The new gazebo at Angel House.
This summer, Housing Assistance’s Angel House shelter buildings and grounds got a makeover thanks to the generosity of the Franklin Square House Foundation. Housing Assistance has been operating Angel House for 28 years, providing shelter and services for mothers recovering from substance abuse, and their children.
As with any property, capital improvements and repairs become necessary to keep it in good working order. The support of foundations and individual donors make these capital projects possible.
The grant covered the cost of a new gazebo to provide shade for an outdoor picnic area; new flooring for the two buildings that house our 13 Angel House clients and their children; and a new kitchen and generator for one of those buildings. With additional funds, Housing Assistance replaced a roof on another building that serves as transitional apartments for graduates of the shelter.
The newly renovated kitchen at Housing Assistance’s Angel House shelter.
Housing Assistance’s Director of Housing Production and Maintenance Keith Trott said the projects had long been on Angel House’s capital repair list.
As to what the work meant to those at the shelter, Angel House family clinician Martha Woods said, “It makes the clients feel valued, that they matter. These types of projects let the women feel as though they are accepted into the community at large.”
This is not the first time that the Franklin Square House Foundation has lent its support to Housing Assistance’s shelters. In 2009 and 2011, it funded projects that included the installation of a new roof, windows, exterior doors, interior doors, and a shed at Angel House.
Two years ago, the foundation funded interior and exterior painting at Carriage House shelter in North Falmouth.
