Fall River officials outline shelter capacity, outreach and funding as winter demand rises

Fall River City officials and local service providers told the City Council's Human Services, Housing, Youth, Elder and Veterans Affairs committee on an update on homelessness that the city has expanded winter shelter capacity, is pursuing multiple grants and is conducting outreach to encampments while the point-in-time count and some funding tallies remain unfinished.

The update matters because councilors pressed for clarity about how many year-round and overflow beds are available, where funding for those beds comes from and how people in encampments are being connected to services as winter conditions continue.

City of Fall River staff and nonprofit partners said the city's shelter system currently operates about 30 year-round beds that expand to roughly 50 in winter months, with additional motel rooms and faith-based overflow during storms. "We take 1 at a time. 1 homeless person at a time," Mike Dion, Director of Community Development, said when describing shelter and program operations. Officials said they are also pursuing several grants and local partnerships to sustain and expand capacity.

Nikki Fontaine, Director of Outreach Services for the City of Fall River, described how the city is using a mix of winter or overflow options: 30 year-round beds at the First Step Inn (operational baseline), 20 additional winter beds, 20 motel rooms obtained through a state shelter-capacity expansion grant, and overflow spaces used at First Baptist Church and Christ the Rock Church during severe weather. Fontaine said the Tomayo/Tamayo center is being used as a winter overflow facility with about 30 beds and that the city coordinates intake and screening for that site.

Service providers described daily outreach and wraparound supports. Stephanie Perry of the Community Wellness Program said the FAST (Fall River Addiction Support and Treatment) response team includes clinicians, recovery coaches, a data/outreach coordinator and a police liaison; the team fields a 24-hour hotline and connects people to detox, sober living and other services. "We do anything where we feel we can prevent homelessness, assist them to get out of homelessness or get them into any kind of treatment," Perry said.

Partners reported recent outcomes and activity: the FAST-enhancement program moved roughly 80 people directly from encampments into services with about 17 graduates from a treatment/sober-living pathway and about 11 people currently in treatment, according to program staff. Providers said they have placed more than 34 people in motel rooms funded through the state's shelter-capacity grant and have used faith-based sites to shelter dozens more during storms; one winter shelter night saw 49 people seeking space.

Funding and grants were discussed but not fully reconciled in the committee meeting. Officials said roughly $4,000,000 in combined homeless and behavioral-health grants are in use, citing sources including the Continuum of Care competitive grant, the Emergency Solutions Grant, a multi-year SAMHSA award and a Protect and Connect grant of $550,000 over three years. Staff said some grant tallies are still being finalized; the committee was told that a separate award (figures and term described in the meeting) is providing multi-year funding but details remain under review.

Councilors pressed staff on operational limits and next steps. Councilor Dionne asked whether the city's goal is to keep 50 beds year-round; staff answered that the city intends to sustain 50 beds as funding allows but historically scales back when funding and demand change outside winter months. Dionne also asked how long individual residents can remain in shelter; staff said people can remain as long as needed until housing placements are found, but acknowledged some residents remain months or years because of documentation, criminal records, or insufficient affordable units.

Veteran-focused outreach was described: staff reported referrals to regional veteran service partners and that several veterans have been housed in recent months, though not all veterans accept referral services. Providers described the particular vulnerability of older adults on fixed incomes and the growing number of older residents at risk of homelessness.

Councilors and providers raised potential policy options discussed in the meeting: acquiring or converting rooming houses and boarding houses for low-cost units, incentivizing small landlords to provide housing through subsidies or tax incentives, and forming a working group to analyze bed needs and housing gaps. Mike Dion said the city is pursuing purchase of a boarding-house property to add low-cost units and that permanent supportive housing stock in the city exists but is insufficient to meet current demand.

No new local ordinance or funding appropriation was adopted at this meeting. The committee recorded procedural votes (approving minutes, lifting a previously tabled resolution for discussion) but took no final legislative action to change shelter funding or policy; staff were asked to continue compiling point-in-time data and return with further details.

The committee closed with an acknowledgement by officials and providers of continued urgent need and an agreement to keep working across departments and agencies to expand shelter options and housing pathways while finalizing grant and point-in-time counts.