Addendum from Our Father’s House (Our Father's House was informed this was an informational meeting and could not attend due to a donation/presentation with a Leominster sports group at the same time. Our Father’s House is submitting this Addendum to the Human Rights ‘Commission and offers a tour of any programs or facilities to the Commissioners. Please note, Our Father's House has a Grievance Policy that any client grievances can be submitted, in writing, to the Executive Director for investigation. None of the public comments were brought to the Executive Director prior. Our Father's House is a private, nonprofit agency providing shelter and related services to homeless men, women and children, Rooted in Judeo Christian values - which mean that every man, woman and child is ereated equal and should be treated that way - we emphasize the dignity of the individual, and through our programs encourage and assist each guest to become self-sufficient, The agency operates an Individual Homeless shelter, a Family Homeless shelter, a Food Pantry, a Sober house for females, a Sober house for males, Street Outreach, a Mobile Shower and a Rental Assistance program, ‘The agency has been serving North Worcester County since 1983. Regarding Street Outreach, it isa team approach with other agencies; Eliot Community Human Services and the Fitchburg Police Department, For the last two years, the Street Outreach worker has been accompanied by a Fitchburg Police Department liaison and (or other North Worcester County towns) accompanied by a Master's level counselor/homeless specialist from Eliot Community Human Services. Eliot's Homeless Outreach begins with the Federal and State funded Project for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH), which provides person-centered and trauma-informed support services to individuals with scrious mental health illnesses, as well as those with co-occurring. substance use disorders, who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The Our Father's House Street Outreach worker wears a body camera and video dash camera in his vehicle when performing street outreach. Our Father's House efforts to assist the homeless is to offer case management, temporary homeless shelters, offer permanent housing within two sober recovery houses for males and females and offer rental assistance for permanent housing to Our Father's House clients. Please reflect Our Father's House comments in response to the “Public Comment Period:” + _Inresponse to Stephanie's comments: During the winter, free showers are offered at $5 Lunenburg Street, Fitchburg, Monday and Thursday 10:00am to 1:00pm, Our Father’s House purchased a mobile shower with 2 units for the homeless to shower during the spring, summer, and fall. Due to the freezing temperatures, the mobile shower unit was winterized. + Inresponse to Angel’s comments: Angel has not done a screening at the Our Father's House Homeless shelter since he was released from jail. If he calls, he will be offered a bed. ‘+ Inresponse to Angela's comments: Angela was a guest at Our Father's House shelter and was asked to leave the premises for threatening to stab another guest. ‘+ _ In response to # 2 Angel's comments: The homeless shelter and other options are given to every homeless person engaged by our teams. + In response to Jacob's comments: Jacob was frst engaged as a missing person. Police called for Our Father's House assistance and Jacob was given a shelter bed at the shelter. He stayed twice, for more than a 3 month total. From 5/1/2020 to 6/4/2020, and 6/13/2020 to 8/8/2020. ‘+ Inresponse to Susan Buchholz, Chair Joint Coalition on Health comments: Due to client confidentiality, Our Father's House does not speak publically about clients. For the purposes of this Addendum, specific clients made comments about Our Father's House that needed addressing fora fair look at both sides, Ms. Buchholz and Yvonne Andrews have no ditect information about an investigation, nor if and who conducted one, nor the results, nora report. It appears slanderous that one made derogatory comments of a person or entity, in a public forum, not supported by facts. Legally, spoken defamation is slander for the act of harming a person's reputation by telling one or more other people something that is untrue and damaging about that person. Slander can be the basis for a lawsuit and is considered a civil wrong. Our Father’s House does not ignore any accusations of staff, but the agency is legally bound by an employee/employer relationship. In this particular case, all accusations were both independently and officially investigated without merit, 2 2, Respectfully submitted eens aie a Six Executive Director Z Veg, C2 2