Tedford Housing

The first purpose of Tedford Housing emergency Housing services is to offer shelter, on an emergency first-come/first served basis, 365 days a year for homeless adults and families in the midcoast region. In brunswick, Tedford maintains a 16 bed single adult shelter at 49 cumberland street, and a separate family shelter at 34 federal street, which can house up to 6 families with children at a time. Tedford housings emergency shelters provide a safe place for people to rebuild their hope. Shelter guests facing the crisis of homelessness work one-on-one with case managers to find and secure Housing. Case managers follow shelter guests long after they move into Housing to ensure that they are able to maintain their Housing and avoid a return to homelessness.the adult shelter has overnight staffing and is open 24 hours a day. The Tedford adult and family shelters are the only shelters serving the southern midcoast area. During fiscal year 2023, Tedford provided 11,091 bednights to 83 households. Of these 83 households, 69 were individuals staying at the adult shelter, with 14 households, comprised on 44 members, staying at the family shelter. Of the 44 members served at the family shelter, 24 were under the age of 18.

In 2003, Tedford Housing made a strategic decision to change its focus from only emergency Housing shelter to providing homeless prevention services and supportive Housing services in the midcoast region. Supportive Housing is permanent Housing for previously homeless people coupled with case management services. Supportive Housing provides a vital platform for people to move forward in other areas of their lives like employment, education and improved health. Using a Housing first approach, Tedford housings 37 supportive units provide safe, clean and affordable apartments with on-site case management for previously homeless individuals and families. Many are occupied by adults and families who have experienced disabling conditions like mental illness and/or substance abuse and/or catastrophic events like domestic violence that have resulted in homelessness. Many have had multiple shelter stays.tedford Housing has six supportive Housing apartment buildings; one in brunswick, two in bath, one in lewiston, one in auburn and one in augusta, with 19 units for single adults and 18 for families. Many individuals and families thrive in this supportive setting, resulting in more independence, greater self-sufficiency and a lower likelihood of these tenants returning to homelessness. In fiscal year 2023, Tedford served 39 households, comprised on 77 household members, in its supportive Housing units.

Tedford Housing's homeless prevention program is an essential strategy for reducing homelessness by preventing it from occurring. A costly car repair, divorce or medical bill can push a relatively stable household to the brink of homelessness. Tedford housings homeless prevention case manager works to provide case management to families experiencing a Housing crisis. Tedford partners with community agencies and utilizes funding from the united way of midcoast Maine to provide security deposits and rental assistance to prevent evictions and/or secure alternative Housing to individuals and families either in danger of eviction or homelessness or to those who are currently homeless. In fiscal year 2023, the program served 215 households, comprised of 320 individuals, with case management and outreach services, as well as rental and security deposit assistance, when applicable, with available funding. Our homeless prevention program also oversees the warm thy neighbor program, which Tedford Housing assumed in 2010. Warm thy neighbor is an emergency heating assistance program for those in brunswick and adjacent towns who are at or under 150% of the poverty level and without sufficient home heat. Eligible clients receive 100 gallons of heating oil or the equivalent of other fuel. The program is funded entirely by private donations. In fiscal year 2023, warm thy neighbor served 150 households, comprised of 269 members, and distributed $76,681 in heating assistance during the 2022-2023 heating season.