What is the problem?

On a single night in 2024, over 345 people were counted as experiencing homelessness in the City of New Bedford because they were either living unsheltered on the streets or in an emergency or transitional shelter. When folding in the number of people who were on the streets or in shelter within the Bristol County Continuum of Care (all of Bristol County except the City of Fall River) that total rises to over 1,045 people on that same night. That’s  1,045too many.

Through the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), areas focused on ending homelessness, our local “Continuums of Care” participate annually in a  Point In Time Count or “PIT” that serves as a kind of census counting both sheltered and unsheltered adults and children experiencing homelessness in the Bristol County CoC (BCCC). When the PIT was taken in 2024, it revealed that of the 1,045 people counted, there were 161 people without any kind of shelter whatsoever, sleeping outside, in cars, in abandoned buildings and in places not meant for human habitation in the BCCC; in New Bedford alone, 110 people were on the streets on the night of the PIT. Unfortunately there are not enough emergency shelter beds available to serve everyone within the BCCC on the coldest nights forcing many homeless individuals and families to struggle for survival on the streets.

Homelessness is a complex issue that impacts those who are often characterized as an invisible part of our community. Anyone—anyone—can find themselves experiencing homelessness at any time.

Homelessness includes folks who have experienced devastating medical expenses, lost their income through no fault of their own, are struggling with behavioral health and/or addiction issues, living with mental illness and those who are fleeing  domestic violence or sexual exploitation. Men, women, children, black, or white…homelessness does not discriminate and there is no easy fix. Those experiencing homelessness need more than just a warm bed; they need compassionate access to health care, food, clothing, education, employment opportunities and safe permanent housing.

What is Rise Up For Homes?

Rise Up for Homes is a collaborative campaign originally established by the members of the City of New Bedford’s CoC, the Homeless Service Providers Network (HSPN) and subsequently made a part of the BCCC network when the balance of Bristol County merged into the New Bedford CoC. It is designed to build community awareness as well as raise funds to meet the complex needs of individuals and families either on the verge of, or who are, experiencing homelessness in our community.  We are working to change the narrative about homelessness, to present facts and conversation to create innovative solutions to the problem and to ensure everyone has a voice in this process. Rise Up’s service area remains as the lower portion of the BCC, also referred to as the Greater New Bedford area. 

The Inter-Church Council of Greater New Bedford, a non-profit 501(c)3 and member of the BCCC, serves as the fiscal conduit for of all money raised by the campaign.  The BCCC’s Executive Committee governs all distributions and provides careful oversight of the funds.

Who is involved?

The BCCC is a “continuum of care” or “CoC” network collaborative of more than 50 organizations founded in the 1990s.  The original New Bedford CoC, alone, secured millions of dollars in federal grants leveraged with private funding over the years.

Today, the BCCC is made up of non-profit agencies, community organizations, private sector businesses, faith-based leadership and individual community members all committed to collaboration in ensuring a pathway to prevent and end homelessness.

How does your donation help?

The Bristol County CoC receives funding (largely arising out of competition) from  federal resources through the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) to prevent and end homelessness including funding from Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG), the HOME Program, Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), the HOME-ARP Program and the Continuum of Care (CoC) Competition. These funds are awarded to a range of agencies to ensure that the maximum amount of affordable housing opportunities, shelter beds and needed resources are made available.

By supporting Rise Up for Homes, you acknowledge that the present funding system, despite its efforts, efficiencies and excellence i does not meet the entire need our community faces in ensuring emergency shelter and long-term affordable housing.  Your donation will help us meet the most pressing needs of our unsheltered and most vulnerable neighbors in Greater New Bedford. With a commitment to fostering positive change and creating a tangible impact, these funds will be invested in a set of initiatives that provide essential resources and support systems.

 We now encourage you to personally get involved and be part of the change you want to see in our community.

Questions?

If you’re interested in more information or are looking for greater details, we encourage you to check out the BCCC website at https://www.bristolcountycoc.com. There’s a great deal of information there and you can even access a great deal of information about the 2024 PIT Count in specifically in New Bedford on that website at: https://www.bristolcountycoc.com/homeless-data-2024/ along with a report of all the projects and PIT count throughout the entire BCCC here at:  https://www.bristolcountycoc.com/nbhspn/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/BCCC-HIC-2024.pdf.