Transitional Housing
The Louison House provides a Transitional Housing Shelter that has been in existence since 1990. As a congregate living shelter, Louison House can house both families and individuals for up to two years but aims to get people out to affordable housing as soon as possible. The average stay at our shelter has increased to six to nine months due to higher rents and longer wait lists in our area. Entrance to the shelter is prioritized according to Federal HUD guidelines: by level of homelessness (length, etc.), weighted by other federal priorities (domestic violence, safety, disabilities, etc.). All residents work on an Individual Service Plan with staff with the major goal of overcoming any barriers they may have to successfully obtain housing. Supportive services are offered with case management to help our residents obtain affordable housing with the income necessary to at least meet their basic living needs and to assist them to reach their personal goals. Most of our residents secure permanent housing upon exit and either maintain or increase their income by the time they leave our housing.
Emergency Sheltering
The Louison House provides an Emergency Sheltering program for youth, ages eighteen through twenty-four in a unit at the Flood House, and adults all ages from Northern Berkshire County in immediate need of interim housing. This is emergency sheltering or housing that provides safe housing to get people off the streets from unsafe places and into motels. The Louison House currently contracts a motel to provide double rooms and rooms that shelter sixteen individuals with additional funds providing for shelter for up to forty individuals. This includes our other location in Adams which provides emergency sheltering for approximately another eight individuals. Like in our TH program, entrance to the shelter is prioritized according to HUD guidelines, and potential entrants remain on a prioritized waitlist until space is available. All residents work on an Individual Service Plan with staff to secure permanent housing, stable income, and the necessary identification documents to do so.
Permanent Supportive Housing
The PSH Program houses families and individuals who fit the Federal HUD standards for Chronic Homelessness. People in this program can stay in their unit for as long as is needed to ensure their later housing success. To support our clients’ progress, Louison House staff provide supportive services to help meet the needs and individual goals of each person, in addition to developing Service Plans for housing success. As housing needs have grown, so has our PSH Program. Louison House has three different sites for its Permanent Supportive Housing.
- PSH Pittsfield: In Pittsfield, we support nine to ten individuals.
- Northern Berkshire PSH: Our location in North Adams supports anywhere between eighteen to twenty individuals including our three family housing units.
- Bracewell PSH: Our Youth Housing Project on 111 Bracewell Ave, North Adams supports one family unit and five other individual units for youth ages eighteen through twenty-four.