CASPAR offers numerous programs for the homeless.

By Carrie Stanziola

For the third year in a row, Somerville and Arlington have been granted funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development for housing and assistance programs. This year, the amount totals $2.2 million down from $2.3 million in 2009. This year, the Obama Administration has awarded nearly $1.41 billion in homeless grants.

According to Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, “This funding is essential in order for the City of Somerville, along with our partner community Arlington, to continue to provide the necessary services to deserving families in this area. Each year we continue to receive additional funds, and I particularly want to thank the Obama Administration for continuing to make this issue a priority. The City of Somerville is committed to making affordable and transitional housing available for families and individuals, and this grant recognizes that commitment, and provides us with the tools to get it done.”

As Ruth Aaron of CASPAR puts it, “We’re a part of Arlington-Somerville Continuum of Care.  We’ve been receiving funds through them…so we’ve been getting this funding for many years.  We’re thrilled, we’re pleased…There are a lot of resources needed to help them (homeless people) and their families…”

CASPAR offers numerous programs for the homeless, including FirstStep Street Outreach, which provides numerous options to unsheltered homeless who are mired in substance abuse, mental illness and medical conditions due to living on the streets.

Equally important to Aaron is The Phoenix Center, where clients are able to receive counseling, case management, and information and referrals. Both men and women receive residential support.  CASPAR Men’s Residence is a forty-two bed facility where men recovering from substance abuse receive counseling. Women can benefit from GROW (Graduate Resident Opportunity for Women), an eight bed transitional home for those who have completed residential treatment programs.

Mark Alston-Follansbee, Executive Director of the Somerville Homeless Coalition, had a less sanguine response to the grant money than Mayor Curtatone and Ruth Aaron, saying that although the Coalition is grateful for the funds it will be receiving, as someone who deals with homelessness on a daily basis, he believes the funds are ultimately inadequate to meet the needs the Coalition’s target population.

The Somerville Homeless Coalition, like CASPAR, provides a range of services for homeless individuals.  Since 1986, it has provided shelter for men and women while helping them to reshape their lives and move into permanent housing. Moreover, homeless individuals who find themselves at the Homeless Coalition receive help from case managers, who have provided support to clients since 1997. Of the 250 households the Coalition works with on a yearly basis, 40 percent move into permanent housing.

Along with the Somerville Homeless Coalition and CASPAR, groups receiving aid will be Heading Home, Just a Start Corporation, Wayside Youth and Family Support Network, Somerville Community Corporation, Catholic Charities and Transition House.