Helping the Unhoused with Radical Compassion

This article appeared previously in the Amherst Current and is reposted here with permission of the author.  It may not be reproduced elsewhere without the author’s permission.

Why are there no tents on Amherst’s sidewalks? Many places have this distressing reminder that some people go to sleep without roofs over their heads. After all, Amherst has its share of people who face daily challenges with substance abuse, mental health, and domestic violence – or who don’t earn enough to afford an apartment.

But we rarely see them sleeping on sidewalks, because Craig’s Doors provides shelter for the unhoused. It sees itself not as a charity but as a human service organization with “radical compassion that meets folks where they’re at,” says director Tim McCarthy.

“We try to build a holistic model that’s not just harm reduction but a deeply supportive environment that requires the building of trust and suspension of judgment, and trauma-informed care that recognizes the unique battles people face,” he says.

Craig’s Doors started 16 years ago as a warming center in winter. It was named after Craig Lorraine (1967-2011), a Navy veteran and street musician who said, “Sometimes I just wish I had a door I could close.”

Three years ago, Craig’s Doors was in financial distress and almost folded. Since then, it has dramatically expanded its services, staffing, and budget, while serving a growing number of people. Its annual budget has grown from $800,000 four years ago to $3.2 million now, with funding sources including the state, the Town of Amherst, churches and the public. It operates with a full-time staff of 10, plus about 50 part-timers and 25 volunteers, and provided shelter for as many as 100 people on some cold nights this past winter.

Its two shelters are at Immanuel Lutheran Church on North Pleasant Street and the former Econo Lodge on Route 9 in Hadley. The church site operates 24/7, 365 days a year, and provides free breakfasts and dinners (the Survival Center offers free lunches four days a week, and Not Bread Alone serves lunch on weekends). It has space for 28 beds with separate sections for men and women.

The Hadley shelter has 19 private double rooms. When all beds are taken, Craig’s Doors has paid for emergency housing at local hotels. 

Craig’s Doors also provides a Wednesday breakfast in downtown Amherst in cooperation with the Unitarian Universalist Society. And, it has a resource center in a trailer in the parking lot of First Baptist Church Amherst, providing showers, Wi-Fi and charging, mail pickup, and help with applications.

People come to Amherst from all over to take advantage of the shelters and programs Craig’s Doors offers. “Word gets out, and people go where the resources are,” says McCarthy. It has evolved into a regional center for providing free shelter, much as the Survival Center is a regional center for providing free food.

The shelter is “behavior-based,” and anyone who shows respect for others is welcome. Craig’s Doors does not turn away substance users, as some homeless shelters do. 

Rachel Weiss, the director of case management, says the staff tries to get to know guests and learn their priorities, needs and existing social supports. For those with mental health challenges, it tries to help bridge the gaps in finding therapists or medical assistance.

It seeks to “cultivate a culture of mutual respect and perpetual positive regard.”

Craig’s Doors provides job coaching and financial literacy advice, and has arranged with PVTA to provide free transportation to job interviews and work sites. It provides referrals to support veterans, youths, the LGBT+ community, and victims of domestic violence.

The staff receives training in de-escalation of tensions and adopting a progressive discipline approach that seeks to identify the causes of problem behavior and how to avoid it.

For many years, there has been an encampment in the woods behind the Big Y supermarket. Craig’s Doors has arranged for most of the 15 to 20 people who have camped out there and in other parts of Amherst and Hadley to get into more secure housing, McCarthy says.

It hopes to operate the town-owned shelter, with an estimated 40 beds and 30 single-occupancy units, that is due to be constructed at the former VFW site on Main Street. Craig’s Doors has also started working with developers on permanent supportive housing.

Amherst has made some strides in getting low-income residents into housing, such as the 28-unit East Gables at 132 Northampton Road and the planned 30-unit affordable complex off Montague Road. These are steps in the right direction, but rent levels keep going up faster than wages.

Between 30 and 40 percent of those using the two Craig’s Doors shelters have jobs, Weiss says. But often they don’t earn enough money to afford a place when the average rent is about $1,200 per bedroom per month. 

Across the country, the average hourly wage required to afford a modest two-bedroom rental is $32.11, while nearly 52 million American workers earn less than $15 an hour, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

What can be done about that? “A cultural shift is where we’ll see change,” McCarthy says.

If you would like to support Craig’s Doors by making a donation or volunteering, click here to learn more.

Nick Grabbe is a co-founder of The Amherst Current. He has been a resident of Amherst for nearly 40 years and served as writer and editor for the Amherst Bulletin and the Daily Hampshire Gazette 1980-2013.