Through comprehensive services, Belonging to Each Other helps people experiencing homelessness find and maintain stable housing. Shaw’s has supported this nonprofit organization through its GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS Reusable Bag Program.
Tell us about Belonging to Each Other.
At Belonging to Each Other, we offer loving support and guidance to our Falmouth neighbors as they transition from homelessness to stable housing. We started in 2015 when concerned citizens met in the basement of a church, saying, “There is a homeless problem in town. How can we help address these people?”
Now, we’re going into our 10th season of providing shelter to a number of residents. All of the people we help have ties to Falmouth. We operate two homes in Falmouth, a men’s and a women’s house. Each home can handle eight residents at a time. We bring people in from wherever they live, whether in tents, the woods, or their car. They can leave whatever unfortunate circumstance they’re in and come into our homes from November 1st to April 30th. During these cold winter months, we ensure they receive all the services they need and deserve and help them find stable housing. We also work with other agencies on the Cape to support any other homeless neighbors by bringing groups into local motels and providing meals.
Our success rate is about 80%. We are so successful because we don’t just find people housing and go away. We provide support to our residents for up to two years after they move into stable housing to make sure that they build and maintain the skills that they need to keep stable housing.
We grew from a small group of concerned citizens to over 80 active volunteers in our organization. Last year, we had 1,330 days of meals. We prepared and served three meals a day, which equates to almost 4,000 meals to support our neighbors.
What services do you provide to the community?
We run our housing program from November to the end of April, but we still work year-round. We have fundraisers and are constantly working to prepare for the next season. Our grants team does a phenomenal job raising funds for our operations.
We have a meal team of about 50 people. This team starts preparing, cooking, and packaging meals in September to make sure we have meals prepared and ready for the entirety of the winter. We start early because we don’t want to get backed up or have an emergency where we can’t feed somebody.
Our transportation team brings residents to service appointments, medical appointments, or wherever else they need to go. A lot of these residents don’t have cars. Others might have bicycles but can’t use them in the winter, limiting their mobility.
We also have a landscape team. We’re very cognizant that we are renting homes in town and want to be a good, responsible neighbor. We want to make sure that both the inside and outside of these homes are clean and taken care of.
What sets Belonging to Each Other apart from other organizations in your community?
We provide support to our residents for up to two years. While many other groups help support the homeless, others may not have the resources to offer long-term support like we do. It’s a lot to take on.
We have been fortunate to find a team of clinicians who are very generous with their time. They are incredibly knowledgeable about the services available to our residents. Our team helps them access the services they’re entitled to but might not be aware of. Our main function is to help our residents find stable housing, which can be particularly difficult on the Cape since real estate prices have gone through the roof.
We don’t do the work for residents. Instead, we guide and support them in their search for stable housing. Often, a lot of paperwork is involved in accessing public housing, so we teach our residents to fill it out correctly and on time. We help them develop the skills needed to get and maintain stable housing.
We don’t do the work for residents. Instead, we guide and support them in their search for stable housing.
Tell us a story that illustrates the good work of your organization.
In our homes, we can’t take in people who are in the midst of a substance problem. When someone struggling with substance use comes to us, we work with them to get them into a program. When they have demonstrated that they are clean, we bring them in and work with and support them until we can get them into stable housing.
The people we support didn’t expect to be homeless in their lifetime. No one plans on it. No one asks for it. But life happens. Everyone is unique. Everyone has a different backstory. We have learned to address people the way that will best reach them.
The people we support didn’t expect to be homeless in their lifetime.
What is your most outstanding achievement or contribution to the community?
The fact that the community came together to help us buy a new building is great. This provides us with a stable future we can count on. Every person we get into stable housing is a phenomenal achievement, and the building we purchased helps us do that.
What do you want people to know about Belonging to Each Other?
A lot of people in Falmouth are surprised that we have homelessness here. They assume they would see people on the street or sleeping in a bus depot or in a storefront, but they don’t. The homeless here are typically in the woods or in their cars. We all think they will end up in big cities like Boston, New York, and San Francisco. It’s not true. They’re in our backyard, regardless of what community you’re in.
Most people assume the homeless in this area are young individuals who struggle with substance use and mental health issues. This certainly is part of the equation, but it’s not the whole thing. We have residents ranging in age from 21 to 86. Maybe the apartment they have lived in for 30 years was sold, and the new owner wants to make it an Airbnb. Maybe they did everything right but only have a social security check and a little savings to live on. All of a sudden, these people have no home. We’re incredibly fortunate that our clinicians, staff, and dedicated group of volunteers are knowledgeable and able to help.
We’re incredibly fortunate that our clinicians, staff, and dedicated group of volunteers are knowledgeable and able to help.
How will you use the funds you’ve received from the Shaw’s GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS Reusable Bag Program?
The funds go toward our operating costs. We use it to pay for food, support our motel program, and maintain our home. It helps us provide personal care packs with various toiletries, socks, and other items people might need. It also can help with furnishings once our residents are in stable housing.
Interview with Jay O’Connell, Volunteer Coordinator
Published November 5, 2024.