Amherst College gift helps provide rides for homeless

By Scott Merzbach
Staff Writer

Published on January 09, 2009

Money earned by Amherst College from movie director Mel Gibson's shoot last year is now paying, in a new program, to transport homeless people living in Amherst to warm lodging in Northampton, as well as periodically providing them temporary motel rooms.

With temperatures dipping well below freezing most recent nights, the town of Amherst, through its Community Development Department, has begun providing the free taxi service.

"Fundamentally, what we're doing is offering, to those homeless who notified our related social service agencies, a ride to the shelter in Northampton," said Town Manager Larry Shaffer. The town also used a portion of the money to rent rooms for homeless people last weekend at the Amherst Motel.

The money to pay for these rides and rooms comes from money donated to the town by Amherst College, which it collected from Gibson for use of its property for filming "Edge of Darkness."

The locations that Gibson used included the former Strategic Air Command bunker near the Notch off Route 116.

Amherst College donated $40,000 to divide equally among social services, with $10,000 to both the Senior Center and Community Development Department, and $20,000 to the schools.

Shaffer said the human service network is responsible for making homeless individuals aware of the service, through social workers at the Center for Human Development and Homeless Outreach and notifications at places where homeless people go, such as the Amherst Survival Center and Not Bread Alone.

On New Year's Eve, two homeless people took advantage of the new transportation system. Celebrity Taxi Service was contacted to provide the free rides. A man who answered the phone at Celebrity Cab Co. said the company charges $20 for a one-way trip from the center of Amherst to downtown Northampton. The company is a private service licensed by the town.

Barb Craig, a counselor at the Interfaith Homeless Cot Shelter, said that with the recent cold weather, many homeless people are seeking the lodging at night.

"We are definitely filled to capacity," Craig said. "Sometimes when the temperature is dipping low, we're above and beyond capacity."

But Craig said not everyone can be guaranteed one of the 20 beds available, except those who are already established. When weather conditions are particularly harsh, the shelter has couches it makes available for the overflow.

Occasionally people will leave the shelter, freeing up beds, including one man who recently left through the Job Corps program.

The shelter opens each night at 6 p.m. and closes at 7 a.m. The shelter is open from Nov. 1 through April 30.

Other portions of the money given by Amherst College will be used to provide up to $300 in emergency fuel assistance and rental assistance for Amherst residents.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.