After moving into our shelter facility at Easton’s Promise in 2014, we developed the S4 Program (Shelter, Stability, Support, Success).  S4 is a long-term, comprehensive program designed to guide guests from homelessness to self-sufficiency.  Through S4, guests receive personalized case management, help navigating local service providers, educational opportunities, and subsidized transitional housing.  In 2021, we finalized the purchase of a second shelter facility, directly next door to Easton’s Promise.  This new house was affectionately named Evelyn’s Place by the community in honor of our founder Evelyn Sedlack.  Easton’s Promise will focus on serving families, while Evelyn’s Place will assist single men and women.

After a background check and interview conducted by our Executive Director Julie Lowe and Director of Operations Fran Doran, and contingent on room availability, approved families and individuals are invited to stay at one of our shelter facilities.  The buildings provide the unique experience of a homelike environment.  At Easton’s Promise, each family has their own room with a bathroom, there is a backyard and living room with a play areas for children, a kitchen where guests can prepare their own food, and guests sit down each night together for “family dinner”.  At Evelyn’s Place, there are separated men’s and women’s rooms and bathrooms, and they also have a full-service kitchen, living room, backyard, and share dinner each evening.  Both houses also have on-site laundry facilities.  This environment is integral to guests’ success, greatly improving the comfort of the children who stay with us, and providing the adults with a renewed sense of dignity, something that often suffers as a result of experiencing homelessness.

Once they are sheltered, guests work with a case manager to create a plan that fits their particular needs and will help them to regain financial stability. Our case managers connect guests with the necessary service providers and provide supervision and counsel as they work their plan.  While participating in our program, guests must also attend relevant classes, including: health, parenting, budgeting, nutritional cooking, relapse prevention for those guests who are in recovery, and a class on poverty called “Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World.”  In addition, guests who enter our program without a high school diploma will be tasked with earning their GED as part of their personalized plan.

We are incredibly fortunate to have the support of more than 400 wonderful volunteers from every corner of our community, who donate over 10,000 hours of their time each year to provide supervision, meals and fellowship for our shelter guests. 

As a result of partnerships with the Housing Commission of Talbot and two private landlords, we have been able to procure ten off-site apartments. Once guests have saved for their security deposit and half of their first month’s rent, are able to pay utilities, and have created a realistic budget, they are invited to move from the shelter facility into transitional housing. Guests start off by paying $350-$400 in rent while we subsidize the remainder, and continue to receive rigorous case management and educational opportunities for approximately two years as they incrementally take over their expenses until they are fully self-sufficient. 

Even after guests “graduate” from our program, they know that they can come to us anytime if they need anything.  We are now a permanent part of their support network, and will be there to help them maintain their independence.

Watch the video below to learn more about the S4 Program!