Shelter for the Homeless P.O. Box 1252 Stamford, CT 06902 E: info@shelterforhomeless.org P: 203-406-0017
Berkeley House, which opened in the fall of 1999, provides Supportive Housing for homeless men 21 and older who are ready for the transition from Pacific House (our emergency overnight shelter) to more permanent housing. The house is designed for twelve men living in three apartments. Prior to being invited to move in, applicants are carefully screened to insure that they are motivated to work on life skills, employed, and committed to making the transition to suitable, permanent housing.
While residing at Berkeley House, all residents are required to follow all house policies or be subject to penalties ranging from a written warning to removal from the house. Berkeley House is a drug/alcohol free environment and violation of this policy is grounds for removal. Residents are required to work or, in the case of the disabled, engage in productive daytime activities such as volunteerism, education, day treatment, and the like. Meetings with a case manager are required on a weekly, or more frequent, basis.
Berkeley House offers ongoing support services for residents. This includes assistance to improve their education or job skills, to advance from low-paying jobs to jobs that allow them to afford permanent housing. Additionally, residents are given the opportunity to practice basic living skills such as cooking, shopping, budgeting, and managing a household. Residents also learn personal communication skills through participation in biweekly house meetings that address resident and staff concerns.
The facility houses twelve men for up to two years. It is anticipated that during the current fiscal year sixteen individuals will receive services through this facility.
For more information regarding these programs please contact us at
203-348-2792 or email us at info@shelterforhomeless.org
Transitional Housing Program (Berkeley House)
Photograph by Marc Zaref
Website by: Webs For Good LLC
Why Supportive Housing is Important to
Those Who Are Homeless And to You
Homelessness should be non-existent in one of the wealthiest counties in one of the richest states in America. But every night the Pacific House emergency shelter in Stamford is full of homeless men. According to Portraits of Homelessness in Connecticut, a study published this year by the Connecticut Coalition to End Homeless (CCEH), emergency shelters in the state served 11,700 people last year, including more than 1,500 children; and there are approximately 3,800 men, women and children staying in Connecticut emergency shelters and transitional housing programs on any given day. If those statistics alone aren’t alarming, the study notes that "…half of all families and 40% of single adults in shelters reported that this was their first homeless experience.”
The way to reduce and, eventually, eliminate homelessness is to build permanent supportive housing. Supportive housing is linked to accessible mental health, substance addiction, employment and other services. It gets people out of emergency shelters and back into the community.
Supportive housing saves tax dollars and makes sense.Local non-profit organizations have significantly reduced the level of homelessness by developing permanent, affordable housing for people who are homeless, together with the supports they need to maintain their housing and recover their lives once again. Connecticut cities and towns that have developed supportive housing have realized significant savings through the reduced use of public services by those who are homeless. Construction of supportive housing units helps stimulate local economies by providing jobs for people who build and maintain the structures. Neighborhoods with supportive housing are more attractive to developers and businesses.
