CSO Vice President of Housing and Homeless Services Jane Banks (left) and President and CEO Karin Jeffers (right) give opening remarks to the community gathered before providing a tour of the new shelter.
Reminder Publishing photo by Trent Levakis
NORTHAMPTON — In an expansion of its services in Northampton, Clinical & Support Options’ Friends of the Homeless hosted a ribbon cutting on Dec. 19 for its new homeless shelter location at 29 Industrial Dr. East.
The new home of services is an expanded space that will not only provide more beds and general space for clients but will also be the first homeless shelter in the state to allow pets to stay with their owners. The “pet accommodated area” for unhoused adults coming in with their pets will feature animal crates, kennels, a washing station and access to outdoor play space.
Many people who may need the services of a shelter will often look elsewhere or remain in their situation if they own a pet and cannot keep it with them in shelter. This is precisely why this new option is available, said CSO Vice President of Housing and Homeless Services Jane Banks.
“I think about what it would be like if I was housing-insecure or homeless and could not take my pet. That’s heartbreaking. This is an opportunity across the board to show how we look at reducing all of the barriers that we have for shelter, how we look at increasing our housing supports,” said Banks.
The ribbon cutting for the 29,000-square-foot space, 5-acre property featured much community support from the city and regionally as the space will also serve in part to the combating of homelessness in the region.
“It’s not just about the services provided here, the ultimate goal is that we get people in housing,” said CSO CEO and President Karin Jeffers to the gathered crowd of community supports and CSO staff. “It’s all of that wraparound that not only gets people who are most vulnerable in our doors. It gets them stabilized here, it gets them into the community and then we make sure they maintain their housing, so they don’t have to enter a cycle where they’re coming back through that door.”
A tour of the new space was given to all following ribbon-cutting ceremonies. Inside the facility features separate shelter rooms and bathrooms for men and women, as well as additional space for LGBTQ people and those either too young or old to be in a regular shelter room.
The new facility also includes a daytime center, a spacious area where meals can be served to users of the center. An outdoor courtyard will soon undergo some construction to establish an outdoor space for the shelter as well.
The new space plans to be completely accessible starting Jan. 2 after aging out of its previous location. Banks said the new facility will shelter 45 individuals. The facility will also feature on site medical and behavioral health teams.
“I think that what’s really important for communities to know about the shelter system and especially in a location like this, is that we are sort of the safety net for all communities around healthcare for individuals who are struggling with housing insecurity and homelessness,” Banks said. “This is an opportunity across the board on how we look at reducing all the barriers that we have for shelter, how we look at increasing our housing supports and the tools we have in our toolbox to be able to get people housed and keep them stably housed moving forward.”
Local officials who made the trip over to the shelter’s ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour included Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, state Housing Secretary Ed Augustus, Northampton City Councilors Marianne LaBarge, Deb Klemer and Stanley Moulton and Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle.
“I really want to thank CSO, for your vision and for your commitment and the care you put into this plan. It is really innovative and will really change people’s lives,” Sciarra said. “The shelter is a testament to the kind of community Northampton strives to be: compassionate, innovative and determined to meet people where they are and meet their needs where they are.”
