The Vineyard is coming up short on one of the most rudimentary moral principles: supporting its most vulnerable.
On March 1, after years of looking for a more permanent location, the nonprofit that runs the only Island winter shelter for the homeless will be shutting down what was always supposed to be a temporary location provided by Martha’s Vineyard Community Services, and setting up a shelter inside two churches in Edgartown for the remainder of winter.
Harbor Homes, the Island nonprofit running the operation, is optimistic that they will be able to take care of the Island’s unhoused at the Federated Church and Saint Andrew’s Parish Hall for the next couple of months.
But what is troubling is, What comes next?
There are two questions at hand that fall under the same umbrella: How does Harbor Homes — facing infrastructure limitations, a very expensive real estate market, and “not in my back yard” NIMBY-ism — find a permanent location for a shelter? And second, where does the homeless population shelter in the summer, when there is no shelter?
As we reported last year, there was a substantial community living in the State Forest, in the elements, after the winter shelter closed for the season. Harbor Homes even provided tents to provide makeshift structures. Then the unhoused were cleared by the state callously — there were reports of identifications and medications taken from the residents. The state had egg on its face, and many local officials called foul.
But it isn’t just the state that should be looking inward for answers. Despite the multiple reports on the incident and revelations on a growing homeless population reported in both Island papers, there doesn’t seem to be any urgency from Island towns to make sure there is a place for the homeless this summer, or a permanent winter shelter going forward. That’s a shame. While Harbor Homes provides services in the summer months, we can’t be leaning squarely on one nonprofit to make a difference. This is an Island-wide, municipal and humanitarian problem.
As we detailed in last week’s paper, two reports conducted by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, with help from consultants, found that because of the lack of an effort by local towns, the homeless issue on the Island has only gotten worse. The report, called the “2024 M.V. Housing Needs Assessment,” cites the absence of any county health department or collaboration among town health departments. The report further calls for a more robust response for services.
Talking to local boards of health confirms the remarks in the study. Town health officials, more likely focused on local issues like septic systems and restaurant inspections, are more reactive to the homelessness issue than proactive.
All the while, the homeless population has grown. In 2023, the commission study found there were 120 unhoused individuals, compared with 150 on any given day in 2024. And the report indicates that many are working individuals.
A second, supplemental study from the commission also points to why Harbor Homes has had difficulty finding a permanent location. There is restrictive zoning, or not a specific area on the Island that is designated for a homeless shelter. There are also infrastructure problems. Oak Bluffs officials denied a recent request because there wasn’t enough wastewater capacity for the facility.
Perhaps more obvious and unfortunate, there has been pushback from residents living near proposed areas against hosting a shelter. We are hopeful that the Vineyard would rise above “not in my backyard” attitudes, but unfortunately that has not been the case.
Finding a solution for both of these issues will not be easy. And we’d be remiss not to mention that there have at least been efforts to address the housing crisis on the Island.
But we worry that towns are hiding from the homelessness issue rather than taking it full-on. And that’s problematic. We need to come together to have a full, public discussion on the issue. Can we find a space where Harbor Homes can safely and effectively serve our most vulnerable — preferably somewhere that is close to a bus route and other services? Does the Island want to host a year-round, homeless shelter? And by whom and how would that be managed?
These are all pertinent questions that need to be answered, and Vineyard towns should rally as soon as possible to address them.
