2019 MassHousing Annual Report - Flipbook - Page 23
“
I think this is the best program in Worcester. When I leave here, I plan to go into the
counseling“ field both for myself, to keep myself on the right track as well as to help
others. What I learned here is ‘help someone else.’ They give you the road map here,
and you just have to do the work. I could never give back what this place has given me.”
–Theodore “Teddy” Myers, Dismas House resident
Dismas House in Oakham:
A working farm provides a
fresh start
The long and winding drive up to the Dismas
Family Farm in Oakham could be a metaphor
Housing Stability
for the journey taken by the dozen men who live
and work there. They are at the hilltop farm after
spending time in correctional facilities, before
moving on to transitional housing, and are
starting down the road to recovery. They head
out to assigned daily farm chores by 9 a.m. They
attend meetings that support their efforts to stay
clean and sober. And they support each other.
The mission of Dismas House is to “reconcile
former prisoners to society, and society to former
prisoners, through the development of a supportive
community.” MassHousing provided $75,000 to
Dismas House for improvements to the kitchen
at the 150-year old farmhouse. Funds came from
MassHousing’s Center for Community Recovery
Innovations, or CCRI, which provides support for sober
$696,995
856
Grants made through the Center
for Community Recovery
Innovations to support 118
affordable housing units for men,
women and veterans in recovery
Individuals assisted through the
Tenancy Preservation Program,
which works to prevent
homelessness among people
with disabilities
883
95
Individuals who received
services through our Hoarding
Initiative, which works with
local organizations to address
excessive accumulation and
hoarding disorder, particularly
in rental housing
Tenant/management company
disputes referred for mediation
services
housing communities across the Commonwealth.
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