New Bedford Connect brings free help for people facing homelessness to the YMCA on Wednesday

NEW BEDFORD People in New Bedford who are homeless, or close to losing their housing, can find a range of agencies and volunteers in one place Wednesday, Oct. 21, when New Bedford Connect returns to the YMCA at 25 South Water St. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and its organizer, Rise Up for Homes, says "direct services will be provided on site, free of charge to all seeking assistance."

Rise Up for Homes, a campaign of the Bristol County Continuum of Care, describes the day on its program page as a one-day annual event for individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of it. Its event listing shows agency participation at full capacity, and volunteer sign-up for the day is also marked full.

What will be there

Walt's Mobile Closet, a nonprofit that brings free clothing to food pantries, shelters and other community sites along the South Coast, will run a pop-up shop of free adult clothing, shoes and toiletries at the event, according to its own event listing. The day will also include health screenings, haircuts, and breakfast and lunch, Fun 107 reported Monday.

Organizers are also working with the Registry of Motor Vehicles to offer free state IDs to eligible attendees, the Standard-Times reported Tuesday, and those seeking one should bring identification and any required paperwork. People living in temporary or transitional housing need RMV affidavit forms completed by the agency that provides their housing services, the report said.

Some other help in the city also requires identification. The downtown New Bedford YMCA offers showers on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. to people who show a valid state ID or a police verification form, and several food pantries in the city ask for a photo ID, according to the continuum's 2026 resource sheet for Greater New Bedford.

Why the event exists

On a single night in 2024, more than 345 people in New Bedford were counted as homeless, either living on the street or staying in an emergency or transitional shelter, according to Rise Up for Homes, which cites the annual point-in-time count. Across the Bristol County Continuum of Care, which covers all of Bristol County except Fall River, the count passed 1,045 people. Of those, 161 had no shelter at all, and 110 of them were in New Bedford.

The campaign was started by members of New Bedford's Homeless Service Providers Network and became part of the countywide continuum when the rest of the county merged into the New Bedford network, the group says. The Inter-Church Council of Greater New Bedford handles the money it raises, and the continuum's executive committee decides how it is spent. The first New Bedford Connect was held at the New Bedford YMCA on Sept. 30, 2016, according to the group's event archive and its news page.

The campaign also raises money for the Cold Weather Overflow Shelter, run by Catholic Charities of the Fall River Diocese and Steppingstone Inc. Last winter it offered 30 beds in 15 units at a local motel from Nov. 15 to March 30, opening on nights at or below 28 degrees or in severe weather such as a blizzard, the group's website says. As of Tuesday evening the site had not posted dates for this winter.

Help on other days

Anyone in the Greater New Bedford area who is sleeping outside, in a car or in another place not meant for living can call Coordinated Entry at 508-501-0900, according to the continuum's resource sheet, revised in May. For shelter the same night, the sheet lists Sister Rose for men at 508-997-3202, the same number it gives for youth and young adults, and Grace House for women at 774-628-9743. Families with children under 18, and pregnant women, must call the state's Emergency Housing Assistance Program at 866-584-0653, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Women's Center's 24-hour domestic violence hotline is 508-999-6636, and the Mass 211 call center is reached by dialing 211.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.