Youville House’s new location will offer more to families in need

By Christina Galeone
CFP Correspondent
WORCESTER – It will be a change for the better when families move into the new Youville House in the coming weeks.
Since 1983, Youville House has provided temporary shelter for hundreds of local families in need while helping them to find, and teaching them how to maintain, safe and affordable housing.
Not too long after Timothy J. McMahon began serving in the Worcester Diocese as executive director of Catholic Charities of Worcester County, he noticed that there hadn’t been much capital put into the shelter. Youville House is a Catholic Charities program.
It soon became clear to Mr. McMahon and the Catholic Charities board of directors that the nonprofit would have to put a tremendous amount of money into renovating the building, or it would need to sell it and acquire a new property. Mr. McMahon and the board chose to sell.
Looking for a new property, they reached out to Father Steven M. LaBaire – then pastor of St. Stephen Parish – about the former convent on the parish’s property. Their prayers were answered.   
Mr. McMahon and Father LaBaire were immediately enthusiastic about the prospect of Youville House moving into the nearly 100-year-old building that was empty. St. Stephen’s School and the convent were both opened in 1924. At the time there were 14 Sisters of St. Joseph teaching at the school, according to a history of the parish printed in The Catholic Free Press.  A plaque in the building notes that on May 21, 1976, Mother Teresa (now St. Teresa of Kolkota) was an overnight guest at the convent.
“What a great opportunity to combine our common mission and have our transitional shelter located there,” Mr. McMahon said. He recalled that he and Father LaBaire felt that the nuns who had resided at the convent would be glad to see their work to help those in need continue. That  “was really pretty powerful,” Mr. McMahon said.
Catholic Charities purchased the former convent in April for $235,000.

Transitional shelter

The move of the transitional family shelter from its current Granite Street location to its new Caroline Street location will hopefully be completed by September, said Gail Flynn, administrator for Youville House, during a visit there this week. Catholic Charities will celebrate the move with Bishop McManus, the Youville House staff and residents, shortly thereafter.
Youville House is a transitional shelter for Massachusetts families who qualify – through the Department of Transitional Assistance – for emergency assistance. Homeless families receive the help they need to achieve stability, and they receive help in finding safe, affordable, permanent housing. The shelter helps residents accomplish both goals by providing them with education, counseling and service referrals.  
One of the reasons Mr. McMahon is excited about the move is the increased space it offers. Ms. Flynn said they can currently house 12 families at the Granite Street location. Mr. McMahon said that the new Caroline Street location will have 12 to 16 bedrooms. In addition to making it possible for Youville House to serve larger and more families, the extra space provides more areas where the staff can conduct sessions in financial literacy training, resume writing, interviewing techniques and job outreach.
Mr. McMahon is also grateful for the intrinsic benefits it offers the families.
“I think it restores dignity to a family while they’re going through difficult times,” he said.

One mom nervous

One member of those families is a mom of teenage boys. Although she’s nervous about the move, she’s thankful for the assistance the shelter has provided.
“I have been able to have a stable place to stay for myself and my two children,” she said. “Youville House has emotionally helped me and my children get the services that we need.”
Ms. Flynn said that the woman’s concern about the move is common among the residents. She said that the families have a difficult time dealing with change, even if it’s for their betterment.
“It is especially hard when they have moved from place to place before finally finding Youville House,” she said. “The staff here are always reassuring the clients that they will be safe in the new space, that it will be closer to the area schools, and that it is located on a bus line for easier travel.”
The shelter administrator said that another thing families can look forward to is greater accessibility for those with physical handicaps. The new location will have a room, a bathroom and an entrance ramp that meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards.
In regards to her hopes for the future, she said, “Our hopes for the new location is to be able to offer a family who needs ADA accommodations shelter, a safer space for more families, and the addition of more wrap-around services for the clients.”
In the meantime, Mr. McMahon is grateful for the support of Bishop McManus, the Catholic Charities board, the St. Stephen’s community, Ms. Flynn and everyone who has helped facilitate the move.
“It’s a lot of people with a common mission all coming together to make something positive happen,” he said.