Greetings!
The holidays never cease to inspire us. Seeing our HPC community step forward to support our families in need energizes our work. In addition to making the holidays bright for hundreds of families, our donors’ year-end gifts enable us to provide services throughout the year. None of these efforts would be possible without our amazing volunteers, donors, and of course, our dedicated HPC staff. Thank you all!
While 2021 ended with continuing global and local health challenges, we have great hope for the year ahead. We know it will carry many new opportunities for HPC to serve our neighbors in need. As we plan for our spring REACH project, we remain enthusiastic about the far-reaching impact this coaching and goal-setting program has on its particpants. Finally, we look forward to supporting innovative housing solutions and local residents in our community through ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funding and our shared work with the Community Development Partnership (CDP).
Thank you for helping drive our mission forward. I hope you stay safe and healthy.
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Hadley Luddy
Chief Executive Officer
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Past Members Honored, New Officers Welcomed
to HPC Board
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William K. (Bill) O’Brien, long-time Orleans resident, has been chosen with unanimous approval to serve as Chair of the HPC Board of Directors. The selection came at the Homeless Prevention Council’s October 2021 board meeting. Bill is a former executive at Coopers & Lybrand and PricewaterhouseCoopers and has extensive nonprofit and corporate board experience.
HPC also welcomed new board members Arlene Weston of Provincetown and Andrew Goldberg, Wendy Reveri, and Jim West of Orleans. Returning HPC Board members, include Maryann Campagna, Ramona Carlow, Noelle Pina, Marcey Long, Nello Trevisan, and Jen Whitaker.
The board took advantage of the October meeting to honor outgoing Chair Dick Laraja and Chair Emeritus David Willard. Both will continue to serve as ex officio members and support HPC events. Dick’s leadership over many years helped HPC achieve monumental growth and greater community recognition. Dick is particularly appreciated for his “rock star” abilities and leadership of our annual Rock to Stop Homelessness event. Davids Willard's leadership over the decades also had a tremendous and lasting impact on our mission. Our HPC family remains forever grateful to both men for their many contributions.
HPC also greatly values the years of service of Len Cuneo, former Vice President of the board and longtime development volunteer, as well as that of Barbara Dominic and Susan Whitcomb, both of whom continue to volunteer to support HPC program needs.
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Our local community and HPC came together again for this year's Adopt-A-Family program, working side by side to bring holiday joy to 425 children from 211 families. Adopt-A-Family has grown by leaps and bounds since its founding in 1995 when the program started with 5 families. This special program inspires and mobilizes our community to support our neighbors in need. To the hundreds of gracious donors who adopted families, our staff who worked to connect families in need, countless volunteers, donors, clubs, and businesses who made this year’s program possible - Thank You!
HPC Board Member Ramona Carlow led our program to be a great success; a feat she could not have accomplished without excellent work from our program team, countless volunteers, and her core helpers including Brian Carlow, Maryann Campagna, Susan Carlson, Diane and David Weisman, Jenna Karber, and Sean Smith. Hundreds of others made contributions by "adopting" families. We want to thank groups that supported our work by providing baked goods for all families. Those contributors, including HERizons, Friends of Snow Library, and other volunteers.
Finally, our festive Holiday Shop in Skaket Corners would not have been available if not for Black Creek Group, which generously donated space for our use. While we can’t mention everyone who brought our HPC year to a successful close, please know that we are sincerely grateful for our community for how we support one another and for the role that each individual plays in providing for those in need. Thank you!
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Make Sunflower Sweets Your Valentine Treat |
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HPC client Bridget Kennedy- Badams found herself struggling with housing stability during the pandemic. She also started to reevaluate her life choices. As a result, Bridget decided it was time to do something new. “I just took the leap” she said, “I started making cupcakes at home. I was always the cake maker in the family.” Bridget’s entrepreneurial idea dovetailed perfectly with HPC’s goal-setting REACH project, which helped her plan the project and provided a $2,000 stipend that she used to pay the rent of a commissary kitchen she now shares with other local cooks. “REACH gave me a great head start,” Bridget said “It’s a brilliant program. I still have the support system today, and I have made some lifelong friends.”
