The Amherst Emergency shelter had 84 people stay, anywhere between one and 150 nights.
AMHERST – Amherst officials will again seek a new agency to oversee its emergency shelter after Milestone Ministries informed the town it will no longer provide those services.
Jack Desroches, executive director of the Springfield-based Milestone Ministries, informed the town Monday of its decision. Desroches was in town to talk about the shelter it ran from last November through April of this year at the First Baptist Church.
This was the town’s first shelter. The year before, the Springfield-based Center for Human Development operated a warming place at the church. The church subsequently put in sprinklers and made other improvements that allowed the town to apply and receive the necessary permits to open a homeless shelter which meant that the homeless would have a place to sleep.
Desroches explained Tuesday that they decided not run the shelter again mostly because staff had to spend hours “essentially answering questions, that were sometimes allegations” from members of the town’s Committee on Homelessness.
That time “spent (answering) the micromanaging was a bigger piece than the money” in the board’s decision not to continue the shelter operation. While the town contributed $75,000, the actual cost including the additional staff time was actually $115,000. He said the ministry knew they would have to subsidize the work and they raise money to help the homeless.
“We had tried to the to right job. We found ourselves on the defensive.”
He said the agency was supervised by M. David Ziomek, director of Conservation and Development, and that’s who staff met with and answered to and not the committee.
He suggested that the Committee on Homelessness, which helped push for and set up a shelter, not be involved in the shelter’s operation next winter.
He said “they did a wonderful job (pushing and creating policy.) Amherst has a successful shelter.” Committee chairwoman Hwei-Ling Greeney said “it’s not micromanaging. We had questions.” She said Milestone did not provide answers. She said there was no communication that the committee’s questions had to go through the town. “We do not believe that’s a productive way of communicating.”
And she said “it’s their decision (not to return.) The committee is made the scapegoat. We are disappointed (they will not continue.) They have done a tremendous job running the shelter. I appreciate their work.” She hopes that whatever agency comes in recognizes what they do is a collaboration with the committee and town.
According to Milestone’s report, 84 people were sheltered there with stays from one to 150 days. About 30 percent of the guests are chronically homeless and about half had mental or physical disabilities. About 60 percent had problems with drugs or alcohol. The shelter admitted people based on behavior not on whether they had been drinking or using drugs.
The town, meanwhile, will issue a request for proposals for a new provider. “I remain very committed to this effort,” said Town Manager John P. Musante.
Desroches said that he felt his agency “accomplished what were asked to do” - set up and operate an emergency shelter. He said they provided a warm safe place and no homeless people died being left out in the cold.
He told officials, “I suggest you don’t reinvent the wheel....We’ve come up with what is successful.” A new agency can improve up what is in place, he said.
Desroches suggested that the First Baptist Church take over the running of shelter and said he and his staff would help. Milestone continues to work with homeless people from town, he said. “We’re not going away.”