MainSpring Coalition

“Ending homelessness in Southeastern Massachusetts”

www.mainspring.org

About the Coalition…

MainSpring Coalition for the Homeless is a community-based organization led by a volunteer Board of Trustees that provides essential services to meet the needs of homeless individuals and families. We are the ONLY homeless individual and family service provider in all Southeast Massachusetts. Each year, MCH serves over 1000 adults and 300 children.

Adult Programs

MainSpring House was founded in 1982 by a group of concerned citizens in response to the problem of homelessness in Brockton and the surrounding towns. The following programs and services are offered in a supportive, caring and clean environment in order to help people who are homeless move toward greater self-sufficiency and independence.

Emergency Services

MainSpring provides up to 75 beds for single men and women and includes breakfast, lunch and evening meal, case management services, substance abuse education, counseling and referral, housing search & stabilization services and medical assistance.

Medical Clinic

The Brockton Neighborhood Health Center, in collaboration with MainSpring Coalition for the Homeless, provides medical and case management services at MainSpring House. The clinic is staffed by a nurse practitioner and registration clerk. It assists guests in establishing and maintaining primary health care relationships, initial intake, screenings, minor sick visits and health education.

Post Detox

A 10 bed interim unit for adults who have completed a clinical detox program and are awaiting transfer to a long term recovery program.

Work Express and Gateway Transitional Housing Program

A 20 bed transitional continuum of care program for homeless adults. Work Express is an economic development initiative designed to provide the first steps to self sufficiency for homeless men and women who have demonstrated their commitment to sobriety and work. Along with manual labor, each participant is involved in mandatory educational and self-help activities designed to lead to permanent employment and housing.

Education and Life Skills

The goals of our education and life skills training programs vary greatly in order to meet the needs of our adult learners. These may include the pursuit of a GED, improving on basic math and reading skills, learning to count change, signing one’s name or telling time in addition to issues of self esteem, anger management and goal setting. Our coordinator, instructors, life skills trainers and volunteer tutors are available at different times to accommodate the unique living situations of the adult learners.

WorkINN

The WINN program provides a transition from emergency shelter to employment and a more self-sufficient living arrangement. Ten residents (5 men and five women) are offered temporary lodging with meals for a small weekly fee. In addition, residents receive case management services, adult education, and health and job mentoring services until they can find permanent affordable housing in the community.

Family Programs

MCH provides comprehensive services to homeless families. The following programs provide safe refuge to homeless families while offering support in the areas of housing search, parenting & life skills adult education and job training similar to those in the adult programs. Due to a lack of affordable housing, the average length of stay for our families is ten to twelve months.

Conway House

In April 1998, after an exhaustive five-year search, MainSpring Coalition for the Homeless relocated its family shelter program to picturesque Middleboro, MA. The Conway House Family Shelter provides 13 families with a safe, supportive environment and affords homeless mothers and children a safe refuge while seeking a permanent solution to their housing problems.

Scattered Sites Program

Provides 15 homeless families sheltered throughout Brockton with case management and housing search support services.

In response to the state-wide shortage of family shelter beds, MainSpring Coalition for the Homeless plans to increase its ability to shelter an additional 21 families at the following locations:

Stoughton HouseLocated on Prospect Street in Stoughton, this site will accommodate 16 families. This facility was purchased in October 2001 and is currently being renovated for occupancy Spring 2003.

Montello HouseLocated at MainSpring House on North Main Street in Brockton, Montello House, accommodates 5 families.

How You Can Help…

Donations:

MainSpring Coalition for the Homeless is in need of the following items:

Any of the above items may be dropped off at MainSpring or Conway House M-F.

Volunteers:

Volunteers are the mainstay of our meal programs in the adult shelter and provide tremendous support in our adult education, parenting and enrichment programs. As well as, answering the telephones and providing clerical/technical support.

Fundraising:

MainSpring Coalition for the Homeless is seeking individuals in our church, business, civic and educational communities to provide leadership and expertise in the area of fundraising and donations.