Services for homeless women get boost

Every year, when Bethsaida Community Inc. is forced to turn away dozens of women seeking supportive housing at the Katie Blair House or next door at the Flora O'Neil Apartments in Norwich, Executive Director Claire Silva wonders and worries where they go.

“We just don't have the space," she said.

Silva cited that chronic problem as the basis for an ambitious grant application to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for $350,000 per year for five years to seek out and provide services to as many as 150 homeless women a year in New London County. Several fellow human services agencies collaborated on the grant to complete the picture, offering housing, basic health services, mental health and substance abuse treatment and counseling and daily supports to women in need.

Bethsaida learned in mid-September that the application for the program, called Homeless Women Deserve Treatment, was successful.

The agency immediately started advertising for the four staff positions needed to reach out to women throughout the region and learn what services they need. Silva is looking for office space to house the program and hopes to launch it by the end of October as the weather starts turning cold.

The outreach worker positions were designed specifically to meet the expected need in the region, Silva said. One is for an Asian outreach coordinator fluent in Mandarin Chinese, and a second is for a Latina outreach worker fluent in Spanish. A third outreach worker must have experience with "chronic public inebriates," and the fourth would be a clerical program assistant to coordinate program activities.

Descriptions and applications for the staff positions are available at the Bethsaida website at www.bethsaidact.org/HWDT.htm. Homeless women interested in participating in the program should call Bethsaida's main number at (860) 886-7511.

Silva believes housing is the key to success. But Bethsaida has only eight beds at the Katie Blair House, serving about 20 to 25 women per year. The agency receives more than 60 applications each year. The six apartments at the Flora O'Neil Apartments are always full with a two-year waiting list.

"Every year we receive numerous applications from women who are in need of housing," Silva said. "Yet we can only help a certain number of them due to a limited number of beds. Now, through the HWDT program and support from our collaborative housing and treatment partners, we will be able to serve 150 more women each year."

Silva is meeting with representatives from the partner agencies to start identifying women for the program.

Partner agencies are: United Community and Family Services, the Women's Center of Southeastern Connecticut, the New London Hospitality Center, Sound Community Services, Community Care Teams in Norwich and New London, Mystic Area Shelter & Hospitality (MASH), TVCCA, the Covenant Shelter in New London and St. Vincent de Paul Place soup kitchen in Norwich.

Cara Westcott, vice president of behavioral health services at UCFS, said her agency would become involved once an outreach worker screens a woman and determines her health needs. UCFS provides outpatient substance abuse services, mental health services, counseling, along with primary health care and a dental clinic.

Westcott said the agency also would be looking out for women who come to the clinics or counseling sessions who might fit into the new grant program.

"We are very excited about the program," Westcott said. "When we heard from Claire that they were getting a chance to do it, we put it together."