NEWBURYPORT — Only a month in, winter has featured day after day of relentless cold and numerous snowstorms. It has made even the most hearty New Englanders grumble and grouse about the return of spring and how they are looking forward to getting out of the cold and back to their warm homes.
But for the region’s homeless, the options are far less appealing. For them, the best that awaits them may be a canvas tent pitched in the middle of an overgrown field or, if they’re lucky, a night in an area motel room. Despite Newburyport’s status as an affluent community, there is not a single shelter bed within the city limits or the entire area. The closest shelter, according to YWCA Greater Newburyport executive director John Feehan, is Haverhill.
Yesterday, volunteers assembled by the Newburyport YWCA conducted a comprehensive survey of the area’s homeless population. In addition to calling area hotels and speaking to regional aid providers and school districts, volunteers visited six areas in Newburyport and Newbury known to the Salvation Army and local police as places where the homeless might be living. The teams, which included YWCA board members and Mayor Donna Holaday, joined Feehan in the search.
Last year, the survey identified 76 individuals, including five children, in Newburyport, Amesbury, Salisbury, Newbury and Rowley who were considered homeless. Of those, 45 were found in Salisbury, 17 in Amesbury and 12 in Newburyport.
Feeney said this year’s results, which were not complete as of last night, could benefit area agencies that provide assistance to struggling families and also act as a catalyst for additional housing for families or displaced teens.
The definition of homelessness, the lack of a permanent dwelling meant for human habitation, may come as a surprise to some, as it’s more than just a person living out in the elements. It includes anyone living in hotels, those couch surfing with friends and even multiple families living in an apartment legally intended for one family because the additional families are at risk of eviction if discovered.
In conducting the survey, organizers are hoping to accomplish multiple goals: raise awareness of the plight of the homeless and make the case for additional resources to help those in need.
Last September, the Greater Newburyport YWCA opened its recently renovated 10-unit affordable housing apartment complex on the corner of Pleasant and Market streets. The units, which are all filled, are occupied by the disabled and the homeless. Despite the success of the apartment complex, the need for more is real. Surveys such as the one conducted yesterday are vital in helping the cause of providing more housing, according to Feehan.
As part of their count yesterday, volunteers called area hotels and asked owners or managers for all the information they would provide. Some managers were cooperative in giving volunteers exact numbers; others, including one in Salisbury, said there were no homeless people living there, the explanation being that some of the guests are spouses in the middle of a divorce. Volunteers also called veterans services providers in multiple communities to determine how many of the homeless served in the country’s armed forces.
Last year a count of homeless veterans identified five in Amesbury and two in Newburyport. This year, a check of veterans services offices showed that there were no veterans identified as homeless.
Around 4:15 p.m. yesterday, Lauren Petty of Newburyport and Jill Brien of Groveland drove down Storey Avenue to their assigned location, one of six identified as where the homeless might be staying.
Petty said last year’s survey really opened her eyes to how great the problem of homelessness was in communities that seemed well off.
“The results were shocking,” Petty said.
Once at their destination, Petty and Brien began peering through dense brush hoping to quickly spot the location. A few minutes later the two began walking down a slight hill, pushing away branches and balancing on iced-over snow. It didn’t take Petty and Brien long to find what they had been looking for: the remains of a blue tent strapped to a tree.
Scattered around the tree were rusted cans, a stuffed puppy doll, a yellow pillow, a beer can and a frozen bottle of peanut butter. The two ladies quickly came to the conclusion that whoever was staying there had abandoned the camp and moved elsewhere. After completing their survey, Petty and Brien drove back to the YWCA and began comparing information with other volunteers who had returned.
One team found an active encampment in another area of the city that included a four-person tent, a smaller tent with camping gear around it and a bicycle. One of the three volunteers tapped on the tent to see if it was occupied. But as it turned out, no one was home.
Link to article: http://www.newburyportnews.com/local/x651202681/YWCA-leads-search-to-count-areas-homeless
But for the region’s homeless, the options are far less appealing. For them, the best that awaits them may be a canvas tent pitched in the middle of an overgrown field or, if they’re lucky, a night in an area motel room. Despite Newburyport’s status as an affluent community, there is not a single shelter bed within the city limits or the entire area. The closest shelter, according to YWCA Greater Newburyport executive director John Feehan, is Haverhill.
Yesterday, volunteers assembled by the Newburyport YWCA conducted a comprehensive survey of the area’s homeless population. In addition to calling area hotels and speaking to regional aid providers and school districts, volunteers visited six areas in Newburyport and Newbury known to the Salvation Army and local police as places where the homeless might be living. The teams, which included YWCA board members and Mayor Donna Holaday, joined Feehan in the search.
Last year, the survey identified 76 individuals, including five children, in Newburyport, Amesbury, Salisbury, Newbury and Rowley who were considered homeless. Of those, 45 were found in Salisbury, 17 in Amesbury and 12 in Newburyport.
Feeney said this year’s results, which were not complete as of last night, could benefit area agencies that provide assistance to struggling families and also act as a catalyst for additional housing for families or displaced teens.
The definition of homelessness, the lack of a permanent dwelling meant for human habitation, may come as a surprise to some, as it’s more than just a person living out in the elements. It includes anyone living in hotels, those couch surfing with friends and even multiple families living in an apartment legally intended for one family because the additional families are at risk of eviction if discovered.
In conducting the survey, organizers are hoping to accomplish multiple goals: raise awareness of the plight of the homeless and make the case for additional resources to help those in need.
Last September, the Greater Newburyport YWCA opened its recently renovated 10-unit affordable housing apartment complex on the corner of Pleasant and Market streets. The units, which are all filled, are occupied by the disabled and the homeless. Despite the success of the apartment complex, the need for more is real. Surveys such as the one conducted yesterday are vital in helping the cause of providing more housing, according to Feehan.
As part of their count yesterday, volunteers called area hotels and asked owners or managers for all the information they would provide. Some managers were cooperative in giving volunteers exact numbers; others, including one in Salisbury, said there were no homeless people living there, the explanation being that some of the guests are spouses in the middle of a divorce. Volunteers also called veterans services providers in multiple communities to determine how many of the homeless served in the country’s armed forces.
Last year a count of homeless veterans identified five in Amesbury and two in Newburyport. This year, a check of veterans services offices showed that there were no veterans identified as homeless.
Around 4:15 p.m. yesterday, Lauren Petty of Newburyport and Jill Brien of Groveland drove down Storey Avenue to their assigned location, one of six identified as where the homeless might be staying.
Petty said last year’s survey really opened her eyes to how great the problem of homelessness was in communities that seemed well off.
“The results were shocking,” Petty said.
Once at their destination, Petty and Brien began peering through dense brush hoping to quickly spot the location. A few minutes later the two began walking down a slight hill, pushing away branches and balancing on iced-over snow. It didn’t take Petty and Brien long to find what they had been looking for: the remains of a blue tent strapped to a tree.
Scattered around the tree were rusted cans, a stuffed puppy doll, a yellow pillow, a beer can and a frozen bottle of peanut butter. The two ladies quickly came to the conclusion that whoever was staying there had abandoned the camp and moved elsewhere. After completing their survey, Petty and Brien drove back to the YWCA and began comparing information with other volunteers who had returned.
One team found an active encampment in another area of the city that included a four-person tent, a smaller tent with camping gear around it and a bicycle. One of the three volunteers tapped on the tent to see if it was occupied. But as it turned out, no one was home.
Link to article: http://www.newburyportnews.com/local/x651202681/YWCA-leads-search-to-count-areas-homeless
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