Father Bill’s & MainSpring Awarded $100,000 Grant

From Yawkey Foundations: Father Bill’s & MainSpring (FBMS), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to ending homelessness in Southern Massachusetts, has been selected to receive a $100,000 grant from the Yawkey Foundations that will increase accessibility at the agency’s Brockton emergency shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness.

The grant will help pay for the installation of a new elevator at the MainSpring House, which is a 123-year-old, three-story building that provides a number of critical services, such as overnight shelter, to the most vulnerable members of the community. The elevator will allow guests with physical limitations and disabilities, including the shelter’s increasing senior population, have access to beds on the upper floors.

The MainSpring House, which shelters approximately 1,000 men and women per year, also offers nutritious meals, shower facilities, and basic personal items, as well as healthcare services from its on-site clinic. The $250,000 elevator is the final phase of FBMS’ $840,000 campaign, launched in 2014, that has involved major upgrades to increase shelter accessibility and renovations to the shelter’s healthcare clinic, allowing it to operate full-time.

“We’re incredibly grateful to have the support of a well-respected organization like the Yawkey Foundations, which have been helping New Englanders in need for decades,” John Yazwinski, President and CEO of Father Bill’s & MainSpring, said. “The Yawkey Foundations are helping ensure that MainSpring House provides services with as little barriers as possible. At Father Bill’s & MainSpring, being fully accessible to every member of our community is core to our mission and our values.”

Since 1977, the Yawkey Foundations have promoted inclusion and equality by donating nearly $450 million to charities assisting those in need, particularly through education, healthcare, and human services.

Accessibility upgrades at MainSpring House have included the installation of wall-mounted handrails, a reconstructed stairwell, renovated men’s and women’s bathrooms, an accessible egress door on the second floor, and accessible hardware throughout the building.

FBMS’ campaign to increase accessibility at MainSpring House has also received funding from the following organizations: Franklin Square Foundation; Charlesbank Homes; Goddard Health Foundation; Massachusetts Medical Society and Alliance; Medtronic (formerly Covidien); and the Ada Bacon Trust. The healthcare clinic renovations were primarily supported by a Federal Capital Development Grant to Brockton Neighborhood Health Center from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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