Why We’re Unique
Our Services
In the Hour of Need Family Shelter (IHN) has a unique and powerful approach to battling homelessness in our community. We work in partnership with the local faith community, inviting congregations of any and all faiths to support our work with both financial contributions and volunteer hours. Our program also works with colleges, other groups, and individual community member volunteers. Our program gives people the opportunity to become involved, whether it be to engage with families in the shelter, work around our property, donate needed supplies, or help run events to raise funds.
Housed in a lovely 3-story home in Worcester’s Newton Square neighborhood, IHN is one of few privately-held shelters in Massachusetts. We provide shelter to families who are experiencing homelessness and who do not qualify for state-funded Emergency Assistance (EA) shelter (95% of family shelters are EA). Unlike state shelters, our program accepts families regardless of income and family structure, enabling families to stay together as they navigate through these trying and stressful times.
Although we have no geographical requirement, 90% of the families we serve are from Worcester County.
What We Provide
We start by providing our families with their basic needs, including housing and food assistance. Our congregations, volunteers, and donors play an essential role in this work. But we are not just a roof over their heads. Our professional staff members work diligently to ensure that our families are creating the building blocks for a better life once they have secured more stable housing.
housing Assistance
From the moment our families arrive at the house, we are working with them to find permanent housing. We help them navigate the process of securing an apartment or home and connect them with government funding that can cover costs such as security deposits and first and last month’s rent. Working with our congregations and individual supporters, we are sometimes able to donate furniture for their new homes. After they have moved out of our home, we continue to check in and provide support as needed for up to a year.
JOB TRAINING
Contrary to common perceptions that people might have of families who need our services, most of the adults living in the house work full or part-time jobs. But if you are carrying significant debt or suffer from chronic medical issues, even a full-time income might not be enough to secure housing in a state like Massachusetts, where rents can be steep. While our guests are living with us, we provide whatever support we can to help them obtain additional job training and education that will set them on a better course for the future.
FOOD Assistance
Our congregations may provide occasion meals or gift cards, but families do their own food shopping, and cook and prepare their own meals for themselves and their children.
The staff works with families to ensure that they are getting SNAP benefits and are learning to utilize their benefits to budget, shop, and prepare meals for their own families. Our goal is to guide our families to be successful with food prep and nutrition skills and carry these good habits with them as they secure their own housing.
CASE MANAGEMENT
Our Program Director and Case Manager help families address all of the large and small challenges that stand in the way of them getting back on their feet. Case management might mean navigating child care and employment opportunities, helping families obtain medical and dental providers, communicating with teachers and school counselors, and assist with all of their advocacy needs. We work continuously with our guests to chart a path back to housing independence.
Our families stay with IHN for an average of 6-9 months, although the time in shelter has been increasing due to a lack of affordable housing in the area.
Why We Are Needed
To understand the essential role that IHN plays in our community, it helps to know a little bit about the housing challenges faced by our families. Some potential donors or volunteers might wonder why our families can’t receive help and housing through governmental programs. This brief overview of the challenges faced by our families should help you understand why our work, and your contributions, are so important.
While the government does provide help with housing, getting that help is complicated. Housing programs are classified into different sections based on need, income, and a variety of other requirements depending on the assistance needed. According to Housing and Community Development (DHCD) for Massachusetts, an organization that oversees funding and placement of families in need, three major government programs in Massachusetts provide state-aided housing. One of the most well-known rental assistance programs in Massachusetts is the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP). This federally funded program assists families with a meager annual income who are struggling to make ends meet on a monthly rent basis, along with helping the elderly, and the disabled to afford safe and livable homes. Section 8 vouchers pay the difference between the amount due and what the tenant can pay out of their income. Another assistance program is Massachusetts’ Rental Voucher Program (MRVP), which is funded by the Commonwealth. This program assists the same group of people.
Similarly to Section 8, these individuals pay only 30-40% of their income for housing and the voucher covers the rest. The third largest program funded by the Commonwealth is the Massachusetts Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP), which provides rental assistance to people with disabilities under age 60, who either live in or are eligible to live in elderly/disabled state-assisted public housing.
Although these rental assistance programs are beneficial, there are strict qualifications one must meet to be eligible to apply. For example, MRVP applicants must make no more than 50% of the area’s median income and face limits based on family size. Recipients of the AHVP voucher must be under the age of 60 and already be approved for elderly or disabled housing assistance by the state of Massachusetts. The individual or family must also earn less than 80% of the median area income annually even to be considered by the state.
But meeting these requirements is only part of the battle. Once a household meets the requirements for their selected program and sends in an application, the waiting period can last from one month to several years. The National Low Income Housing Coalition, an advocacy organization, presents some startling statistics about wait lists and wait times in a 2016 report on the problem:
“Housing Choice Voucher waiting lists had a median wait time of 1.5 years for housing assistance. Twenty-five percent had a wait of at least 3 years. Twenty-five percent of the largest PHAs (5,000+ vouchers and public housing units combined) with HCV waiting lists had a wait time of at least 7 years. The average HCV waiting list consisted of 2,013 households.”
The problematic reality of getting on government assisting housing is evident in the United States because of the dramatic increase of families applying to these programs. This can be attributed to the rise of rent prices, the wages of low-income workers becoming stagnant, and the increase of demand for these programs. Many families are seeking a home and financial help in order to survive during these long wait periods. Fortunately, IHN is there to provide a home and support the needs of families so they can eventually get on a government assisted housing program or find housing in the private market.
Lauren Aquino Development Director - receiving her Pfizer vaccine
A child picking out something to play with the Program Director while on lunch break from remote learning.
Patricia Curtis-Our Sunday staff and volunteer from First Unitarian.