Tedford Housing

Creating pathways from homelessness to home.

Giving Voice: Spring cleaning and donations that spark joy

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The following article was published in The Times Record on 5/5/19 and written by Jennifer Iacovelli, Tedford Housing’s director of development.

It may or may not feel like spring when this article publishes. The calendar says April, but we live in Maine. The only thing that’s inevitable right now is the potholes. 

Regardless, the sunshine is brightening our days and the snow is slowly melting its way out of our lives, with the exception of those piles of snow in the darkest areas of our yards.  

With spring often comes spring cleaning. While Tedford Housing enjoys a steady stream of in-kind donations year round, we tend to see an increase in these donations around spring time. (For those not familiar with the term, in-kind donations are those non-cash donations of goods or services.) 

I’ve had to call in some of my trusty volunteers to help sort donations of sheets, towels, baking sheets and other household items more than a few times since January. According to some media reports, nonprofits have seen a spike in in-kind donations due to the popularity of the Netflix show, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. The show is centered on the idea of decluttering one’s space and, to some extent, their lives at the same time. 

Kondo encourages her clients to “tidy up” in their houses by category, holding items in their hands to see if they “spark joy” to them. If the items don’t spark joy, then it is time to let them go. While I can’t make a direct correlation between the show and the amount of donations we currently have in the admin office at Tedford Housing, I do know that we are the beneficiary of many of our neighbor’s efforts to declutter. 

If more people are getting rid of their unwanted household items, this can be a good thing for nonprofits. As I write this, we have several individuals and families moving out of our shelters and into permanent housing. These donations from decluttering neighbors help give our clients a new start with actual dishes for their kitchens, towels for their bathrooms and sheet sets for their beds. 

As a nonprofit professional who handles donations in her organization, I challenge you to use the same method for donating as you would for tidying up with Marie Kondo. You may not want to hold every unwanted item in your house and ask if it sparks joy for a certain organization, but some parameters around donating these items to make the most impact could be helpful to those who find themselves wondering what to do once they have a big pile of joy-less (for you) items.  

If you are not a seasoned in-kind donor, the first step you may want to take is to figure out which organization you want to support with your donation and visit their website. If you don’t have an organization in mind, think of a cause you want to support (e.g., housing, food security, animal welfare, environment, etc.) and do a quick google search for organizations near you. Many organizations will list items they will accept – and not accept – as donations. This research can save you a bit of time and ensure you find a good match for your items.  

Conversely, you could also google the item you have and the word donation in your area (i.e., “clothes donation in Brunswick”). In addition to the organization’s website, you may also check their social media accounts to see if they post their most needed items. (I do so on Tedford’s Facebook page from time to time and see other orgs, like Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program, doing the same. We often share each other’s lists too!) 

Once you figure out where you want your donation to go, the next step is to figure out when and where to drop off your donation. Keep in mind that some organizations, like Tedford, have more than one location and some locations may not have the staffing or the space to accept donations. (I accept donations for Tedford at our admin office during business hours and distribute the items to those who need it most from there.)  

I love helping donors make the most of their donation. Though I can’t speak for all development directors, I love when people contact me directly about a donation. I can’t tell you how often I hear “I want to make sure my donation helps someone who truly needs it.” Oftentimes a donation, though not needed in their home, does have some sentimental value to the donor. If we don’t take the items in question, I will do my best to steer them to an organization that does need their donation. Even random sheets in questionable condition may be welcomed with open arms at an animal shelter! When in doubt, just ask someone who handles donations on a daily basis. We’re happy to help you “tidy up.” 

What’s Next for the Tedford Housing Resource Center

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The strength of the people of this region who understand and empathize with the lived experience of homelessness is very powerful. The staff and board of Tedford Housing are very grateful for the support it has received from the community as the Town of Brunswick wound its way through a zoning ordinance process for shelters and Tedford Housing advocated for reasonable outcomes. After a little over one year, the moratorium on building shelters in Brunswick has ended. A zoning ordinance is in the books, as is a licensing process for shelters, which is somewhat unique for Maine municipalities.

