United Way of Greater New Haven

WHAT IS THE EMERGENCY SHELTER MANAGEMENT SERVICES, INC.? OUR MISSION?

The Emergency Shelter Management Services, Inc (Immanuel Baptist Shelter) established in 1989, became a nonprofit corporation in 1992. The Immanuel Baptist Church, the oldest and largest black church in New Haven, felt and still feels today, both a spiritual and moral obligation to lend a caring and helping hand to those who are poor, sick and disadvantaged.

In the late 1980's the City of New Haven's homeless population seemed to be escalating with very few adequate services available. Immanuel Baptist's prior experience with a soup kitchen led them to develop this comprehensive 75-bed shelter service for homeless men.

The Mission of the Emergency Shelter Management Services, Inc. is dedicated to ensuring the availability of emergency shelter for those in need.

We promote personal empowerment, assist in restoring dignity and self-sufficiency. Our aim is to be a conduit, providing access to transitional and permanent housing, job training and coordinating services to help reduce and eventually eliminate homelessness in the New Haven area.

Emergency Shelter Management Services, Inc. (ESMS) is a tax exempt non-profit organization under the section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue code.

▪Housing ▪Job Applications ▪Resumes
▪Job Training ▪Job Placement ▪Daily Living Skills
▪Detox ▪City Welfare ▪Title 19
▪Substance Abuse Classes ▪Legal Aid
▪Food Stamps ▪State Funded Programs
▪Social Security (SSI, SSD)
▪Homeless Health Care Benefits

Description:
Our 75-bed shelter provides and/or coordinates a range of on-site services including:
A. Essential Services: Emergency shelter, hot, nutritious meals (breakfast and dinner), showers, clothing and personal care items for men who are homeless.
B. Job Training and Job Assistance: The Job Development Project offers on-site access to pre-employment skills in an effort to get shelter residents ready for employment. Program components include workshops, individual counseling and job fairs, all designed to build skills in the area of resume development, interview skills, application procedures, appropriate dress and job search methods. Once the residents are referred to area employers, retention services are provided including on-the-job assessments, crisis intervention, information and referrals.
C. Case Management Services: Three full-time and one part time case managers (or social workers) and one Clinician provide information and referral services for the residents. This critical service is the residents' link with area social services, training programs, housing and treatment options. Case managers help the residents prepare action plans that outline their goals and provide support to meet those goals. Upon placement in treatment or housing, case managers provide valuable follow up services to ensure success.
D. Free community service telephone and answering machine for residents: Southern New England Telephone donated two telephones. One incoming line is connected to an answering machine, which is used by residents to receive messages regarding employment, housing, family/personal issues, etc. The message machine ensures the resident's privacy. The other line is an incoming/outgoing line and helps the residents make direct contact with potential landlords, employment settings and family.
E. On-Site Medical Care: Provided weekly by the Hill Health Center's Homeless Healthcare Project, services are at no cost to the residents and can include medical screening/evaluations, flu shots, and prescription medications.
F. Mental Health Outreach Services: Provided by the ACCESS project. This collaborative effort identifies residents with mental health issues, including those who are dually diagnosed (mental health and substance abuse) and makes every attempt to provide information and treatment options, make direct connections to services and provide additional support services.
G. Educational Workshops: Community volunteers and organizations (like Yale Law School and AIDS Interfaith Network) provide workshops and clinics to assist the residents with issues that affect them like disability benefits, housing discrimination, criminal matters, HIV/AIDS resources, etc.

Over the past two years the shelter has extended outreach programs to include improved access to housing programs, augmented the clothing program through Immanuel Baptist Church, and has taken a more aggressive approach in assisting residents with finding employment.

History:
SYNOPSIS OF ORGANIZATION'S PURPOSE AND ACTIVITIES

The Emergency Shelter Management Services, formerly the Immanuel Baptist Shelter, originally established in 1990, became incorporated in 1992 as a non-profit corporation. The Immanuel Missionary Baptist Church located at 1324 Chapel Street, the oldest black church in New Haven, felt, and still feels today, both spiritual and obligation to lend a caring and helping hand to those who are sick, poor or shut-in. It was a natural extension of the church's community service activities to develop a program for homeless men.

In the early 1990's the city of NEw Haven's homeless population appeared to be escalating, with few adequate services available to meet both the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs. Immanuel Baptist Church already conducted a soup kitchen and the Immanuel Baptist Shelter (Emergency Shelter Management Services) was established to meet another need.

Client Profile: During the 2003-2004 fiscal year, the Emergency Shelter Management Services served over 1250 homeless men (26,500 bed nights), a 9.2% increase from the previous year (the new fiscal year report for 2004-2005 though not yet over will surpass these figures immensely). Our residents are a diverse population. Last fiscal year the mix was 48% African-American, 34% Caucasians, 16% Hispanics, and 2% from other races. The cost to shelter clients is $52.47 per client per day.

Numerous programs are available to the clients that will assist them in establishing self-sufficiency and independent living. Training for a job has been one of our highlight in the last fiscal year. Many of our clients are now full time employees as a result of this program.

Contact people:

Wesley Thorpe, Sr., Executive Director, (phone), (email) BJ Thomas, Program Manager, (phone), (email) Joyce Lassiter, Administrative Assistant, (phone), (email)

Address:

645 Grand Avenue New Haven, CT 06511 (See a map)

Directions:

Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: Train Station,   Walk distance (in minutes): 30   Nearest Bus Stop: Dixwell Avenue "D bus"