Tedford Housing

Empowering people to move from homelessness to home.

Giving Voice: Affordable housing, causes of homelessness in Maine

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This article was published in the Times Record on 12/11/2020, and written by Blaine Flanders, Community & Donor Relations Coordinator at Tedford Housing. You can read the article on the Times Record here.

One common flaw throughout Maine is the lack of affordable housing. This gap in housing causes more people to become at risk of experiencing homelessness. Extremely low-income households, including families and individuals, struggle enough to make ends meet, and more often than not it is just not enough income to support paying their rent. Accumulating debt is likely, now more than ever, and unavoidable for some as we head into the colder months.

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, 27% of all renting households in Maine are extremely low-income. Extremely low-income households are at or fall below the poverty line, or are below 30% of the area median income. The lack of affordable housing across the state and in Mid-Coast Maine has created an indefinite need for housing. A lack of affordable housing means that Tedford guests typically stay longer at emergency shelters because it is harder to find a permanent place to live. As guests stay for longer periods of time at the emergency shelters, other individuals and families are turned away due to lack of vacant beds and units. There is a chain reaction caused by the lack of affordable housing in the community. Tedford Housing turned away 266 individual adults and 133 family members in the 2020 fiscal year alone.

These extremely low-income households are often the households that have several barriers in the process to securing permanent housing, and are at the highest risk of experiencing homelessness. Some of the barriers Tedford Housing’s clients face are past convictions, mental health problems, poor or no credit, and the inability to secure a job with a steady income. At Tedford Housing, our guests and clients all receive case management services to help break down the barriers faced when finding a permanent place to live. Case management is at the core of all Tedford Housing services. From emergency shelter, supportive housing, and homeless prevention and outreach services, a case manager is actively engaged and involved in that client’s success. Tedford’s case managers also work as housing navigators to help find the most suitable and affordable place to live for those clients who may have trouble accessing resources and housing vouchers, working with landlords and completing a housing search on their own.

Other factors that contribute to the number of people experiencing homelessness in Maine are home heating expenses and the percentage of household income spent on housing costs. Most low-income households are spending over half of their income on rent every month, leaving room for little else, not to mention emergency spending on medical bills or heating costs. Some households do not have money to spend on heat during the long winters here in Maine. When a child is cold, what is a parent to do? Many community programs, such as the Tedford Housing’s Warm Thy Neighbor program, provide emergency heating bill assistance to those in the community who qualify based on income and who may be at risk of homelessness. Other programs include the Maine Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and Cumberland County’s Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP).

As more households across Maine are spending an increased amount of their income on housing, leaving little for other expenses, an increasing percentage of those households are at greater risk of experiencing homelessness. This could create more stress on emergency shelters and other supportive services across the state. Tedford Housing and other community organizations are already expecting an increase of housing and service requests within the coming months as eviction moratoriums end and winter begins. If you want to make a difference in your community, support your local non-profit housing and homelessness organizations. You can also advocate for change through your local legislator or town council. The only way to stop this problem is to increase the number of affordable housing units in the state of Maine, and those at risk of homelessness need your help.

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Giving Voice is a weekly collaboration among four local non-profit service agencies to share information and stories about their work in the community. 

Giving Voice: Homelessness in the southern Midcoast through the lens of COVID-19

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Giving Voice

This article was published in the Portland Press Herald on 07/03/2020 and is written by Giff Jamison, the Director of Programs at Tedford Housing.

As I write this in late June, we are entering our fifth month of the COVID-19 pandemic in Maine. Back in March, in response to the suddenness and increasing severity this national health crisis, Tedford Housing, like many other organizations serving people experiencing homelessness, began changing and adapting in order to adhere to the evolving social distancing guidelines and the Governor’s executive order to shelter safely at home. That month, to create more room in our shelter, we moved some guests into a motel. Our shelter, which traditionally had been closed between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on weekdays, is now open 24/7. By late May, enough people had transitioned into housing to allow us to bring everyone safely back into the shelter again. Normally 16 beds, we are capping our current capacity at 10 individuals – doing intakes as beds empty and guests move into housing. Our family shelter continues to serve our regular number of six families in individual apartments in our facility at Federal St.

So far, Tedford has been lucky in not having a shelter guest or any of its staff members test positive for COVID-19. But here, as everywhere else, adjusting to the often referred to “new normal” is challenging for everyone involved. Our overarching goal has always been to help people who have experienced the trauma and destabilizing impact of homelessness become housed as soon as possible. Prior to March, there were already enough hurdles for our case managers to manage in finding suitable affordable housing. Matching resources and the limited supply of affordable housing to the diverse needs of people on their case loads meant hours of telephone calls, in-person viewing of apartments and layers of paperwork to finalize the issuance of a voucher and lease-up of an apartment. COVID-19 brought another dimension to that work. As Michelle Thiboutot, our adult shelter case manager, puts it: “COVID-19 has slowed the housing process down. From processing documents for housing to securing a unit.”

