Duffy Health Center has been awarded $317,000 from the state Department of Housing and Community Development to provide temporary shelter beds for homeless individuals in Barnstable County.
Duffy Health Center has been running a program called In From the Streets for nearly 10 years, in collaboration with several towns, which provides short-term sheltering during the winter season.
Duffy Health Center staff identify people in the community who need sheltering because of inclement weather, especially cold weather, and work with local hotels to provide temporary shelter. Each sheltered individual is connected to a Duffy Health Center Case Manager who provides additional support based on each individual’s needs. The goal is that when the individual leaves their hotel stay, they are connected to services at Duffy Health Center and with other human services agencies in the community to move them from homelessness to housing.
“I am thrilled that Duffy Health Center and Catholic Social Services have received grants from the Commonwealth to aid our unhoused community members through the difficult winter months,” said state Senator Julian Cyr (D-Truro), whose office led this effort. “COVID-19 meant that shelters had to de-populate, causing the number of unsheltered people to skyrocket. Everyone deserves safety and shelter, and this funding allows these organizations to provide beds for those who need them and follow the necessary COVID-19 guidelines.”
“We are grateful to receive this important funding from DHCD,” said Heidi Nelson, CEO of Duffy Health Center. “In From the Streets is a lifeline for many in our community who need short-term shelter to survive challenging weather conditions. We thank the entire Cape & Islands legislative delegation; each one rallied in support of this funding, and we could not have secured this without their support and the leadership of Senator Cyr and his office.”
