BAHS Annual Report

20 23

Mission

The Bangor Area Homeless Shelter is a dry shelter whose mission is to support and strengthen the community by providing emergency shelter and supportive services to people who are homeless or at risk and to advocate for collaborative, locally driven solutions to end homelessness.

Vision

To have achieved our goal where all guests at the Shelter are transitioned into suitable, stable, housing in 30 days or less.

Letter from our ED

Dear Friends and Supporters,

It’s hard to believe that 2023 marked 37 years that Bangor Area Homeless Shelter has been providing much needed services to our most vulnerable citizens. What was once a 12-bed shelter for families and single mothers is now a 38-bed emergency shelter for adults. Throughout the years we have added additional supportive services that help our guests obtain and maintain their permanent housing. Other supportive services were designed to help those who are still without shelter or are in danger of becoming homeless. Our services include a Day Program, Winter Warming Center, soup kitchen, Diversion Program, housing navigation, twice-weekly food pantry, six efficiency apartments for chronically homeless individuals, and more.

In 2023, BAHS purchased a property located on Hammond Street and partnered with Fresh Start, Inc. to open another sober living home. Once purchased, the home was renovated and leased to Fresh Start, Inc. to manage. This partnership made it possible for eleven previously homeless men to obtain safe, permanent housing in an atmosphere that supports their sobriety.

Last year we were able to open our programs to capacity as they were preCOVID. With the rising need in our community being at an all-time high, our beds have been full much of the time. Community members who utilized our Day Program pre-COVID began returning to enjoy a noon time meal and meet with service providers as they had in the past. This led to some becoming housed! An additional ninety two individuals who utilized our Emergency Shelter Program in

2023 were also housed. These individuals are now living in a safe, permanent home thanks to the outpouring of support we receive from our community.

It is because of our donors, volunteers, and dedicated staff that all this was possible. To say I am grateful is an understatement. Countless individuals have received life changing services because of YOU.

Looking ahead, I believe 2024 will be another busy year for BAHS due to the many community members who are still in need of permanent housing and supportive services and BAHS will continue to do our best in carrying out our mission to meet those needs.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Board Members & Staff

BAHS Staff 2023

Boyd A. Kronholm, LSW

Executive Director

Archie Curry

Program Manager

Alicia Mayhew

Office Manager

Wendy Leighton

Housing Manager

Maria Horodeski

Intake & Diversion Coordinator

Gretchen Fennelly

Volunteer Coordinator

Amy Smith

Bookkeeper

Ben Hatch

Shelter Aide/HMIS Coordinator

Jim Batchelder

Shelter Aide/Kitchen Coordinator

Skye White

Shelter Aide/Cedarview

Property Manager

Jim (Sarge) Fleming

Shelter Aide

Mary Foster

Shelter Aide

Linda Murch

Shelter Aide

Todd Townsend

Shelter Aide

Laurie Gauthier

Shelter Aide

Devin Leighton

Shelter Aide

Meldon Field

Shelter Aide

Tim Nichols

Shelter Aide

Savannah Peterson

Shelter Aide

Brianna Jernigan

Shelter Aide

Reagan Partridge

Shelter Aide

Madison Eaton

Shelter Aide

Krystal Ross

Shelter Aide

Board Members 2023

Lisa Shaw President

Pat Kimball

Vice President

Lyndsey Violette Treasurer

Jenny Gage

Executive Secretary

Dr. Jim Clarke Member

Larry Geaghan Member

Jason Bird Member

Maulian Bryant Member

Mishael Romanelli Member

Dan Saunders Member

Carolyn Dorfman

Member

JR Mitchell Member

William Nealley Member

Financials

For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, the Shelter received 68% of its revenue from the support of community members, area businesses, and municipalities. The Shelter would not be successful without the dedication of its staff and volunteers. The community support is ever apparent in the values presented in the annual financials. The Shelter was able to return 88% of overall support back into the life-changing programs such as the Warming Center and transitioning guests to stable housing. Despite recovering from post-pandemic years, the Shelter continued to successfully run these programs and serve those at risk of homelessness and/or food insecurity within the community.

Revenue

Year in Review

Guests Served: 311 Emergency Shelter

Guests Served: 311

Bed Nights: 11,590

Average Length of Stay: 22 nights

Diversion of Homelessness

Achieved Permanent Housing: 92 Diverted from Homelessness: 55

Winter Warming Center

Individuals Served: 21 per night

Twice Weekly Food Pantry

Individuals Served: 2,441

Households Served: 664

Meals Served: 26,858

Hike for the Homeless

Community News Hike for the Homeless

Each year, Bangor Area Homeless Shelter hosts the Annual Hike for the Homeless fundraising event on the Bangor Waterfront. The purpose of the Hike is to raise awareness of homelessness in our community and funds for our Emergency Shelter Program. On April 1st, 2023, BAHS hosted the 28th Hike. Twenty-seven area businesses, churches, and organizations sponsored this event. Together, our sponsors contributed $20,500.00 to the cause, not including the funds that were raised through paid registrations, raffle ticket sales, and pledges.

