BRATTLEBORO — The staff and board of directors of Groundworks Collaborative thank The Commons for its continued commitment to report on homelessness in a respectful and dignified way. Olga Peters' recent story is no different.
However, given the recent changes at Groundworks Collaborative, it would be good to clarify and expand on a couple specifics.
Groundworks Collaborative was established in 2015 as a result of the merger of two well-established organizations: the Brattleboro Area Drop In Center and Morningside Shelter. Our mission is to provide ongoing support to families and individuals facing a full continuum of housing and food insecurities in the greater Brattleboro area.
Our programs include:
• Groundworks Food Shelf - the largest and busiest food shelf in the region, providing emergency food assistance to roughly 1,000 individuals (220 households) each month;
• Groundworks Shelter (formerly Morningside Shelter) --a year-round 30-bed shelter for families and individuals;
• The Seasonal Overflow Shelter - open from November through April, serving an average of 25 individuals per night;
• Groundworks Drop In Center - provides a safe space to spend the day as well as email, telephones, laundry, showers, coffee, and snacks for homeless individuals and families;
• Case Management - for currently and formerly homeless families and individuals; and
• The Representative Payee Program - providing financial management for more than 50 clients on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and/or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) - ensuring that rent and basic living expenses are paid on time each month to prevent future homelessness.
According to the April 20th article, Groundworks Collaborative “helped house 40 households” last year, and of those “38 have maintained stable housing.” These figures point to just one of Groundworks' housing programs.
Across the entire agency, our combined case-management programs serve more than 100 area households (a mix of those currently experiencing homelessness and formerly homeless families and individuals).
We can report that since the merger that formed Groundworks Collaborative on June 1 of last year, the organization overall has housed 56 households (96 individuals).
The article later says, “Groundworks typically serves about 30 households (defined as one or more people)[...]. An additional 10 to 15 households sit on the organization's wait-list.”
These numbers refer to Groundworks Shelter for families and individuals in our farmhouse on Royal Road. The shelter was home to 93 unduplicated people in the last year, 25 of whom were younger than 18. The waitlist for Groundworks Shelter is consistently lengthy.
The Seasonal Overflow Shelter has provided shelter for 159 individuals so far this winter and will be closing on Monday morning (May 2) for the season. Groundworks Drop In Center (at 60 South Main Street) will continue to serve those who have spent the winter at the SOS. We are currently collecting tent and sleeping bag donations for those who will be setting up camps for the summer season.
Groundworks Collaborative is committed to meeting the basic needs of our neighbors, and doing so with dignity. I welcome any questions at info@groundworksvt.org or by phone at 802-257-0066, ext. 1102.