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James Goodwin, Center for Human Development present and CEO, speaks during an editorial board meeting with The Republican. Looking on is Jane Banks, program director for the agency's Homelessness Services Programs, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015.

(The Republican photo by / Greg Saulmon )

SPRINGFIELD — The Center for Human Development, which has been embroiled in a dispute with Mayor Domenic J. Sarno over its practice of placing homeless families in shared apartments, has defended its reputation and has urged an end to the "war" with Sarno.

Several representatives of the private, nonprofit agency, known as CHD, met with the editorial board of The Republican, touting its 43-year history and successes in helping the disadvantaged, including its record of providing a wide range of social service, mental health and behavioral health programs to approximately 20,000 people annually in the region.

Since its inception in 1972, CHD has grown to 1,700 employees with annual operating revenues of $75.5 million, including a $60 million payroll, primarily funded through contracts and grants, said Jim Goodwin, president and chief executive officer.

"So we're a big impact organization in the area," Goodwin said. "And we are really proud of the organization. To me it's really an honor to be the president of CHD. It's an extraordinary organization."

CHD's relations with Sarno and his top advisors, however, took a dramatic turn for the worse recently when Sarno accused CHD of "dumping" homeless families on the city.

Regarding the request to "end the war," Sarno said Friday that the idea is "fine and dandy, but I am going to continue to fight to protect and enhance our neighborhoods."

The concentration of dozens of homeless families in the lower Forest Park area by CHD and HAPHousing has been an unfair burden on the city, strained the schools and city services, and has added "poverty on top of poverty," Sarno said earlier.

CHD officials said the facts tell otherwise.

There are going to be homeless families in Springfield, and they can be left either without support services, or with services such as those provided through CHD to help them improve their lives, Goodwin said.

"We are all in the same boat, we are trying to end homelessness ultimately," Goodwin said.

CHD provides shared apartments in Springfield, known as co-sheltering, to 120 families, according to CHD statistics. Of 120 families, 74 are from Springfield, the CHD statistics state.

The state confirmed recently that the number of homeless families placed in Springfield apartments and congregate housing has doubled in one year, from 152 families in January 2014, rising to 302 families last month.

CHD officials estimated that 70 percent of the homeless families originate from Springfield.

Meanwhile, 70 homeless families from Springfield are currently being housed in hotels and motels outside of Springfield, (in Holyoke, Greenfield and Chicopee)," CHD reports.

The homeless housing program is a very small part of programs provided by CHD, Goodwin said. The organization has about 70 programs in the region including adult mental health services, substance abuse services, nine outpatient behavioral health clinics, elder services, foster care, family stabilization, juvenile justice services, and developmental disabilities services.

The homeless issue is a serious issue statewide and in the region, and CHD officials defended their strategies including the statewide effort to rely on hotels and motels for temporary housing that can stretch for many months.

State Sen. James Welch, D-Springfield, is seeking to have city officials, state housing officials and CHD to meet in Boston, to try to resolve the dispute over homeless housing. Severe snowstorms have delayed the meeting.

Evan Plotkin, CHD's board chairman, said he hopes for the mayor's support.

Plotkin said he is proud of the positive changes that CHD can bring to the people served by its program, and believes it makes Springfield and other communities a better place.

The state is striving to get homeless families out of motels, and into less expensive and more suitable temporary housing, CHD officials said. The three state-preferred programs are scattered site apartments, congregate housing and co-sheltering (typically two families in one apartment with separate bedrooms).

CHD officials said their homeless programs include services that promote their stability.

In the case of congregate housing (shared space, separate bedrooms), and co-sheltering, there is staff in the building around the clock, said Jane Banks, CHD program director for homeless services.

CHD officials also said they are proud of efforts to get families into permanent housing, and also proud of their efforts to divert families from the emergency shelter system.

Last year, CHD was able to place 114 families in permanent housing and all 114 are still in there, Goodwin said. In the last four years, CHD has a 98 percent success rate.

There are 5,000 homeless families in the state, and about 320 in Springfield.

There are 93 homeless children in the Springfield schools from the CHD program, but just 23 did not originate in Springfield, Goodwin said.

When a family comes in for emergency assistance, there is a strong effort to help them stay in their old apartment or with family, such as providing them with up to $6,000 in financial assistance to pay off their rent arrears, Banks said. Since September, the agency has been able to prevent nearly 70 percent of families seeking emergency shelter from ending up in shelters or motels.

For those in need of temporary housing, decisions are made on where they will go based the family circumstances including the assistance they need, the number of children, and if they should go to congregate housing or an apartment, or a shared apartment, officials said.

Banks said a key to the homeless housing program is that CHD has family care workers and other staff to assist the families with their needs and stabilization. That includes help with a re-housing plan, workforce development, childcare, education needs, and how to save money and increase income, as well as referrals to clinical services and making sure the children are getting medical and dental care.

There are benefits to Springfield, CHD said.

Of the 1,700 CHD employees, 550 live in Springfield. Full time employees are offered health insurance and pension benefits.

The bulk of the funds received by CHD, 79.5 percent, comes from contracts and grants, while 16.4 percent coming from outpatient clinical services. Private donations are about 1.3 percent of its revenue.

The system to help homeless families includes efforts to divert them the shelter system, including providing them with assistance to stay in their current housing including funds to pay rent arrears, Goodwin said.

Banks said communities such as Northampton, are creating affordable housing, which helps to reduce reliance on the emergency housing program.