Despite the unfavorable cold, rainy, and windy weather, twenty-nine teams, forty-six families, and numerous individuals took part in the event. DJ Cori Skall and BAHS Board Member, JR Mitchell kept spirits high with upbeat music and encouraging words throughout the duration of the event. This day not only

raised much needed funding, but with terrible weather plaguing the event, participants departed with a better understanding of what it is like to walk a mile in the shoes of a person experiencing homelessness.

Dean’s Story

BAHS is excited to announce that Dean (pictured) has obtained safe, permanent housing. Dean has also requested that we share his story because he wants to give hope to others who may be experiencing homelessness. Here is Dean’s story.

BAHS Executive Director—Boyd Kronholm received a call from a doctor at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center about a man with physical limitations who had lost his home and was living in his car. The man in question was Dean. Dean had never experienced homelessness and he never for a moment thought that he would find himself in this situation. But, due to the price and scarcity of apartments, this was his new reality. This situation caused Dean an immense amount of fear, anxiety, and absolute hopelessness so much so, that he became too fearful to stay in the Shelter and his physical condition grew increasingly worse. Dean made attempts to remedy his circumstances on his own, but they fell through. This only deepened his hopelessness and brought him to the point of praying for his life to end. His despair began to slowly shift to hope when Boyd connected him with BAHS Intake & Diversion Coordinator—Maria Horodeski. After sitting down with Dean, Maria discovered that he did not have any options available to him in terms of diversion, so she enlisted the help of BAHS Housing Manager—Wendy Leighton. Wendy immediately began working with Dean to get a housing voucher and case management through

Community Health and Counseling Services. CHCS took it a step further and was able to access some emergency funds to put him up in a hotel until his voucher was ready. Meanwhile, Wendy was hard at work trying to match him with a handicap accessible apartment to accomodate his physical limitations. As Deans situation began to turn in the right direction, luck would have it that Wendy was able to secure a handicap accessible apartment through Community Housing of Maine and was able to advocate for the process to be expedited as funding for his hotel room would soon run out. On the last day of his hotel stay, all approvals went through, and the apartment was officially his! Upon entering his new home, Dean was so overcome with joy and relief that he temporarily lost his ability to stay on his feet, having to be held up by Maria and Wendy as he cried tears of gratitude. Since being housed, Dean quickly began regaining some of his physical abilities and his mental health has improved significantly. Wendy will continue working with him on any housing needs he has until a permanent case manager is appointed. It is with profound gratitude that we say thank you to everyone involved including the Doctor at Northern Light, CHCS, CHOM, Wendy and Maria. Without excellent collaboration and advocacy, this post may not have been possible. Dean calls the Shelter regularly to express his gratitude and give updates on his incredible progress. Please join BAHS as we congratulate Dean and welcome him home!

Thank You

Bake Sale

BAHS would like to take a moment to thank Lizzy, Elizabeth, Cat, John and Robin for holding a bake sale at a local campground to raise money for our Shelter. A total of $400.00 was raised and donated to BAHS! Thank you all so much for your hard work and generosity!

Morse Family

BAHS is excited to introduce you to the Morse family. Every other Thursday Dr. & Mrs. Morse work along side their children to prepare and cook meals for us to serve to our guests. This family has been preparing meals for the Shelter for quite sometime, and they really came through for us during the height of the pandemic, something we are so very grateful for. We do want to mention that these are not just any meals, these are very well thought out meals that leave lasting impressions on those who have the privilege to enjoy them. And don’t get us started on their homemade rhubarb cake! Thank you Morse family for all of the time you spend, the love and care you put into the meals you prepare, and for helping BAHS address homelessness and food insecurity in our community. We appreciate you!

Fresh Start

BAHS has some exciting news to share with all of you. Earlier this year we partnered with Fresh Start Sober Living to bring an additional recovery house to the community. Though this was not a simple endeavor, the process and end goal were a success due to collaborative efforts with Scott Pardy of Fresh Start, Inc. Not only did Scott contribute his reputable expertise to the project, but he agreed to have Fresh Start, Inc. lease the property from BAHS and manage the program. Additional assistance from Holly Taylor, Realtor Better Homes & Gardens, Cindy Mehnert from Rudman Winchell Counselors at Law; funding from City of Bangor, Maine - City Hall, Penobscot County Commissioners, Sam’s

Club, Heart of Maine United Way, Maine State Housing Authority, and many other donors to numerous to name, BAHS was able to purchase a property on Hammond Street. Chris Pepin began renovating the property soon after the purchase and has been working hard to ensure tenants have safe, functional living spaces. Because of the immeasurable support and collaborative efforts put forth on this project, 10 to 12 men who were previously experiencing homelessness or at risk of experiencing homelessness will now have a safe, stable environment to call home and maintain their sobriety. Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible.

2023 Hike for the Homeless Sponsors

Phone: (207) 947-0092

Fax: (207)945-9032

info@bangorareashelter.org