So what’s next? For now, Tedford Housing is assessing where we are and where we want to go in the short term in regards to building a new facility. We do know that increasing numbers of adults and families experiencing homelessness exceeds our capacity, and we are committed to leading a community response that addresses this gap. We will continue to work with our partners on identifying possible sites for the full vision of a resource center. Throughout this process, in addition to discussing the technical aspects of zoning, we hope we have at least increased the knowledge within the whole community of the nature and extent of homelessness in Brunswick and the surrounding area.

Tedford Housing officials catching their breath before restarting planning for new Brunswick facilities (Times Record, April 15, 2019)

Brunswick Town Council approves zoning rules for homeless shelters (The Forecaster,  April 10, 2019)

Brunswick Town Council to Hold Special Meeting on Shelters Monday, April 8th

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The Brunswick Town Council has scheduled a special meeting focused specifically on shelters for Monday, April 8, 2019 at 6:30pm. The public meeting will be held in the council chambers in the town hall located at 85 Union Street in Brunswick. As usual, these meetings are open to the public and available for viewing on Brunswick Cable TV3.

The meeting and its agenda has not been posted to the town’s website as of the publishing of this article, but it is expected that it will include a public hearing and possibly voting on both ordinances for zoning and licensing for shelters. If the council gets to vote in this meeting, after the public hearing and discussion by the council regarding the proposed ordinances, the moratorium on building shelters in Brunswick will come to en end.

UPDATE: The meeting agenda and packet documents were published to the town’s website a few hours after this post was published. You can view these documents in the list of links at the bottom of this post.

 If you are looking for ways in which to show your support for Tedford’s comprehensive and important approach to creating pathways from homelessness to home in our community, here are a few actions step you can take:

  • Attend this upcoming meeting on April 8th and any that follow, if necessary. Consider speaking about how valuable a resource Tedford is to the community. (You can find posted agendas from the town here or look for updates on our website here.)
  • If you are a Brunswick resident, you can contact your town council representative directly (a list of members can be found here).
  • Write a letter to the editor of The Times Record (find guidelines here)

Here are a few talking points to consider:

  • Any performance standard must be reasonable and should not single out shelters. Tedford is an organization that has been in the community for over 30 years and is already held to a number of best practices and other accountabilities through MaineHousing and other funding resources.
  • Tedford Housing’s vision will help reduce the high amount of individuals and families turned away every month, while also increasing efficiencies in delivering our essential programs and services. (Our FY2018 program and financial stats can be found here.)
  • A comprehensive approach will result in the reduced risk of homelessness in the Brunswick area community, a faster return to housing stability for youth, adults and families, healthier households and increased self-sufficiency.
  • It is important that Brunswick, as a regional center, includes districts that allow services to help our neighbors who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

If you have any questions regarding Tedford Housing, this project or anything related to the zoning or licensing ordinance process, contact executive director Craig Phillips at 207-729-1161, #102 or craig@tedfordhousing.org.

FMI and some history, visit the following links:

An Update on the Moratorium on Shelters in Brunswick and What’s Coming Next

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On Monday, March 4th, the Brunswick Town Council held a public hearing on extending the current moratorium on building shelters. After several community members voiced their concerns with the time it has taken for the town to make a decision on a zoning ordinance for shelters, most in full support of Tedford Housing, a vote was not taken. The vote on extending the moratorium is now expected to occur on March 18th when all council members will be present. Following are the meeting documents posted on the town’s website today:

It is our understanding that the next step in this process, once a vote to extend the moratorium is complete, is for the town council to review a comprehensive list of possible performance standards that would go into effect for shelters along with the zoning ordinance. The council will review each standard and vote to keep or reject each standard, line by line. Both the zoning ordinance and the performance standards will need to be voted on, with public hearings, in order to be finalized.

There was an excellent turnout of Tedford Housing supporters at this last meeting. We hope to see more of this as we keep moving forward in this long process. If you are looking for ways in which to show your support for Tedford’s comprehensive and important approach to creating pathways from homelessness to home in our community, here are a few actions steps you can take:

  • Attend upcoming meetings and workshops and consider speaking about how valuable a resource Tedford is to the community. The Brunswick Town Council meets on the first and third Monday at 6:30pm. (You can find posted agendas from the town here or look for updates on our website here. We are guessing there may be 3 – 5 more meetings before a zoning ordinance and any performance standard is finalized.)
  • If you are a Brunswick resident, you can contact your town council representative directly (a list of members can be found here).
  • Write a letter to the editor of The Times Record (find guidelines here)

