The special Social Justice Collection for the month of November is for the Monadnock Transitional Shelter (MATS) and Shelter From The Storm (SFTS). Checks should be be made out to PUUC with MATS or SFTS on the memo line. They can be put in the collection plate, sent or left off at the Carll House office at 25 Main St, Peterborough, NH 03458. The November 7th collection, cash and checks, will go to the shelters unless marked for PUUC. At the end of the month, one check will be sent to each of the shelters with an additional matching amount (up to $500) from the Social Justice Endowment Fund. Both organizations are run by a community board. In general, STFS serves Rindge and Jaffrey and MATS serves Peterborough, Dublin, Hancock, Antrim, New Ipswich. Together they provide shelter for 8 to 10 family units.
Families and some individuals come to the shelter after losing their home, couch surfing with family or friends. They come discouraged, embarrassed, and, the children especially, troubled. They come to either of the shelters and have an apartment just for their family. They work with the case manager to establish goals for stabilizing their lives. They learn how to access the safety net programs which require extensive documentation before receiving benefits. The children are settled in school or daycare; the parents begin job searches. Medical, dental, legal, transportation and emotional needs are addressed. They apply for housing they can afford and then they wait, sometimes up to 2 years, for we have a critical affordable housing shortage.
