Champ Homes Receives COVID-19 Support from Cape and Islands United Way

Champ Homes, a local non-profit providing transitional housing and support services to Cape Cod residents, recently received a $5,000.00 grant award from the Cape and Islands United Way to provide meals to those individuals residing in and quarantined to a Champ Homes’ residence. The Cape and Island United Way recognizes that ensuring the health, safety and access to meals is a challenge in the current pandemic.

Champ Homes’ ongoing mission is to provide transitional housing to adults on Cape Cod who are homeless or near homeless in a safe, compassionate, respectful environment, where they instill confidence and hope by providing life skills, mentoring, vocational opportunities, and self-advocacy. Champ Homes is a 501(c)3 non-profit serving men and women, age 18 and older — many of whom are challenged by mental, physical, or emotional disabilities; and are recovering from addiction.

Transitional Housing is an intermediate step between emergency shelters and permanent housing. It is more long-term (generally 2 years) and service-intensive than homeless shelters.

The program addresses immediate concerns such as hot showers, clean towels, clothing and toiletries, an address and mail services, one prepared meal a day and food to make their own breakfast and lunch. However, once participants have established a place here, the program goes much further. Participants work closely with a team of care coordinators to navigate housing applications, obtain employment, and learn how to advocate for themselves.

The goal of the program is to get clients back on their feet and to a place of regained self-sufficiency. In the last 12 months, of the Champ Homes clients who moved on from the program, 65% successfully transitioned to long-term sustainable housing.

The Champ Program has been a proven approach to addressing homelessness on the Cape since opening their doors almost 30 years ago—having proudly served nearly 3,000 individuals in that time. This program is unique to Cape Cod and strives to meet the individual needs of each client who seeks assistance. It is unique in how it runs as a community of people—people who are benefiting from the care, compassion, and support of others.

One way a sense of community is created is by preparing dinner in the Champ Homes’ communal kitchen and then eating together nightly at 5 PM. Volunteers from around the community help prepare the meals and often will stay to eat with participants.

Unfortunately, this way of operating was the exact opposite of what medical professionals were recommending. On March 11, Champ Homes made the decision to immediately suspend volunteers, visitors, and food donations of any kind. Staff (no volunteers) began preparing meals for participants who were asked to take their meals back to their rooms to eat. This was not sustainable with the small staff of seven that works at Champ Homes. A solution was agreed upon to support local restaurants while decreasing potential contamination and free up staff to tend to the other needs of participants by ordering meal delivery. Cape and Islands United Way funding has helped Champ Homes feed participants individually packaged food that is delivered to their door three times a day.

Champ Homes believes in the value of providing a refuge where love, respect, and support enable each person to overcome the difficulties that led to their homelessness. It is through this caring, individualized program that participants can learn to thrive, sustain independent living, and regain their ability to be productive members of society.