[LYNN, Mass., May 5, 2026] — Father Bill’s & MainSpring (FBMS), a regional leader in ending homelessness, has received state funding to bring its innovative service-delivery model, called the Housing Resource Center (HRC) model, to Plymouth, Mass. The new site, to include a day center, year-round emergency shelter, and supportive housing units for individual adults, is being funded at a time when more suburban and rural towns, like Plymouth, have seen sharp increases in homelessness.   

The funding is part of the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s 2026 Supportive Housing Awards, which were announced Tuesday, May 5 at an event held in Lynn, Mass., and attended by Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) Secretary Juana Matias and Executive Office of Veterans Services (EOVS) Secretary Dr. Eric Goralnick. This round of awards will grant $44 million to 11 projects representing 401 total units of housing across Massachusetts. 

“We are grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration and the team at EOHLC for their continued investment in our transformative model,” said John Yazwinski, President & CEO of FBMS. “We’re thankful to the Plymouth community, including the Town’s Select Board, state legislators and community partners, for believing in our work. The need in Plymouth represents a trend we’ve seen across the state and country –-a rise in homelessness not just in our cities and urban centers, but also in commuter towns and rural communities, whose residents can’t keep up with rising housing costs.” 

The Plymouth HRC development will be built at 41 Westerly Road, site of the First Baptist Church. As part of the purchase agreement, FBMS will acquire the entire property, and lease the church to First Baptist to continue hosting religious services. At the rear of the property, FBMS will construct a new building comprised of a day center offering wraparound supports, a permanent shelter site with 30 beds for individual adults, and 16 units of supportive housing units for formerly homeless individuals.   

The Plymouth HRC is a scaled-down version of FBMS’ successful Quincy and Brockton Housing Resource Center (HRC) models, which opened in 2023 and 2025, respectively. The model, which focuses on proactive, upstream supports to help prevent homelessness, has already gained national attention for its holistic approach and measurable impact. 

FBMS has had a programs presence in Plymouth for the past 20-plus years, including the operation of a winter shelter with the volunteer-led Plymouth Taskforce to End Homelessness since 2015. The need for services in Plymouth and surrounding towns has outgrown existing capacity. For example, the seasonal shelter served 90 people in Fiscal Year 2025, up 67% over 3 years, while the average nightly stays have doubled over the past decade. The local unsheltered population has also doubled, with FBMS’ street outreach team engaging with 90 to 100 people per year in Plymouth and Wareham. 

Construction is expected to start by early 2027 and is targeted for completion in 2028.  

FBMS has launched a comprehensive campaign to help raise funds needed to support construction and operation of the Plymouth HRC. Any community partner interested in learning more about the campaign can contact FBMS Chief Development Officer Catie Reilly at cmreilly@helpfbms.org.