Wellspring House - Organizational History

Wellspring House began in 1981 when a group of six women and a man decided to pool their energies and slender resources to create a place to offer hospitality to people who were in need. They found a suitable place - a 17th century former Inn located in Gloucester, Massachusetts - and raised private loans through friends to purchase it. The group formed a non-profit corporation and obtained tax-exempt status as "Wellspring House, Inc." Experienced local people from varied backgrounds agreed to serve on the Board of Directors, adding their commitment and energy to the founders' vision and helping to focus and define Wellspring's emerging mission.

Soon after Wellspring House was opened, it became apparent that homelessness, in particular, family homelessness, was becoming a serious social issue. So Wellspring became a family shelter, the third shelter in Massachusetts to focus exclusively on families. The families that sought shelter at Wellspring were both single-parent and intact families of all ages and backgrounds. They came because rents were raised beyond their means, or because of abuse or overcrowding. They included families headed by young women rejected by their parents, or abused or deserted by their partners. They were much like other families - except that they had lost their homes and their sources of income - and with that they lost their security and often their hope in the future. They needed what all families need: a safe home, friendship, the means to get an education and a job that would pay their bills. Wellspring's success in helping families find permanent homes and achieve stability in them has attracted many people to join us in our work.

A research project undertaken in 1990 interviewed more than 80 former shelter guests to find out where they were in their lives and what had happened to them since moving into their own homes. The research, published under the title "We Are Like You", was studied and discussed at a two-day symposium (June 1991) attended by more than 130 local people. As a result of "working groups" started at that symposium, Wellspring began developing extensive education programs for low-income women to help them prepare for jobs that pay a living wage, as well as family education programs to help strengthen and improve family interaction.

Today Wellspring provides shelter for homeless families, owns and manages its own stock of affordable housing, offers education programs to both families and individuals, and provides leadership in the development of local affordable housing. The geographic area that we serve includes the Cape Ann communities of Gloucester, Essex, Ipswich, Manchester and Rockport, and extends outward into the North Shore of Massachusetts.

We are proud of the following accomplishments over our 20-year history:

  • Wellspring has provided shelter for over 1,000 homeless parents and children and helped them to find permanent housing.

  • Wellspring’s Foundation Program, through our link to North Shore Community College, offers college credits for designated courses to participants.  Over 100 women have graduated from the Wellspring “Foundations” program.

  • In the spring of 2001, Wellspring and Project Hope in Dorchester were chosen by the Paul and Phyllis Fireman Foundation to administer a $350,000 yearly fund to give direct aid to impoverished women, helping them to access better jobs and higher education.

  • Wellspring’s economic development program has provided support and mentoring to over 100 local businesses, which have created jobs and generated revenues of over $2 million to help the local economy.

  • In 2001, the Wellspring Cape Ann Families successful mentoring program, “Parent Aid,” marked its 10th anniversary, matching community volunteers with parents in need of support.

  • Every year, Wellspring chooses to pay real estate taxes, despite our nonprofit status, to demonstrate our partnership with the Cape Ann community.

 


WHAT CAN YOU DO TO SUPPORT WELLSPRING?

More than ever, Wellspring depends on the continuing generosity of our friends and supporters.   Here’s what your money buys:

-$1,000 helps to provide a low-income parent with specialized job training that paves the way toward a living wage

-$500 provides a homeless family of three with a week of shelter, food, help with housing and job search, and emotional support

-$150 provides a GED student with textbooks, calculator, and internet access

-$50 supports 40 children and teens for one week of mentoring activities

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COMPUTERS WANTED!  Wellspring House is currently accepting new or gently used computers.  Click here for a list of technology donations that Wellspring can accept, or please contact Christine Carollo, I.T. Coordinator.

 VOLUNTEERS ARE KEY to the success of Wellspring.  Opportunities range from cooking and gardening to serving as a mentor to a parent or adult learning to organizing events or helping with office work.  Please contact Sarah Grow to find out the full range of possibilities.

  Wellspring House announces the launch of an “Angel List,” an email update of in-kind donation needs, ranging from toiletries to tables.  This is a “blind:cc,” or private, list, which means your name will never be shared.  Please email our Volunteer Coordinator, Sarah Grow,  to be included.

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
--Desmond Tutu