Father Bill's expects to break ground on Quincy projects this fall

QUINCY — Public and private entities alike have signed on to help support Father Bill's and MainSpring's efforts to build a new housing complex for homeless shelter guests in Quincy, but some uncertainty remains about when exactly the current shelter will be demolished.

John Yazwinski, president and CEO of Father Bill's, said a plan to build a housing resource center in the city is starting to pick up steam. The center is planned for Broad Street to replace its current emergency shelter in Quincy.

"Our supporters are really excited about it," Yazwinski said. "The response so far has been tremendous and people are really excited that we aren't just doing the large shelter model."

The current Father Bill's shelter is one of several buildings being torn down to make way for a new police station, a $100 million project that got the go-ahead earlier this year.

City councilors in December 2019 approved the purchase of five pieces of land for the police station project, including the current shelter. It also bought 39 Broad St., where a single-story industrial building sits. That building will be torn down to make room for the new Father Bill's project, which has already been approved by the planning and zoning boards.

The plan is for the city to demolish part of the existing building at 39 Broad St. so construction can start on the new resource center, and shelter guests will occupy the remaining part of the building in the meantime.

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Plans for Father Bill's new facility outline two different buildings: one for 25 to 30 efficiency apartments and one for a multi-use shelter and resource center. The two buildings will be across the street from the current emergency shelter at 38 Broad St.

"We're going to create a day center for homeless prevention, rehoming people and working to create that stability," he said. "We are being bold, looking at best practices for the last 30 years and really tackling that in a new way."

Yazwinski said the projects should be underway this fall — construction will start on the resource center first and the apartments will follow. He said he is not yet sure when the city will tear down the current shelter.

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The apartment complex will provide permanent housing for those in need, and the second building, called the Housing Resource Center, will be equipped with a medical clinic, two dormitories, a laundry area, a commercial kitchen, showers and private meeting space.

The homeless shelter currently operated by the organization, which is roughly 7,000 square feet, sleeps about 135 people on an average night, Yazwinski said. The new emergency shelter building will be equipped to hold only about 75 shelter beds, but Yazwinski said the larger space will leave room for adding extra if necessary.

Since plans were announced, the new center as been hailed as a solution for homelessness in the area. Yazwinski said he estimates the new buildings and site work will cost $20 million, and $7.5 million will need to be raised from the public. The rest of the money will come from state and public resources.

The Quincy Affordable Housing Trust has committed $1 million to the project. The Arbella Insurance Foundation also recently granted $600,000 to Father Bill's — half for the new Quincy facility and half for the organization's efforts to convert a hotel in Brockton into 69 permanent housing units.

“Father Bill’s & MainSpring has been a beacon of hope on the South Shore,” John Donohue, chairman and president of the Arbella Insurance Foundation, said in a statement. “These two initiatives will have a direct, positive and meaningful impact on the local community. We’re grateful for the opportunity to support FBMS in its mission to make the world more equitable by ending homelessness.”

The Quincy Affordable Housing Trust has committed $1 million to the project and, in March, Gov. Charlie Baker was in Quincy to announce $4 million toward the housing resource center.

Recently, the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services and the Department of Public Health announced Father Bill's and MainSpring will receive up to $176,076 per year toward its regional services in Brockton, Quincy and Plymouth. Father Bill's was one of 36 grant recipients in the state to earn money to be put toward for work providing housing stability and support that reduces the risk of relapse, increases independent living skills and supports addiction recovery.

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Reach Mary Whitfill at mwhitfill@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Father Bill's expects to break ground on Quincy projects this fall

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