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City awarded $50,000 to help end chronic homelessness

Date: 3/21/2011

March 21, 2011

By Katelyn Gendron

Assistant Managing Editor

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield is one of two municipalities in the Commonwealth to receive funding from the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance (MHSA) toward its efforts to end chronic homelessness.

The $50,000 donation, courtesy of Citizens Bank Foundation, was awarded to the Mental Health Association's (MHA) Regional Engagement and Assessment for the Chronic Homeless (REACH) II program. REACH II provides concentrated services for the chronically homeless in the city through Springfield's collaboration with the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Housing and Community Development.

"It takes a community to move the city of Springfield forward," Mayor Domenic Sarno said at a press conference on March 16. "[These agencies] reached out very generously to help with the intense management needed to help people and their families."

Geraldine McCafferty, the city's director of Housing, noted that programs such as REACH II and its predecessor, REACH Housing First, have proven to reduce the number of homeless. According to an annual census conducted in January, there were five people living outdoors, as opposed to the 95 tallied in 2007.

"Western Mass. has truly led the way in innovations to end homelessness," Joe Finn, executive director of MHSA, said. "The REACH program is housing those who failed in other systems and now have a second chance."

According to information released by the MHSA, "REACH II targets the same extremely vulnerable chronically homeless population that the original REACH program housed those who have been unable to succeed in other more traditional housing programs. Additionally, REACH II utilizes a project-based low threshold housing model that goes further in eliminating barriers to housing."

Jerry Sargent, president of Citizens Bank said, "While Springfield has not been excluded from the economic recession, there have been many programs seeded today that will yield the growth of tomorrow. We're tackling homelessness in a new way . because of the innovation of the [REACH] program and its sustainable approach, [it'll] get these individuals in homes and keep them there.

"We hope others join us and contribute to this effort. There is a big tent here with plenty of room," he continued.



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