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Over the past two months, six guests of the First Church Shelter signed leases and occupied their own studio apartments. These apartments are among the 61 units that became available at 116 Norfolk Street, a recently renovated permanent supportive housing project made possible by a collaborative effort between the Cambridge Housing Authority and Elliot Community Human Service. In addition to safe, affordable, non-transient housing, Norfolk Street has on-site access to case management, as well as psychiatric and recovery services.

New guests have arrived at the Shelter and are now settled in. There is some concern that more guests are arriving in need of specialized care due to low availability in rehabilitation and nursing facilities. This problem is likely to intensify if Medicaid cuts are made. The Shelter Oversight Committee is monitoring the situation and is looking at ways to support the Shelter Staff in their work.

Unfortunately our efforts, in partnership with other faith communities and service providers, to encourage the City of Cambridge to keep the 56 beds operating out of the Transitional Wellness Center were not successful. The City of Cambridge did agree to make an additional two dozen housing vouchers available, but no additional information about the vouchers is available at this time.