Here are a few talking points to consider:

  • Tedford Housing’s vision will help reduce the high amount of individuals and families turned away every month, while also increasing efficiencies in delivering our essential programs and services. (Our FY2018 program and financial stats can be found here.)
  • A comprehensive approach will result in the reduced risk of homelessness in the Brunswick area community, a faster return to housing stability for youth, adults and families, healthier households and increased self-sufficiency.
  • It is important that Brunswick, as a regional center, includes districts that allow services to help our neighbors who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
  • Any performance standard must be reasonable and should not single out shelters. Tedford is an organization that has been in the community for over 30 years and is already held to a number of best practices and other accountabilities through Maine Housing and other funding resources.

If you have any questions regarding Tedford Housing, this project or anything related to the zoning ordinance process, contact executive director Craig Phillips at 207-729-1161, #102 or craig@tedfordhousing.org.

Giving Voice: What happens when people are turned away from Brunswick’s homeless shelter?

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The following article was published in The Times Record on 3/8/19 and written by Jennifer Iacovelli, Tedford Housing’s director of development.

At a recent town council meeting in Brunswick, Tedford Housing’s director of operations, Giff Jamison, was compelled to speak at the podium during the public comment time related to the council’s vote on extending the current moratorium ordinance on the location of shelters. He was among several other community members who used the time to speak their mind on the moratorium and shelters in our area in general.   

Giff shared a story of a couple who walked into Tedford’s administrative office on a particularly cold afternoon. It was in the single digits that day with wind chills expected to dip below zero that night. This couple was sleeping in a tent and considered literally homeless, meaning that they lack a “fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence.” There wasn’t a bed available at our emergency shelter that night. He was quoted in the Times Record the next day saying how the conversation became about hoping these two individuals “would survive the night.” 

Tedford Housing’s “turn away” numbers have been shared quite frequently over the past few months. In our fiscal year 2018, we had to turn away 354 adults and 228 families who called upon us to access emergency housing. These numbers represent a significant amount of households who are homeless or on the brink of becoming homeless. Unfortunately, the numbers have held steady over the past few years.  

Merriam-Webster defines the term “safety net” as “something that provides security against misfortune or difficulty.” When we talk about the safety net of social services, people often think of public assistance programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps) or general assistance.  

Hearing our numbers, you might ask yourself what is the safety net that exists for folks who Tedford Housing cannot immediately house with temporary shelter. For us, the safety net encompasses more than just the traditional public assistance.  

When someone calls or walks into our office looking for help, we ask where they slept the night before and if they have a place to sleep that evening to help determine the immediacy of the need. If Tedford’s shelters are full and a person or family is without adequate housing for the night, we may suggest they access a shelter in another area such as Lewiston or Portland. Part of the safety net is working collaboratively with other shelters and providers to cast a wide net of resources. A more official statewide effort to connect people experiencing homelessness with resources, coordinated entry, is set to roll out this year. Families may be put on our waiting list for our family shelter and individuals may be encouraged to call our adult shelter on a regular basis to inquire about open beds.

The person’s ties to the area may compel them to stay in the area, even in an unsafe situation. In that case, we connect the individual to one of Tedford’s case managers. The case manager’s primary job, as we wrote about in our last Giving Voice article, is to identify and address the barriers that are keeping clients from obtaining or maintaining housing. Tedford’s case managers can get people started with a housing search or applying for vouchers, SNAP or general assistance. Oftentimes the first step is helping people obtain necessary documentation, such as birth certificates or social security cards, so they have what they need for the above mentioned applications. Case managers may also help clients connect with medical care providers, setting up appointments with places like Oasis Free Clinics or re-connecting them with a primary care provider. The goal is to make sure the client is in a position to be able to apply for housing.  

As I wrote this article, I was interrupted by a visitor to our admin office. He was a young man looking for help with housing. I won’t share his details but he was young enough that I asked him his age so that I could refer him to the most appropriate case manager. I asked questions, made sure he had a place to go, told him about The Gathering Place and gave him the phone numbers he needed to start working on a plan. It was before our regular business hours, so he couldn’t talk directly to a case manager. He didn’t have a phone but said he’d use his friend’s phone to make calls and appointments. The mom in me hopes he makes those phone calls. 

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PO Box 958, Brunswick ME 04011