Health

Gloucester landmark becomes safe place for the homeless

GLOUCESTER, Mass. — Finding a safe place for the homeless is a challenge in good times. It becomes that much tougher in a pandemic when social distancing guidelines have to be factored in.

This comes as the demand for services is on the rise due to the faltering economy.

On a cold winter’s day in Gloucester, a safe haven from the elements can be found and it’s open to everyone.

“You can’t beat the view. You’ve got the fireplace,” said Donna Grinnell, who has been homeless and battled addiction over the years.

She’s talking about the Gloucester House, a landmark on Cape Ann. The facility, which contains a restaurant and function hall, isn’t open to the public right now due to the pandemic.

In the meantime, it’s practicing another form of hospitality. The Gloucester House is the temporary home of the Grace Center, a drop-in site for people dealing with homelessness or other housing challenges.

Jason Etheridge is the executive director of Lifebridge North Shore which runs the Grace Center. “At one point libraries were closed. The other social service agencies might have reduced hours. You’re not allowed to sit at Dunkin Donuts for a few hours. We’re looking at a vulnerable population with nowhere to go.”

The Unitarian Universalist Church was their home, but it was too small once social distancing requirements were put in place.

“At the church, we can serve 25 people safely, and we’re seeing anywhere from 50-60 people a day so what happened is we had to work in shifts. It was cumbersome,” explained Etheridge.

At the Gloucester House, two hot meals are served every day and a game of chess can be played, all while visitors are well spaced out.

Being able to come here means a lot to Paul Deveau. He’s now a regular. “I just like the fact that I have somewhere to go. I can meet people that I know and more or less just hang out for 4-5 hours.”

“There are a lot of people who are becoming homeless right now who’ve never been homeless before. Trying to survive outside and then doing that for 24 hours a day is virtually impossible,” added Etheridge.

Etheridge says creating this safe space could have never happened without some creative thinking by Gloucester’s mayor and the generosity of a local businessman.

“It means the world. It’s the actual definition of community for us. I have municipal leaders here, private business owners, a social service agency all coming together to solve a problem that usually doesn’t set solved,” said Etheridge.

But it did this time, and that makes Grinnell pretty happy. “Just the whole ambiance of the place. I mean there’s no other word to describe it. Like you died and went to heaven. . . and it’s free!”

The Grace Center will operate at the Gloucester House thru the spring when the function hall plans to return to business as usual.

The owner, Lenny Linquata, didn’t want to do an interview about the help he gave the Grace Center.


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