Abby Kelley Foster House Inc

Programs: Programsour shelter, housing and advocacy programs operate year-round, seven days per week/24 hours per day. We have an on-call crisis response team to address any issues that may arise during non-traditional office hours. Overnight shelter:staffed by a shelter advocate, a shelter house coordinator, and more than 30 regular volunteers, our nine-bed overnight shelter provides women with safe shelter and focuses on helping her put together a plan to address her immediate needs. We assist her in finding and securing long-term, stable housing either in abby's house supportive housing program or elsewhere, or help her to access residential programs, like inpatient substance abuse treatment programs, when further stabilization is required in transitioning towards permanent housing. Supportive housing:with seven two-bedroom apartments and 70 single room occupancy housing units in three buildings in worcester, abby's house is worcester's largest provider of affordable housing specifically designed to meet the needs of women and children. We meet the needs of working women who cannot afford market-rate rent or allow those who are on ssi or ssdi to live safely and comfortably. Advocacy: advocates help women to identify realistic goals and provide the tools needed to achieve them. Our focus on intensive case management, or advocacy, is to help our shelter guests and residents access wraparound services they need to survive and thrive. Individualized services allow us to work with each woman, given her own specific set of circumstances and needs. In order to meet the needs of women served, we work with more than 75 other social services and government agencies and departments. Our focus is to effectively create a system of seamless service provision and assist women with the sometimes daunting task of matching needs with existing resources - and assisting them with accessing those services. Referral services:we receive a minimum of 15 - 20 calls or in-person visits per week from women seeking help. Developing and maintaining positive working relationships with local professionals and organizations in other areas of human service is vital for effective referrals. Women's center:each and every current and past resident and guest is invited to be involved in the abby's house women's center. Women's center activities include weekly meals, holiday celebrations, a food pantry, financial literacy sessions, computer access and computer training, and other educational and social activities based on women's interests and volunteer availability. The comradery that is built through the women's center provides a sense of community and stability in women's lives. Thrift shop:abby's house thrift shop offers gently used clothing and household items to women in need. Each week we receive items from loyal supporters. Volunteers and staff sort items and provide a safe, affordable and comfortable place for our residents and shelter guests to shop. In addition to providing clothing vouchers to the women who reside at abby's house, we are also able to offer clothing vouchers to women from over 25 agencies who work with women in need. All proceeds from the thrift shop support the mission of abby's house. Annette rafferty survive to thrive (arst) fund:through a collaborative application process involving residents or shelter guests and their advocates, the arst fund provides emergency funding to cover expenses like medical and dental needs. This fund also helps to break the cycle of poverty by providing financial support to residents and shelter guests for education or vocational training with the goal of helping them to become financially self-sufficient. Additional grants are made to cover the escalating costs of obtaining permanent and stable housing, including first, last and security payments required for moving in to an apartment.