Sunflower Sweets, the products from Bridget’s new business, can be found at the Wellfleet Marketplace. She’s working hard to find other local businesses to partner with to sell her confectionary delights. She also loves accepting custom orders for individual customers, saying “it really allows me to have some fun and take some creative freedom.” Bridget is gearing up for Valentine’s Day with plans for new artfully-designed cupcakes.
Sunflower Sweets’ next steps include a website and expanded distribution. “I would love to have a storefront of my own one day, or even do some traveling pop-ups here and there,” Bridget said. We hope you’ll consider Sunflower Sweets when selecting baked goods for your next event!
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New Opportunity - Truro Rental Assistance |
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HPC, in partnership with the Truro Housing Authority, is proud to announce a new rental assistance program opportunity! This program provides a stipend to bridge the gap between an individual’s income and the high cost of rent.
To be eligible, the applicant must be a year-round resident of Truro with a total household income that does not exceed 100% of area median income (AMI). To learn more about this opportunity, click here or call HPC at (508) 255-9667 and speak with a case manager.
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Spread the Word to Someone in Need |
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HPC, in partnership with the Chatham Council on Aging, will host an online conversation about housing options and opportunities for all seniors over 60. This zoom meeting for seniors runs from 10-11:30 am on Monday, January 31.
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Let's Talk About Tomorrow |
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Do you know anyone struggling with housing and financial instability? HPC is here to help! Please have them call our office at 508-255-9667 or visit our website to learn more about our programs and services.
Here are two important programs that could help a friend or neighbor in need. Share news that HPC is here to help seniors plan for housing and rental assistance programs are available to income-qualified residents of Truro and Wellfleet. Our HPC Case Managers are here to help!
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Do you have a goal that, if reached, will change your life for the better? A class or training that will push you in a positive direction?
Whether it’s finishing a degree or developing a new skill, The REACH Project may be able to help.
We are excited to once again offer The REACH Project beginning in March 2022. To learn more please give HPC a call at 508-255-9667 to speak with someone from our Case Management Team.
More information about The REACH Project can be found here.
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June 11th - Walk for Home |
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HPC’s Walk for Home launched in 2019 to raise awareness and funds to stop homelessness. This year the 2.2 mile walk through historic Provincetown allows you to walk in person or virtually. Mark the calendars for June 11th and consider forming a team to magnify the impact of the walk!
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Donate Energy Credits to HPC |
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Do you have solar energy? Did you know that you can earmark where your excess electricity credits end up? Consider donating your excess credits to HPC - at no cost to you!
To donate your credits:
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Donors must submit a Schedule Z or net metering application to Eversource. A copy of this form, and additional information, can be found here.
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On the Schedule Z, please indicate what percentage (0-100 percent) of future net metering credits will be transferred to HPC. (please note that only future credits are eligible for donation).
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Contact Natasha at info@hpccapecod.org to let us know that you plan to submit a Schedule Z and we will provide HPC’s account information you need for the form.
- If you would like a tax receipt, it’s easy. Just share with us the credit amounts that appear on your monthly bills. This step also helps us confirm that your records match what appears on our statements.
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Thanks and Appreciation to our Cape Cod
Business Community
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HPC’s annual corporate sponsors enable our organization to support those in need every day. Our dedicated case managers helped 2,161 individuals in crisis in 2021, a 40 percent increase since 2019. HPC client requests for help rise every year, and we know it is an increasingly uphill challenge for our workforce to handle Cape Cod’s rising real estate and rental housing markets. We are always on the lookout to expand our collaboration with corporations and businesses. If you would like to renew or become a sponsor in 2022, please contact Sarah Southwick at sarah@hpccapecod.org or call (508) 619-4332.
We are very grateful for our 2021, 30th Anniversary Sponsors:
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We hope you enjoyed HPC NEWS, a quarterly newsletter of the Homeless Prevention Council.
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Homeless Prevention Council
14 Old Tote Road
Orleans, MA 02653
(508) 255-9667
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...There for our neighbors since 1991. |
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