Blankets Arrive at Father Bill’s & MainSpring to Warm Homeless

Quincy MA

16 November, 2021

11:36 AM

Description

Quincy, MA–Cold weather hits pretty hard at night, especially if you’re one of the homeless individuals living on the streets of Quincy and in dire need of shelter. Father Bill’s & MainSpring (FBMS) is currently providing emergency shelter to approximately 260 individual adults and to more than 130 families per night. “Our dedicated outreach team works very hard to identify individuals who are sleeping outdoors to make sure they have the resources and supports they need, particularly as the temperatures drop and we’re contending with life-threatening conditions,” said Catie Reilly, Father Bill’s & MainSpring (FBMS) Chief Development Officer. In recognition of National Homeless Youth Awareness Month, Subaru of America and Quirk Auto Dealers have donated 80 fleece waterproof blankets to FBMS with hopes to provide some measure of comfort to Quincy’s homeless population. “We are grateful for this thoughtful blanket donation from Quirk Auto Dealers through the Subaru Loves to Help initiative. Kind donations like these will help bring comfort and warmth to our most vulnerable neighbors this winter.”, said Reilly. According to FBMS, within the past year, the organization has formed a new Triage Department and has begun investing in additional street outreach and homelessness prevention services. The number of people sleeping outdoors has increased during the pandemic. In addition to these new efforts, FBMS has expanded their Tenancy Preservation Program to help keep up with an increase in evictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In Quincy, FBMS is moving ahead with a new Housing Resource Center development which aims to transform how our community approaches homelessness and reduce reliance on emergency shelter by investing in homelessness prevention, diversion, and rapid re-housing. The new Triage Department is part of our transition to this Housing Resource Center service-delivery model. The new development, to be built by summer 2023 at 39 Broad Street in Quincy, will include a day center with co-located resources including a full, primary-care medical clinic, substance use and mental health services and housing assistance. There will also be shelter beds with lockers and showers for guests; a commercial kitchen space and dining area; administrative offices, and a second building with 30 units of permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless individuals. To help support the homeless in Quincy, Father Bill’s & MainSpring is asking the community for online donations, and prepared meals. Learn how you can help by visiting https://helpfbms.org/thanksgiv... Media contacts: Rachel Victer Office: 603-836-7521; Cell: 908-603-7150 [email protected]