The volunteer-powered Houses of Grace winter shelter system has opened for its third season. “If I didn’t have this, I’d be sleeping around a fire, bundled up,” said Derek MacLeod.
State budget cuts have resulted in the elimination of a part-time housing counselor for the coming year. Advocates for the homeless say the position has been critical in addressing the unique problems around housing security on the Island.
The Houses of Grace winter shelter program begins this Sunday, offering shelter every night of the week through March 31 for those who need a warm bed.
Hospitality Homes, a system of homeless shelters hosted and organized by Island churches, is nearing the end of its first year, with administrators, coordinators and volunteers declaring success.
Beginning in January, seven nights a week, three churches will provide shelter and meals to men, women and families who need a place to get in out of the cold.
A conversation Thursday about homelessness on Martha’s Vineyard shed light on the gravity of the Island’s housing shortage, and introduced a new initiative by Island churches set to begin next winter to provide emergency housing for those without a home.
