North Shore Affordable Housing Crisis: YMCA Provides Aid For 500+

BEVERLY, MA — The YMCA of the North Shore is looking to highlight its resources that help those in the region with housing insecurity and other services through its partnerships this holiday season.

The YMCA of the North Shore provides housing for more than 500 children and adults in nine locations across its member communities as it looks to combat one of the biggest challenges facing the region by enabling families and individuals to remain strong and viable and reducing the burden of high-rent housing.

The Y operates facilities in Beverly, Ipswich, Cape Ann and Haverhill, including the Cabot Street location.

"We see firsthand the critical need for affordable housing and we continue to explore new ways to expand our housing opportunities while remaining committed to the well-being of our current residents," David Goodwin, Executive Director of Housing for the YMCA of the North Shore, said. "We cannot do this work alone, we are so grateful to so many community partners who help us support our residents in a variety of ways. It is so important for us to collaborate with our neighbors and other organizations to expand the services we provide to our residents."

The YMCA of the North Shore works with Beverly Bootstraps to provide fresh, free produce through their mobile market to downtown Beverly location residents. Green Beverly's food preservation program for Beverly and Gloucester also helps feed those in need through weekly pickups from Whole Foods and Shaw's.

Essex County Community Foundation supports the Y housing program with $10,000 in food donations while also helping to bridge the digital divide residents often face by donating laptops for all residents who need them.

Three Sisters Garden Project helped install raised garden beds at Powder House village complex in Ipswich and also offered reduced farm shares for any Powder House resident who was interested. The Y also partners with Lifebridge to have a full-time Resident Service Coordinator who is available to support all residents living in Y housing.

At yearly resident appreciation events at Holcroft Homes in Beverly and Powder House Village in Ipswich, families enjoy pony rides by J&J of Hunters Haven Farms, American BBQ of Rowley, and Curious Creatures of Groveland.

As the YMCA of the North Shore continues to try to do its part to tackle the housing shortage, those wishing to donate to or learn more information about those efforts can do so here.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)