In addition to working with folks in our shelters, Tedford case managers work with those who are homeless and unsheltered in the community and those in their own apartments who have recently experienced homelessness. This outreach work has grown in importance as we work to not only restore housing to those that have lost it, but, through regular check-ins and visits, help people maintain their housing and avoid a return to homelessness. The changes in society brought about by the pandemic, the need to socially distance from others, to avoid gatherings, and the closing or reduced hours of places where people can socialize or congregate have had their impact on households served in outreach or our supportive housing programs. Michelle indicates: “some of my outreach clients are having a really hard time due to the isolation and COVID-19 restrictions.” Actual fear of becoming infected with the virus, coupled with the restriction in connecting with natural supports has taken its toll on some of our families as Beverly McPhail, our family case manager, points out: “Their biggest worry is that their children will be infected or will die from the coronavirus. They miss visiting face to face with their family members, their anxiety has increased substantially. Some families reported that they feel like they are buried alive and always worrying about the ever-looming coronavirus over their head. The loss of their freedom and the loss of everything that they used to do before coronavirus is devastating to them.”

Despite the hardships and loss encountered as a result of COVID-19, we have learned that we can still accomplish our mission to Empower people to move from homelessness to home and alleviate the interruption to a life caused by homelessness. In the coming week or so, two more people are moving into housing from our adult shelter. They are both persons who have experienced homelessness for long periods of time but have stuck it out at the shelter and through their patience and the diligence of their case manager have secured safe and affordable permanent housing. This event always provides a little shot in the arm for those of us in this field. With the uncertainty that this era generates in our personal and working lives, it is good to know that we can share in a small victory every once in a while. Some offer predictions of more to come in the way of COVID-19 in the upcoming fall and winter season. We, together with our partners in the community, will continue to adapt to the current conditions and, to the best of ability, continue our effort to house the most vulnerable in our community.

Giving Voice: Housing people during COVID-19

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Giving Voice

The following article was published in The Times Record on 5/8/20 and written by Jennifer Iacovelli, Tedford Housing’s director of development.

A week into our second monthlong stay-at-home order, and it’s hard to get away from the news stories about COVID-19. It has affected our everyday life, personally and professionally, in a way that I’m not sure any of us were ever prepared. The articles from our Giving Voice column have illustrated how Tedford Housing, The Gathering Place, Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program and Oasis Free Clinics have reacted to and adjusted services to meet the needs of our community’s most vulnerable neighbors.

While we have all had to make changes in the way in which we work with our clients, we continue to offer much-needed programs and services. Even while practicing extreme social distancing, Tedford Housing’s overarching goal continues to be to find our clients safe, permanent housing. This feat can be challenging enough without a global pandemic, as our clients have many barriers to break through in the process of finding that pathway from homelessness to home.

We have shared that Tedford Housing’s buildings are closed to the public and staff are working from home as much as possible. Case managers are meeting with clients mostly via phone, email or text. Zoom is used from time to time, but only if the client has the capability of using such an application.

So how does this new, different way of working affect finding housing? For one thing, it slows the already slow process down. Tedford Housing staff aren’t the only ones working remotely. Landlords and property managers may not be in their offices and only checking their email or messages once/day or even once/week. Same thing with the offices that manage housing vouchers. In-person tours of a potential apartment are no longer happening during COVID-19, so everything is done via a camera, including inspections that are required by specific housing vouchers once an apartment is found. Vetting is much more difficult for both landlord and tenant when you lose the ability to be in the same room with a person.

As far as the case managers at our adult and family shelters go, it’s business as usual. They may not be in the office every day during the week, but they continue to work with clients to find apartments, fill out applications and guide our shelter guests through the many steps it takes to get to the point of signing a lease. One of our families moved into an apartment without seeing it first. Though it made the mom a bit uncomfortable, she talked with her case manager about how she could always look at other options in a year if she wasn’t happy with the apartment. The main goal was to move out of the shelter into permanent housing.

Two of what we call long term stayers in our adult shelter and one family in our family shelter have found housing during this difficult time. Being in the shelter for over 300 days, these individuals overcame some big obstacles to sign their leases with the help of their case manager. Moving has become particularly difficult because most of our clients rely on help from friends. With social distancing and restrictions on travel with people other than your household become a challenge. Our partners at Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity’s Restore are temporarily closed, which limits our ability to help clients access the household items they need to furnish their new apartment. We have to take extra precautions with volunteers who help sort and gather donations to fulfill clients’ moving checklists. Once in an apartment, our case managers then “follow” clients for up to 12 months to help ensure a smooth transition. Losing the personal touch of on-site meetings can be tough because you lose the cues that body language can give you if a person is having a hard time. Many of our clients are struggling with isolation, financial stresses and addiction, making it harder to keep people stable and supported via the telephone.

Tedford Housing is making it work during this pandemic, especially our case managers. We are happy to report that people are still being housed even if it takes a bit more time.

Join the #GivingTuesdayNow Movement on May 5, 2020

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People all around the world are coming together on May 5, 2020 to tap into the power of human connection and strengthen communities at the grassroots level. By joining the #GivingTuesdayNow movement, you can help Tedford Housing continue its response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19 for our local residents who are experiencing homelessness.
 
