star Mother who has lived there for the last eight consecutive years, provided that the unit is two bedrooms or less and the rent is not more than three months in arrears.
Homeless shelters, transitional housing, and supportive housing with services
The Department of Veterans’ Services provides some funding to a range of non-profit organizations, which provide housing services to eligible veterans. Housing services range from emergency homeless shelters, group residences, to single occupancy (SRO) quarters. All require that residents maintain a sober and drug-free environment. Services are available to both male and female veterans.
Homeless shelters (short stay)
Massachusetts Veterans Inc.
69 Grove Street
Worcester, MA 01605
(508) 791-1213
Fax: (508) 791-5296
www.massveterans.orgNew England Shelter for Homeless Veterans
17 Court Street
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 371-1800
Fax: (617) 371-1755
www.neshv.orgSoutheastern Massachusetts Veterans Housing Program, Inc.
20 Willis Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
(508) 992-5313
Fax: (508) 999-3909Soldier On
421 N. Main Street, Buildings 6 and 26
Leeds, MA 01053-0481
(413) 584-4040, ext. 2288
www.wesoldieron.org
Transitional (longer stay) and supportive housing with services
Bedford Veterans Quarters (SRO)
200 Springs Road
Bedford, MA 01730
(781)538-6125
www.caritascommunities.orgBerkshire Veterans’ Residence
360 West Housatonic Street
Pittsfield, MA 01201
(413) 584-4040, ext. 2288
Fax: (413) 582-3075Habitat P.L.U.S., Inc. (Services: veterans with head injuries.)
516-520 Essex Street
Lynn, MA 01902
(781) 599-8578
Fax: (781) 593-6332
Email: habitatp@aol.comHero Homestead
25 Grove Avenue
Leominster, MA 01453
(978) 353-0234
www.vethospice.comMassachusetts Veterans’ Housing Program
Cambridge/Canterbury Street
Worcester, MA 01603
(508) 791-5348
Fax: (508) 791-5296
www.massveterans.orgMontachusett Veterans Outreach Center, Inc.
268 Central Street
Gardner, MA 01440
(978) 632-9601
www.veterans-outreach.comNam Vets Association of the Cape and Islands, Inc.
565 Main Street
Hyannis, MA 02601
(508) 778-1590
Email: namvets@capecod.netPine Street Inn
444 Harrison Avenue
Boston, MA 02110
(617) 892-9116
www.pinestreetinn.orgSpringfield Bilingual Veterans Outreach Center
P.O. Box 70185
Springfield, MA 01107
(413) 731-0194
www.bilingualvets.orgVeterans Transition House
20 Willis Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
(508) 992-5313Turner House Center for Veterans, Inc.
825 Simonds Road
Williamstown, MA 01267
(413) 458-8234
Fax: (413) 458-8234
Email: turnerhousevets@aol.comVeteran Hospice Homestead (Services: veterans who are terminally ill.)
69 High Street
Fitchburg, MA 01420
(978) 353-0234
www.vethospice.comVeterans Northeast Outreach Center, Inc.
65 Cedar Street
Haverhill, MA 01830
(978) 521-9668
www.northeastveterans.org
Other programs not supported by DVS funding
Consumer Education Center (MassHousing)
(800) 224-5124
www.masshousinginfo.orgHome Modification Loan Program
(Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission)
(617) 204-3739
www.mass.gov/mrc/hmlpHomeless Women Veterans’ Outreach and Case Management Program, VA Boston Healthcare System
150 S. Huntington Avenue (116B-3), Boston, MA 02130
(857) 364-4027MassHousing’s Home for the Brave loan program
(617) 854-1000
www.masshousing.comMetropolitan Boston Housing Partnership
(800) 272-0990
www.mbhp.orgNortheast Veteran Training and Rehabilitation Center
Kelton Street, Gardner, MA (slated to open 10/2009)
www.veteranhomestead.org
Soldiers’ Homes
Massachusetts Soldiers’ Homes provide a variety of services to veterans such as acute hospital care, domiciliary care, long-term care, physical and occupational therapy, laboratory and radiology services, an outpatient department, and a social services department. There are two state Soldiers’ Homes, one in Chelsea, the other in Holyoke. For information on eligibility and admission, contact either:
Chelsea Soldiers’ Home
91 Crest Avenue
Chelsea, MA 02150
(617) 884-5660or
Holyoke Soldiers’ Home
Adjutant’s Office
110 Cherry Street
Holyoke, MA 01041
(413) 532-9475, ext. 136
RAFT (Residential Assistance to Families in Transition)
RAFT (Residential Assistance to Families in Transition) is a state-funded homelessness prevention program. RAFT gives short-term financial assistance to low-income families who are homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless.
RAFT helps families who are behind on rent, mortgage payments, or utility bills. RAFT also helps families who have to move but do not have enough money to pay a security deposit, utility start-up costs, or first/last month’s rent. Families can get up to $3,000.
Regional non-profit housing agencies (RNPs) are in charge of the RAFT program at the local level. To apply for RAFT, you should contact the RNP or Housing Consumer Education Center (HCEC) that serves your city or town. To find your RNP or HCEC, call (800) 224-5124.
Tenancy Preservation Program
Through the Tenancy Preservation Program (TPP), MassHousing works to prevent homelessness among people with disabilities. TPP acts as a neutral party between landlord and tenant, and provides clinical consultation services to the Housing Court.
For more information, call (617) 854-1089 or www.masshousing.com.
VA Supported Housing Program
The VA Supported Housing (VASH) Program is a joint project of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). VASH provides section 8 vouchers to chronically homeless veterans with substance abuse and/or mental health issues.
The voucher provides a rent subsidy that generally covers rental costs in excess of 30% of the veterans’ income. The goal of the program is to transition veterans from homelessness to independent subsidized housing by providing supportive, community-based case management services.
Eligibility requirements
- A veteran must not be a lifetime sexual offender
- Be homeless or at-risk for homelessness
- Have a substance abuse or mental illness history
- Be clinically stabilized
- Have a need and willingness to accept case management services over a period of time to be determined by the case manager
- Be within income guidelines
- Have a savings
Contact information
For more information, contact the VASH Program Assistant at a VA Medical Center near you.
Bedford: (781) 687-2374
Boston: (857) 364-4444
Northampton: (413) 584-4040, x2135 or x2612