More than 400 adults and families living in Knox County alone are homeless with few viable support options.  They might be visible—a person living outside in a makeshift shelter or a mother and child sleeping in a car at night.  Or they might be invisible—a teen couch surfing at a friends or a mother and child staying in a safe house.

In either case these people need help. One of the options is The Hospitality House in Rockport, ME.  The help they provide is not just a place to stay, but a way for people to get back on their feet.

Here is just one of the stories:

Alyssa and Justin have been best friends for almost half of their 20 years. They were married on Valentine’s Day.

Both had jobs at residences for the elderly, serving meals, when the minimum wage salary no longer covered their rent. “We were hopping couches,” Justin says.

Alyssa was put in touch with, a case manager at the Hospitality House. “He called us back the next day and said he found us an [affordable] apartment,” Alyssa says. “The minute we walked in there,” Justin adds, “it was 30 pounds off each shoulder.”

Now, we are helping Justin get into a welding program and Alyssa become certified as a nursing assistant. “When we desperately need something for Skyler, we call Hospitality House,” Justin said. “They brings us food when we don’t have any, will give us rides, and the other day they brought us a big ol’ bag of diapers.”

Our guest on Friday, December 18, 2015 was Stephanie Primm, Executive Director for Knox County Homeless Coalition and Hospitality House.  The show was broadcast on WRFR Community Radio, Channel 7 Time Warner Maine Coast TV, and streamed live on www.mainecoast.tv/streaming, 8:00-9:00 a.m. EST.