Inside Father Bill's dilapidated shelter in Brockton

This article is part two of a three-part series by The Enterprise on homelessness in Brockton. Read part one here.

BROCKTON – The grayscale, three-story building that houses Father Bill’s & MainSpring homeless shelter was built in the early 1900s, but a lot has changed since its days as a commercial center.

The bowling alley in the building’s basement was removed long ago, and now the space acts as the women’s dormitory. On the top floor, the large open room used to be a concert hall complete with a small stage and plenty of dancing room. Now, the old, wood-lined hall houses 40 metal bunk beds with white sheets on white mattresses where the men sleep.

Inside the shelter’s lobby, the old creaky wooden floors, doors and walls show the building’s age. It almost seems charming.

Since the shelter acquired the building, it’s provided emergency shelter for roughly 130 people each night. Thousands have stayed there over the years.

But beyond providing emergency shelter for Brocktonians experiencing homelessness, there are many resources available at Father Bill's for people who are in need. As the shelter’s President John Yazwinski said, it operates as a “safety net.”

Staff from Brockton Neighborhood Health Center (BNHC) provide health care for those staying in the shelter. One section of the building is reserved as a medical room, where people who are recovering from illness or injury can stay. Case managers help those who are in the midst of legal battles, from divorce cases and debt payments to drug charges. The work express center helps unemployed people find jobs.

“Father Bill’s is a safety net for people, and from there we connect them with more of the community resources,” Yazwinski said.

'If you give somebody a room'

Since Yazwinski joined Father Bill's & MainSpring in 2007, almost 700 units of affordable housing have been acquired by the shelter.

Most recently, a 32-unit apartment building called Jeff's Place was built next door to the shelter in 2010. The residents are all people who have used the shelter's services – half are retired veterans, the other half are people who were chronically homeless.

"We've been able to see through research that it's more cost-effective, it's cheaper for the taxpayer, to not manage the homelessness for that person because they're going in and out of all these expensive systems of care. If you give somebody a room, their own apartment, you start to see all of those activities decreased greatly," said Yazwinski.

"We're not just advocating for the housing, but we're developing it."

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He said that 93% of people they provided with housing stayed housed for at least three years.

During the pandemic, as the virus rampaged through the shelter, forcing Father Bill's to limit capacity, it acquired the former Roadway Inn on Belmont Street to use as additional emergency shelter space.

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Plans for various luxury and market-rate apartment complexes are emerging across Brockton, particularly in the downtown neighborhoods. Yazwinski said that these expensive housing units are out of reach for Brocktontonians who are elderly and retired, or who have low-paying jobs. According to him, people between ages 18 and 24 are the fastest growing age group experiencing homelessness, followed by the elderly.

"We're just not, as a commonwealth, producing enough affordable housing," he said.

"We can't keep building just luxury housing."

'It's like a prison down there'

Several people experiencing homelessness decried the decrepit conditions inside Father Bill's & Mainspring shelter. They found rats, mice and mold in the women's dorms, broken tiles, torn-down shower curtains and flooded bathrooms, they said. Patrick O'Keefe, 49, who stopped using the shelter's services after recently securing his own place, said that he had to roll up the ends of his pants to walk through the bathroom.

"It's like a prison down there," he said. "It's like boot camp."

According to some of the shelter's guests, the broken elevator in the building adds challenges for handicapped guests. Holes burrowed by rodents trying to sneak inside can be found along the building's perimeter. The poor air circulation in the basement leads to mold in the women's bathroom. There aren't enough blankets or towels to accommodate every guest.

“Our MainSpring House emergency shelter operates out of a 128-year-old building which was never intended to be a home to over 130 people per night. While our organization has made major investments toward renovations and accessibility upgrades over the past four decades, the building at 54 North Main St. most certainly still has its challenges," said Yazwinski in a statement to The Enterprise.

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On top of its dilapidated condition, multiple guests said some staff are rude to those seeking shelter, sometimes verbally abusing them and unnecessarily take away much-needed privileges. Plus, a culture of stealing from one another looms over the building

"As soon as you walk in, you get this vibe ... It's very tense," said Richelle Green, 35, who came to the shelter with her mother in February.

At times, up to 14 days will pass before a person meets with their assigned case manager, and registration is usually slow and backed-up, said the guests.

“We serve a vulnerable population, many of whom are experiencing the most difficult period of their lives and have nowhere else to go. Our staff, who work incredibly hard and whose efforts on the frontlines during the pandemic have been heroic, are expected to treat every guest with the respect, dignity, and compassion that they deserve," said Yazkwinski in a statement.

'Best practices:' New day center on Manley Street

Currently, Father Bill's closes during the day. People who stayed the previous night have to leave between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. They can't come back until 6 p.m., leaving many people experiencing homelessness to roam the streets during the day. While most spend time at the Elm Street Day Center, some spent time in Perkins Park.

Plans for a new facility are already under way. Located at 124 Manley St. next to the Brockton VA Medical Center, the new shelter will be open during the day, and be a "one-stop shop" for emergency resources that's open 24 hours a day, according to Yazwinski.

"These ongoing challenges underscore the need to re-envision the shelter response in a more suitable facility, which is why we’re excited about our planned Housing Resource Center at 124 Manley St., a state-of-the-art development that will offer daytime supports including homelessness prevention, diversion and rapid re-housing, in addition to providing overnight shelter," Yazwinski said in a statement.

The focus of the new facility will shift from emergency services to preventive services for people at-risk of becoming homeless. Also on the property will be a 32-unit apartment complex that will provide permanent housing for its residents. Ultimately, the updated facility uses "best practices" for caring for vulnerable populations.

A similar Father Bill's & MainSpring facility is already under construction in Quincy, while the incoming site in Brockton still needs more funding.

The site was approved by the Brockton Planning Board at an Oct. 12 meeting, but Yazwinski said the project could cost $18 million, with around $12 million coming from public funding. The shelter received $4.4 million in funding from the state in July for the facility.

"We need to take care of our most vulnerable neighbors," said Yazwinski.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Brockton homeless shelter: Inside Father Bill's & MainSpring