A Part of the Community
Bay Cove Director of Advocacy Charles Hollins and Davida Andelman, President of the Bowdoin-Geneva Neighborhood Association in Dorchester.
Since its earliest days as an agency, Bay Cove has specialized in providing services to people in the community. Our agency was among the first human services providers in Massachusetts involved in the deinstitutionalization of men and women with developmental and/or psychiatric disabilities. As state hospitals and facilities across the Commonwealth closed in favor of a treatment model that saw people moving into residences based within neighborhoods, Bay Cove was one of the pioneers leading the charge.
Today, we operate more than 100 group residences which serve people with a wide range of needs, and with differing levels of staff supervision. We take pride in operating houses that are truly homes—homes that immerse people in a community where they can feel comfortable and contribute to the culture of the place where they live.
“When Bay Cove initially establishes a program in a community like Dorchester, Roxbury, Taunton, or wherever, we’re initially seen as someone who ‘came into the neighborhood’ and took up residence,” says Charles Hollins, Bay Cove’s Director of Advocacy. “But, you know, we ALL are that person at some point. And we have people who’ve lived in our houses—for years, decades even. The individuals we serve sometimes come from that very neighborhood and have historical ties, or in time they come to see themselves as being from the neighborhood, just like everyone else does.”
Among Charles’ responsibilities at Bay Cove comes a central role in working within communities when a new agency program is sited—answering questions that neighbors may have about who will be served by the program, how many people will be living and working there, and what sort of impact the program will have on neighborhood quality of life issues, such as noise, traffic, parking, and so on.
Once the program opens, Charles’ connection to the neighborhood only intensifies, as he remains a continuing presence in the neighborhood—attending community meetings, responding to any questions or issues that may be presented by neighbors, and working with local constituents (residential and business neighbors, local legislators and others) to ensure that all parties involved are being heard, and getting what they need from each other. It’s all part of Bay Cove’s commitment to being the best neighbor we can be—a commitment the agency has made since its inception.
“My first experience with Bay Cove was with [former Bay Cove CEO] Stan Connors,” recalls Davida Andelman, President of the Bowdoin-Geneva Neighborhood Association in Dorchester. “When they wanted to open the Hamilton Street program, one of the first things he did was come to the Association to have a conversation about dual diagnoses programs, and what Bay Cove was trying to do to care for people who had a combination of significant challenges. Stan had a way about him—he very compellingly made the case for the program, and it created support.”
Davida, who was still in the early days of her work with the neighborhood association at that time, had already seen other human services agencies establish programs locally. “There were already a significant number of community-based programs—the need was great even back then—but also too many examples of a program opening up, with the community having no idea who was moving in,” she recalls. “I found it refreshing, even then, that Bay Cove was always about talking to the communities [where their programs were located]. I can say, from experience, that this is not true of all agencies.”
Charles knows from experience that the news that Bay Cove—or any human service agency—wants to open a program in a residential neighborhood can be met with skepticism at best, and sometimes straight-on hostility. The expectation—and misconception—is that a program serving people with mental illness, intellectual disabilities and/or substance use disorder is likely to increase challenges within a community. A big part of overcoming that, Charles has found, is to ensure that Bay Cove programs, once sited, become engaged and communicative members of the community.
“Whatever happens in the neighborhoods where our programs are located should matter to us as much, and be as important to us, as it is to any other neighbor—we try to never lose sight of that,“ Charles says. “I feel that our regular attendance at monthly community meetings is critical, because there’s SO much that you miss when you’re not connected to the pulse of the neighborhood.”
Engagement and presence isn’t enough to be considered a good neighbor, of course. Accountability and responsiveness to community issues is critical, and Davida feels Bay Cove understands that well. “It says a lot to me when an agency addresses issues that develop. It’s always good to have someone with good communication, good follow up and who inspires a sense of trust—whether it’s an agency, or a business, or another community organization. That’s how relationships build, and it’s absolutely key.”
“One thing about Davida is that she’s fair, and always has been,” Charles adds. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a politician or an agency planning to site a program—if what you’re proposing is going to impact the neighborhood in a negative way, she’s going to let you know. The things that matter most to her: is this going to help the neighborhood, and did everybody have a say? That’s the framework and foundation she comes from. And that’s a process we always want to contribute to.”
The years of mutual respect and understanding between Davida and Charles came to pay incredibly valuable dividends when a neighbor reached out to Davida seeking treatment for a relative in dire need. “I knew of this young man who was in need of intervention for substance use disorder issues—I frequently get calls from people looking for help,” says Davida. “In this case, I knew I could reach out to Charles, and he connected me with the precise information on who to contact in order to get this man help and admission to an inpatient program. My experience with Bay Cove and Charles gave me confidence that they could get him what he needed, rather than him just getting caught in the system.”
“I had the opportunity to talk with this gentleman, help him address his apprehension and fear, and answer his questions about what these services are like,” says Charles. “When people have to do this all by themselves, I can see how people get frustrated and abandon the process. It can be difficult to navigate. I was able to follow up with him at each step—it was transformational for him. It was an honor to be of help to him, and to show that we’re ready to be a resource to people and to provide help to neighbors who need it.”
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