Commentary: Mainspring in Kittery aims to be a one-stop hub for social services

Our nation recently experienced the largest one-year spike in poverty on record. According to the Census Bureau, the number of households living in poverty jumped from 7.8% in 2021 to 12.4% in 2022. Even more unconscionable, the childhood poverty rate more than doubled.  On the Seacoast, we see this in overflowing emergency shelters, years-long waitlists for affordable housing, dramatic increases in people utilizing food pantries, and an overall greater demand for social services.

If the notion is true – and we believe it is – that a community is only as strong as its most vulnerable members, re-imagining the way we support our struggling neighbors is imperative to the future of our beloved towns.

Fortunately, the Seacoast is home to many incredible social service agencies, programs, and resources. Accessing this support, however, has been likened to a “scavenger hunt” by more than a few frustrated clients. Agencies are located across the Seacoast (and beyond), operate at different hours, and utilize distinct intake applications and processes. Seeking help can be a full-time job – on top of employment, raising children, and all of life’s daily tasks. The current system isn’t ideal for the agencies either – or for the promise of long-term impact. Absent a shared client data system and resources to coordinate care, agencies focus on their targeted mission – food, housing, healthcare, etc. – in their own overwhelming silos. Assistance is often incomplete or short-term. And social service workers often burn out as problems worsen despite their care, energy, and dedication.

We need a new way, or better yet, a proven way to solve these problems. This is where Mainspring comes in. Fair Tide and Footprints have come together to develop a one-stop-shop resource hub of social services focused on the long-term solution of helping households navigate the path out of poverty. Community members seeking services will no longer struggle with a fragmented and disjointed system. Instead, they will walk through one door, rightly confident that needed support is within reach. By centering the individual at the heart of our work and supporting the whole person or family – from food to health to housing – Mainspring will offer a partnership to individuals seeking assistance and a path toward stability and upward mobility.Partner agencies and their network of comprehensive programs and resources will benefit from the efficiencies of working collaboratively under one roof. The Mainspring model will improve our social service delivery system through centralized intake, assessment, and coordinated care. Mainspring partners will also utilize a shared data system, leading to a better understanding of any gaps in services, the true needs in our community, and the performance of our interventions.

We are still building out the services that will be offered at Mainspring, but prospective agency partners and programs currently include: Fair Tide and its affordable housing programs, case-management services and thrift store; Footprints Food Pantry with its free grocery store, prepared meals program, nutrition and cooking classes, home delivery, and off-site older resident pantry; York County Community Action and its Community Outreach services and Women Infants and Children (WIC) programs; mental/behavioral health care; medical services and assistance navigating the healthcare system; substance misuse recovery support; municipal General Assistance programs focused on emergency needs such as housing, utilities, and medical/dental care; adult education classes; Seacoast Outright’s LGBTQ+ programming; veteran services; utility support programs providing funds for essential heating costs; Table of Plenty and its weekly community supper; Kittery Holiday Baskets; legal aid; tax preparation; financial literacy classes; computer and printer use; shower facilities; and a daytime warming and cooling center, as needed. Fair Tide is also developing six units of affordable housing at the Mainspring site. This project is fully funded through a grant with MaineHousing and is separate from Mainspring’s $5.45 million capital campaign (currently in progress).

Mainspring will be located at 22 Shapleigh Road in Kittery (the former Kittery Family Practice building) and will serve the entire Seacoast region – from Berwick to York to Portsmouth and beyond. Just as important as the strong partnerships under the Mainspring roof will be the connections to agencies outside the walls of our new hub. Greater collaboration and mutual support will ultimately shorten the lines at all our agencies.

We are working hard to improve upon and tailor this research-based model to best meet the needs of our Seacoast community – and to do so more efficiently. As word has spread, we are hearing from a growing number of agencies, reaching out of their silos, wanting to be a part of the team. If you’d like to learn more, please visit www.mainspringcollective.org to sign up for our monthly newsletter or to contact us. Donations are also welcome. We hope you will read the remaining columns in this series in the weeks ahead.

Mainspring may not be a panacea, but we believe it’s a giant step in the right direction, at the right time, and with the right people.

Emily Flinkstrom, a Kittery resident, is the executive director of Fair Tide. Megan Shapiro-Ross, an Eliot resident, is the executive director of Footprints. They are the co-founders of Mainspring. John Shea, a Kittery resident, is serving as the chair of the Mainspring capital campaign. This is the second in a series of several commentaries.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Commentary: Mainspring in Kittery a one-stop hub for social services