Turning Point: We’re here to help

WAREHAM – It’s a simple message in complicated times:

We’re here to help.

The “we” is Turning Point, which grew out of the Wareham Area Committee for the Homeless in 2003 to provide a host of services to folks in need from Buzzards Bay, Wareham, Carver, Middleboro, Rochester, Mattapoisett, and Marion.

Turning Point Program Coordinator Debbie Ito said Turning Point can help with utility assistance, rent assistance, use of telephones, electricity and a temporary mailing address, housing and employment information, referrals to emergency shelters, emergency food supplies, special holiday outreach programs to provide gifts for children, and assistance with babies through Baby Point which provides resources monthly for infants and toddlers that include diapers and wipes.

Just call 508-291-0535 to set up an appointment at Turning Point’s office at the Church of the Nazarene, 6 Rogers Ave. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon.

Ito said, “The clients are very, very appreciative of having some place to go but we also feel that there are a lot of people that we are not reaching. We understand how difficult it is to reach out for help.

“But we really want people to come in because that’s what we’re here for. Why stress out over things? There’s so much going on. There’s help. Take it. It’s very confidential, very respectful. We are minimally invasive. We need certain things, a picture ID, proof of income and things like that. But we don’t require a whole lot of documentation. We just want people to understand that we’re here to help.”

There are 43 families who understand that well. They were at risk of becoming homeless in 2020 but were helped with rental assistance.

And there are the 30 families whose home lives were at risk because of utility and other bills who received help from Turning Point. They understand, as well.

As do the seven families Turning Point helped find housing in 2020.

And so do the 243 families in need who received information and referrals from Turning Point in 2020.

COVID, as you would expect, exacerbated the needs of many.

It also made Turning Point’s work more difficult. From late March through July, Turning Point couldn’t accept clients inside and had to help over the phone and meet clients in the parking lot.

The building was opened up again shortly after Ito was hired at the end of August. She has an extensive background as a paralegal with firms from Boston to this area. And she’s also had a life-long affinity for helping others.

The need is there, and ramped up by COVID.

“People have lost their jobs, families with kids. There are so many different reasons out there to need help. If you’re a single mom, especially. Now you have to home-school your kids. If you were working, you can’t work anymore. And all the daily bills go up because your kids are home. There are so many different challenges out there for all of the families.”

She added, “We’re seeing requests for assistance with rent, utility bills, water, sewer. We try to help out homeless folks. Sometimes they’re living in their car or they need to get to a job so we’re looking at car repairs, sometimes car registration. We’ve had a request for an assist with a septic. There is so much out there.”

Funding is provided through grants, including the Community Development Block Grant program. There are also private donations and community support.

“The community has been unbelievably supportive between gift cards and food,” Ito said. “We can’t accept clothing because of COVID.”

Turning Point was also the lucky beneficiary of Scout Jared Forrest’s Eagle Scout project. “He just facilitated so many donations. So we have a lot of sleeping bags, tarps, ropes for folks who are homeless out there along with food and along with toiletries. It was just amazing how much came in with him.”

For those thinking of donating, gift cards are helpful, particularly Stop & Shop gift cards that can be used for food and gasoline.

Turning Point is “staffed by fantastic volunteers,” Ito noted.

“They’re so dedicated to the program and the people who come in here. Four ladies, and a fifth one is coming back. A couple left because of COVID. So right now there are four ladies who come in Monday through Friday and there’s also the Baby Point program that’s usually the third Thursday of every month, and that’s headed by a volunteer.”

And the volunteers’ goals can be as simply stated as the Turning Point mission: We’re here to help.