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Scattered Site Transitional Apartment Program (SSTAP)Advocates for battered women and their children and the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families identify transitional housing as one of the greatest needs in stabilizing families who are homeless due to domestic violence. The Scattered Site Transitional Apartment Program,(SSTAP) provides these families with a safe, stable, temporary living environment while staff work to help them develop the necessary economic and life skills needed to establish a pattern of long term stability. SSTAP provides housing for families for a period of 12 to 24 months. There are 12 scattered site apartments located throughout the greater Plymouth Massachusetts area serving approximately 22 families per year. Families are referred from shelters and domestic violence prevention service providers throughout the state of Massachusetts. Through the program families are linked with a case manager who works with them to assess their strengths, needs and aspirations. The case manager develops an individualized service plan for each family and helps connect families with appropriate services. While residing in the units the family will receive a variety of services depending on identified needs, including parenting skills, housing search, budget and credit counseling, daily living skills, job training and education, English as a second language, domestic violence groups, individual counseling and counseling for children who have witnessed violence. Each family will have a housing search worker assigned to help them locate permanent housing, as the goal of SSTAP is to provide support and opportunities to families for a time period sufficient to allow them to successfully transition to permanent, stable living situations. As a part of graduating from the program applications are made to suitable rental subsidy programs, public housing and other affordable housing programs as well as market rent units. To be eligible for the program the family must be homeless, or residing in a shelter due to domestic violence. Referrals are accepted from various service agencies and homeless shelters throughout the state. For more information on this program contact Kathy Facchini at 781-422-4222 or e-mail kfacchini@southshorehousing.org Putting out fires: A Safe Step toward Rebuilding Families
Each time Lisa responds to an emergency in her capacity as a firefighter and EMT she is returning a favor.That's because it was not long ago that she found herself and her baby daughter in a life-threatening situation, victims of her violently abusive boyfriend. Lisa and her daughter were referred to SSTAP from a local domestic violence shelter. Upon entering the Program, Lisa began working with a case worker who got Lisa and her child into safe, stable housing. Over the next two years, Lisa was provided with a comfortable two-bedroom apartment, individual and domestic violence counseling, financial literacy education, and access to day care. As soon as she was stabilized Lisa began making plans for her future, with strong motivation toprovide for her daughter. She supported herself by making and selling jewelry and other crafts, while attending the classes and training required to pass her firefighters exam, complementing her previous experience as an EMT. She was soon hired as a full-time firefighter/EMT.
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