Our answer to the question posed in Sophie Yarin’s story, “A progress report on homelessness; Are we making any?” published in last Friday’s Daily Item is “a little.”
On one hand, Lynn — like communities across the country — has received federal money meant to help combat the socioeconomic blows delivered in the last two years by the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the other hand, COVID-related social-distancing safety measures and a drop in available volunteers has made it tougher for homeless workers to serve Lynn’s neediest population.
“The commonwealth lost 40 to 50 percent of its shelter beds because of social distancing,” said Lifebridge North Shore Executive Director Jason Etheridge.
Lifebridge North Shore, the Lynn Shelter Association, and North Shore Community Action Programs (NSCAP) are on the front lines in the fight against homelessness and Lynn Housing Authority & Neighborhood Development (LHAND) supports several initiatives aimed at providing stable housing options.
Etheridge said volunteer participation in Lifebridge programs serving the homeless plummeted with COVID’s onset. A community-meals program anchored on 400 volunteers serving 100,000 meals a year was hit hard.
Although homelessness has no regard for municipal borders, Lynn is the focal point for area homelessness service and prevention programs. The work is complicated and it overlaps addiction, alcoholism, and mental-health treatment, but is nevertheless centered around efforts to aid people rendered homeless by the economic devastation wrought by COVID in 2020 as well as the other circumstances that reduce incomes to the point where people can’t keep a roof over their heads.
Lifebridge and other organizations have improvised throughout the pandemic to provide the homeless with shelter. They have reached out to other social-service organizations for assistance and reconfigured the services they provide.
But improvisation only goes so far. As previously noted, housing advocates have priorities that cost money.
NSCAP is looking to apply for American Recovery Plan funds, which they would invest in short-term rental subsidies for homeless individuals, while the Lynn Shelter Association is aiming to wrap up a two-and-a-half year-long capital campaign to relocate its adult shelter.
We see the urgency of convening people who work with homeless individuals and housing experts like those running LHAND’s programs and urge them to identify how COVID-related assistance money can be best spent not only on programs helping the homeless, but on programs designed to prevent homelessness.