While many other organizations closed or reduced their services in response to the COVID-19, Tedford Housing expanded its services. With safe community spaces closed during the day, it is essential for our adult shelter to be open 24 hours to ensure our guests have a welcoming place to be. This change has meant a lot of new logistics and unbudgeted expenses, like staffing our adult shelter 24 hours and providing three meals per day for our guests. 

While all of Tedford Housing’s buildings remain closed to the public, our shelter staff is still on-site all day, every day to connect our guests to permanent housing and support services. Even while practicing extreme social distancing, our shelter case managers have been able to house people, and our supportive housing and outreach case managers continue to connect with clients via phone, text and email.

The changes we have made to our operations are in the best interest of our guests and staff. It’s been tough, but we are here for the long haul. Dedicated Tedford Housing donors and volunteers like you have stepped up to provide much-needed financial support, meals for our guests, and other donations.

At a time when we are all experiencing the pandemic, generosity is what brings people of all races, faiths, and political views together across the globe. Please tell your friends and family why you believe in our work and encourage them to support Tedford Housing too.

Join the #GivingTuesdayNow movement on May 5, 2020. Bookmark our donate link today: https://tedfordhousing.org/donate/. Every gift is important to us and helps us continue to operate during this challenging time. Of course, if you don’t want to wait until May 5, feel free to give today. You can also visit our event page on Facebook.

Thank you for your continued support of Tedford Housing and your dedication to ending homelessness in southern Midcoast Maine.

Sincerely, 

Rota Knott, Executive Director

Giving Voice: It takes a community effort to get through difficult times

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Giving Voice

The following article was published in The Times Record on 4/10/20 and written by Jennifer Iacovelli, Tedford Housing’s director of development.

I am working from home as I write this article, typing away on my laptop in my office. One of my sons is chatting away with his 5th grade “lunch crew” buddies via Zoom, while my other son, a freshman, finishes up baking some sugar cookies. He chose sugar cookies because that’s what could be made with the ingredients available to him right now.

Earlier I drafted a grant proposal, spoke with some shelter meal donors by phone and helped my 5th grader with some math. Soon I’ll take a break to walk the dog and eat a late lunch, which will consist of whatever I have in the kitchen. I guess this is our new normal for the time being.

COVID-19 has changed the way we all work and live. In Tedford Housing’s case, we’ve had to expand our hours rather than decrease our operations. With safe community spaces like The Gathering Place and Curtis Memorial Library closed during the day, it’s essential for our adult shelter to be open 24 hours / day. Because we normally close between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. during the week, this change means a lot of new logistics and expenses that weren’t in our plans. At the very least, it means we need staffing 24 hours at our adult shelter, and we need to feed our shelters guests three meals per day.

In an effort to practice social distancing and to comply with Gov. Janet Mills’ executive order to shelter safely at home, we are spreading staff out as much as possible. Some, like me, are working from home if and when we can. Our supportive housing and outreach case managers are checking in with people via phone, text and email. Tedford Housing’s buildings are closed to the public. Only staff and guests are allowed into our shelters.

Yesterday was my morning to be in the admin office and to deliver lunch to shelter guests. I’ll be back tomorrow in the afternoon. We’ve spread out our staff to cover our “headquarters” so people can still drop off needed donations outside our door on Middle Street during business hours. (Though at this point we are only accepting essential donations that we need right now such as cleaning supplies and paper products.)

Our adult shelter staff are the ones on the frontlines day in and day out. Not only is our shelter open 24 hours, but we also have some guests staying in local hotel rooms so that we can properly practice social distancing. The distance means that food needs to be delivered to two places every day.

Basic needs like food and shelter are absolutely essential right now. Sheltering safely at home only works if you have a home (and one that’s safe). When neighbors need help in times like this, it truly takes a community to provide the basics.

We are thankful to so many donors, volunteers and partners who are helping us to keep operating during this time. Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program is providing lunches Monday – Saturday, while a neighbor is delivering lunch on Sunday. Our regular Meal-A-Month volunteers continue to prepare and deliver dinner every night, leaving the food outside the shelter and ringing the bell to alert staff. The Brunswick School Department has been providing breakfast and lunches during the week for school-aged children and working on technology access for those who may have difficulty with remote learning. A local donor provided handmade masks for Tedford Housing staff who are working at the shelter or delivering meals. Pathway Vineyard Church is continuing its Tuesday night community meal on a take-out basis and bringing some over to the shelter at the end of the night. The Bath YMCA, right down the road from one of our family supportive housing units, is providing free meals for kids. Mid Coast Hospital provided thermometers for guests to track their temperature each day. Supporters have stopped by to drop off cleaning supplies, toilet paper and other essentials outside our admin office door. We appreciate the well wishes through the glass storm door! And we are thankful for the monetary donations coming in from neighbors, local organizations, funders and other supporters to help us with the many unexpected expenses we are incurring during this pandemic.

These are difficult and challenging times for many of us, regardless of socioeconomic background. If this pandemic teaches us anything, it’s that it truly takes a community effort to get through difficult times.

PO Box 958, Brunswick ME 04011