CCB MEDIA PHOTO
Falmouth restaurant owner Paul Rifkin speaks at a meeting he organized last night to discuss homelessness prevention initiatives in Falmouth. Sitting are leaders of the Hyannis-based agency Homeless Not Hopeless, including Darrell Grey, Alan Burt, Billy Bishop and Bobby McGillveary.
WAQUOIT – State and local politicians, housing advocates, church representatives and social service providers listened quietly in the Waquoit Congregational Church parish hall as three formerly homeless men told their stories.
The men are now leaders at the agency Homeless Not Hopeless, a Hyannis-based agency that provides transitional housing for homeless people. Formerly homeless people serve as house managers for the agency’s four group homes and help new clients to find jobs, to recover from substance abuse and to learn life skills.
Paul Rifkin, a co-owner of Moonakis Restaurant just down the road from the church, organized the meeting, which attracted almost three dozen interested residents and community leaders.
After hearing that town officials in Barnstable feel other Cape towns are not helping to shoulder the burden of serving the homeless, Rifkin decided to step up and try to organize an effort in Falmouth.
“It’s a Cape-wide issue and Falmouth needs to step up to the plate more than it has. It seems from the energy in the room tonight, it may indeed be doing so,” Rifkin said after the meeting.
Besides hearing about the Homeless Not Hopeless model, the group discussed a local builder’s offer to construct “micro-units,” which would be 450-square-foot apartments for homeless people.
Alan Burt, one of the founders of Homeless Not Hopeless, said the agency proves that homeless people can help themselves, if they are given support.
Barnstable Town Councilor Paul Hebert, who founded CHAMP Home in Hyannis, another housing model, also attended the meeting. “The issue is we don’t have enough affordable housing. In the town of Barnstable, we are short 1,500 units. What we need is political will” to solve the problem, he said.
After the meeting, Rifkin said important connections were made.
“It’s time to help make things gel though. One of the main points brought up was that winter is upon us and we need to do things sooner rather than later to bring people in out of the cold,” he said.
Falmouth Housing Corporation President Linda Clark said her agency has had success housing formerly homeless people by using a case management model where tenants are checked on frequently.
Falmouth Housing Authority Executive Director Thomas Lacey said the cost of micro-units is reasonable enough that he believes that project could be financed.
State Representative David Vieira (R-Falmouth) said he would be joining other local legislators to meet with the state secretary o housing to discuss the issue of homelessness on Cape Cod.
Falmouth Selectman and County Commissioner Mary Pat Flynn said she was glad that the effort is underway and she wanted to be sure selectmen are at the table to look at solutions.
“I know there are homeless people in Falmouth. I don’t know who they are or where they are,” she said. “I know there’s an issue and we have to do something about it.”
The next meeting was scheduled for Monday, October 26 at 6 p.m. at the Waquoit Congregational Church parish hall.
By LAURA M. RECKFORD, CapeCod.com News Editor
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