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December 2005/January 2006
According to Diane Montgomery, Framingham Center Manager, the extreme makeover of a long-unused building on the Massachusetts Conference’s Framingham property will be completed and ready for occupants in February. Based on a vote at the 2004 Annual Meeting, Scudder House has been leased to the South Middlesex Opportunity Council for renovation and use as transitional housing for twelve women in recovery from substance abuse.
“Scudder House has taken on an exciting life of its own since construction began last July,” said Montgomery. “In addition to the support of the Massachuetts Conference, Plymouth Church of Framingham and the Worcester Area Missionary Society, nearby residents have welcomed the program into their community and are offering their help.”
In September, neighbors were invited to a community meeting to learn about the project. After having their questions answered and concerns addressed, neighbors offered to donate clothes and help residents with resumes. According to Montgomery, one attendee commented that it was wonderful that there were people who were helping those less fortunate to reclaim their lives. That same individual plans to donate clothes and make welcome baskets for the residents.
“Just this past week, I received a call from a neighbor who was unable to attend the meeting,” says Montgomery. “Her daughter had just celebrated her thirteenth birthday by inviting twenty girlfriends to her home for a party. In lieu of presents, she asked her friends to bring toiletries for the women who will be moving into this home. Later, her mother delivered a huge supply of shampoos, soaps, deodorants, and dental care products. The women moving into Scudder House are fortunate to be surrounded by such good-hearted, compassionate neighbors!”
The women who will move into the new Scudder House will be supported through counseling efforts as they work their way toward self-sufficiency. The women are expected to stay anywhere between six and eighteen months, depending on individual needs before they move out on their own.