If we cannot prevent a family or individual from losing their current housing or help them quickly regaining new housing, we offer them shelter, also referred to as emergency housing. While in shelter, we provide services to help an individual or family to move on. We also help guests in our emergency housing with food and nutrition, job training, and other basic needs.
If you’re in need of any of the services listed below, visit our Get Help page to see how we may be able to help.
We serve individuals age 18 and older who are experiencing homelessness at two emergency shelters owned by Father Bill’s & MainSpring, and others that we operate in partnership with other organizations.
Father Bill’s Place & MainSpring House
At Father Bill’s Place in Quincy and MainSpring House in Brockton, our guests receive a place to sleep, nutritious meals, health and mental health services with on-site clinics, shower facilities, and basic personal items.
Our staff members use a triage approach to assisting each guest. They assess and meet guests’ immediate needs and work with them to develop a service plan with the goal to gain permanent housing, access treatment, or receive other services they may need to achieve stability.
Seasonal Shelter
We operate an individual adult shelter in Plymouth, called the Overnights of Hospitality, that provides individuals experiencing homelessness with emergency shelter in local churches during the winter months. We run this program in conjunction with our partner organization, the Plymouth Taskforce to End Homelessness.
FBMS also provides supervision of a program in Wareham called Turning Point, operated by the Wareham Area Committee for the Homeless (WACH), which also manages a seasonal shelter in Wareham called Nights of Hospitality. Turning Point offers assistance to individuals and families who are experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness.
WorkExpress
Guests at Father Bill’s Place and MainSpring House are able to enroll in WorkExpress, a social enterprise that employs dozens of individuals and offers skills training and on-the-job experience. WorkExpress is hired by local companies and municipalities to complete jobs such as office cleaning, graffiti removal, apartment flips, and landscaping. Click here to learn more about FBMS’ job-training programs.
Food Services
Father Bill’s & MainSpring serves three meals a day, 365 days per year. Guests staying in shelter are served breakfast and dinner daily, and a hot lunch is available for any community members in need. Father Bill’s Place community lunch occurs daily between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. At MainSpring House, The Table is open six days a week, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (closed Tuesdays). True to the motto “dining with dignity,” The Table serves nutritious meals prepared and served by a dedicated team of employees and volunteers.
Father Bill’s & MainSpring provides basic needs for a family while connecting parents to housing, job placement, and outside resources, while also ensuring children’s health and education requirements are met. We take an individual approach when addressing each family’s unique needs and develop a plan to help them secure and maintain stable housing.
Congregate Shelter – Conway House & Evelyn House
The Conway House (12 units) and Evelyn House (16 units) offer secure, emergency shelter for families in a congregate setting. Our support staff work closely with each family to help them access services, benefits, workforce training, job opportunities and housing. We ensure children are attending school, families have access to health services, and that all basic needs are met. Once a family moves into permanent housing, our stabilization specialists continue meeting with them to provide support and guidance to help them maintain self-sufficiency.
Scattered Site Shelter
We have more than 100 scattered site shelter units that are for families experiencing homelessness. Eligible families are assigned to Father Bill’s & MainSpring staff who help place them in a setting that affords the family more independence as they work towards obtaining permanent housing.
WorkReady Family
Our team of employment specialists host various workshops at the family shelters that train participants for the professional workforce with classes covering topics such as soft skills, stress management, and customer service. Our specialists also help our guests find jobs through networking and career fairs, and by connecting them with training for certifications such as a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), etc. Click here to learn more about FBMS’ job-training programs.
Food and Nutrition
Families in need have access to a hot lunch every day at Father Bill’s Place in Quincy and MainSpring House in Brockton. Father Bill’s Place hosts a community lunch seven days per week, between the hours of 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. At MainSpring House, The Table is open six days a week, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (closed Tuesdays). True to the motto “dining with dignity,” The Table serves nutritious meals prepared and served by a dedicated team of employees and volunteers.
Housing Search
Father Bill’s & MainSpring has a Housing Search team that works with a network of local landlords to help find permanent housing for families upon exiting shelter. Often times, this works in conjunction with HomeBASE funds, which is a state-funded program that covers up-front housing costs such as first and last month’s rent, and security deposit.
We have sheltering and transitional housing programs reserved exclusively to military veterans, including two rooms at our congregate shelter for families.
Working On Recovery Through Housing (WORTH)
Working On Recovery Through Housing (WORTH) is a program funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that dedicates specific emergency housing beds to veterans with substance abuse problems. It is open to veterans who commit to sobriety and agree to periodic drug testing. We currently have WORTH-funded beds at our two shelters for individuals, including a more private wing at Father Bill’s Place in Quincy.
The Grant and Per Diem program
The Grant and Per Diem (GPD) program provides transitional housing for veterans experiencing homelessness. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides per diem payments to support units in the house dedicated to veterans. FBMS operates 15 GPD units at Jeff’s Place in Brockton. Participants can live in the units for up to 2 years.