When FC opened the Blackstone Valley Connector (BVC), a jail diversion program, in 2017, we knew we were meeting a number of community needs ranging from substance use to mental health issues. Little did we know that homelessness would rank as the number one need that we would see in the individuals we were supporting. To address this problem, the BVC, along with the Northbridge Coalition presented a forum on Homelessness in the Blackstone Valley on January 25, 2018.

The forum included voices such as FC’s Jack Green, Uxbridge Chief of Police, Jeffrey Lourie, Northbridge Superintendent of schools, Catherine Stickney, Head of Blackstone Valley Emergency Shelter, Leslie Reichert, the head of the Blackstone Valley Emergency Shelter, CEO of Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce Jeannie Hebert, and Valley Chapel Pastor, Josh Howard. Along with local elected officials, the presentation focused on sharing existing resources, and how the community can work together to more effectively help people find permanent housing.The excitement and energy created by this event has led to two subsequent meetings to continue the conversation and build on the momentum.