New York Ave House
Harbor Homes opened the New York Ave house as a residential program for women in the fall of 2021.
The New York Avenue House is a multipurpose facility that includes the administration office for Harbor Homes, a Homeless Prevention Coordinator who is available to meet with any resident of Dukes County who has a housing crisis, and a residence for women.
The NY Ave. building provides a comfortable residential program for women who have low incomes and face homelessness. The house has 6 single rooms with adjoining baths. All program participants have access to a shared kitchen, dining area, lounge, outdoor deck and common space. The goals of the house are to:
ensure that women on Martha's Vineyard who live in poverty have access to safe, sanitary transitional housing.
offer individualized case management services to low-income women to help them better address their health, mental health, education, employment, and financial issues.
provide opportunities and support to women to strengthen their social competency and pre-vocational skills and their capacity to be successful tenants, employees, and community members.
offer a supportive and transformative experience to women traumatized by homelessness.
The house is located in a residential setting, on a bus line, close to the center of Oak Bluffs, and near Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and Vineyard Health Care Access.
Expectations of Program Participants
Each program participants will sign a contract that details Harbor Home program expectations. The contract provides Harbor Home with the opportunity to be transparent with program participants about living arrangements, financial and social expectations, life skills programming and the termination policy.
All Harbor Homes program participants must:
Be able and willing to live with other adults in a cooperative and respectful fashion.
Respect the privacy of other program participants.
Refrain from bringing illegal drugs, marijuana, alcohol or weapons of any kind into the residence.
Refrain from smoking in the house.
Not share prescription drugs with anyone else.
Not have overnight guests.
Limit daytime guests to the number and visiting times designated at each house.
Help maintain the property and keep room clean.
Comply with all house rules.
Pay a monthly program fee of $450.
Life Skills Component
Harbor Homes offers program participants the support and opportunity to strengthen a range of skills that will enhance their employability and inclusion in the community. The program provides a safe and secure environment where individuals can begin to assess their lives, maintain a successful tenancy and set personal goals.
Harbor Homes promotes “lifelong learning.” First, it reintroduces formerly homeless adults to the routines and responsibilities of living in a community. This includes maintaining basic hygiene, doing laundry, assisting with cleaning and chores, planning meals, food shopping, paying toward program upkeep, etc.
Second, with the support of the house case manager, the program is self-governed by adults who come to appreciate the importance of developing social competency skills including conflict resolution, cooperative decision making, appropriate and assertive communication, positive interpersonal relationships, empathy, and teamwork in order to reside comfortably together.
Lastly, the Harbor Homes case manager will offer to support program participants in developing prevocational skills that are important in attaining and sustaining employment. These include practicing good personal hygiene, dressing appropriately for work, interviewing for a job, being responsible, reliable, and dependable at work, taking pride in one’s work, accepting authority and being a team player, exhibiting a good attitude, following directions, and being eager to learn.
Low income and/or homeless individuals are often disenfranchised from educational and employment opportunities. Once housed, they may need encouragement from staff and volunteers to reengage in the learning process. Harbor Homes will offer program participants opportunities to identify their personal skills and interests and practice problem solving and decision making in daily life. Each house will have internet and computer access available to program participants. In addition, the community will provide a supportive environment that fosters self-confidence, promotes healthy interpersonal relationships, and instills hope – the foundations for successful engagement in the community and employment.
Eligibility
The eligibility criteria for Harbor Homes:
Adults at least 18 years of age
Income at or below 30% of the Median Family Income (MFI) for Dukes County
Homeless or imminently at risk of becoming homeless
Able to contribute to the maintenance and expenses of the house
Intake
The facility will house adults who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Eligible individuals will have very low incomes and may have disabling health or mental health conditions.
Individuals who are interested in applying for Harbor Homes should request, complete and submit an application to the
Harbor Homes Director
P.O. Box 4795
Vineyard Haven, MA 02568
The applications will be reviewed by the Harbor Homes Director and the Harbor Homes Case Manager to determine if they meet the threshold eligibility criteria.