A legacy of compassion; Firefighter's son helps homeless.

Byline: Jay Whearley

WORCESTER - His father's advice was deeply felt and repeated time and again.

Never hesitate to help others help themselves, he would say to Patrick: For reasons impossible to explain, you'll benefit at least as much as the recipient of your time, effort or generosity.

Patrick T. Spencer recalls countless times he witnessed his dad follow through with the credo, be it coaching Little Leaguers, assisting a neighbor or co-worker, or just helping a stranger in need of a hand.

Sometime in April, the like-father-like-son adage will be evidenced yet again when Patrick and others stand in front of the three-story stucco dwelling at 62 Elm St. and formally dedicate the Lt. Tommy Spencer House, the first residence to open as part of the Home Again initiative fighting chronic homelessness in the city. The name of the facility honors the memory of Lt. Thomas E. Spencer, Patrick's father and one of the six Worcester firefighters who perished in the Dec. 3, 1999, inferno at an abandoned warehouse on Franklin Street.

The tragedy was caused by two homeless people who had knocked over a candle they were using for light in the dark, cavernous building. The pair, a man with mental illness and a young woman who is mentally retarded, safely fled the warehouse, but dozens of city firefighters, knowing squatters frequented the site, went inside to search for them and were met with noxious fumes, smoke so thick they couldn't navigate the building, and flames fanning temperatures that exceeded 1,100 degrees.

Young Mr. Spencer frequently hears that homelessness is a cause he easily could be forgiven for ignoring altogether. He never pays attention, he says, because he can't shake the lesson instilled by his old man.

Overseen by Community Healthlink and funded by a $587,655 grant and low-interest loans from the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts, Home Again pools the resources of several local agencies and shelters. It differs from the many existing local homeless shelters by providing in-house or immediate access to counseling, health care, and education programs such as job training and developing basic life skills.

The goal, according to Health Foundation President Jan B. Yost, isn't to relieve the problem of homelessness in the area; it's to eradicate it. She isn't being overly optimistic, she insists, but bases her confidence on the success of similar "wrap-around" programs elsewhere that work with homeless individuals on a practically round-the-clock basis to put them back on their feet and supporting themselves.

"It's a whole new way of treating homelessness," Ms. Yost said.

Community Healthlink CEO Deborah J. Ekstrom said that the facility at first will house three or four people, increasing to 14 once all renovations are complete. Screening is under way to determine the first occupants, she said.

They will meet the federal definition of a chronically-homeless person: "An unaccompanied adult who is 18 or older with a disabling condition and who has either been homeless continuously for a year or more, or has had at least four episodes of homelessness in the last three years."

One-hundred twenty-six people in Worcester have been identified as chronically homeless - in layman's terms, "the people who need the PIP (People in Peril) Shelter," Ms. Ekstrom said - and are the focus of Home Again. Whether at the Spencer House or future group residences or individual apartments yet to open, all chronically homeless people in the city will have access to the program, which eventually expects to work with about 30 individuals each year.

In addition, a small number of people - 10 or so at a time - considered on the verge of chronic homelessness will be accepted. All must agree to pay back to the program 30 percent of any income they receive, such as welfare or disability assistance.

Letters went out yesterday to people who live and work in the neighborhood around the homeless residence, advising them of the plan for 62 Elm St. Ms. Ekstrom is hopeful the objections will be minimal, noting that several years ago, the dwelling was a state Department of Mental Health-funded group home that operated quietly. The neighborhood consists mainly of apartment houses and professional offices.

Interestingly, the homeless residence is directly across the street from the venerable Worcester Club, a private organization with a membership list that includes some the area's wealthiest and most influential residents.

John E. Graham, a CPA and president of the Worcester Club, said he suspects some members "won't be jumping with glee" at the news of the new neighbor. "I hope everyone," he said, "will look at the big picture here and avoid the NIMBY (not in my backyard) mentality."

He's personally highly supportive of the facility; first of all because "anything that eventually could help get rid of the PIP shelter" is worth a try, and second, because of Patrick Spencer's involvement. "He's a very courageous young man to do what he's doing," Mr. Graham said.

Patrick Spencer signed on with the project last year and devotes several hours a week to the tasks associated with it. An engineer by trade, he works as an assistant project manager with Cutler Associates, a large construction and design firm headquartered in the city.

He was "volunteered" to work with the homeless by the Rev. Barbara Merritt of the First Unitarian Church of Worcester, the mother of a good friend, and has had no regrets. Most of the volunteer work with Home Again has been spent trying to figure out the root causes of homelessness and how to conquer it, which includes sitting down and talking at length with those mired in its trap.

One of those interviews was with a woman in her 40s, whom he'd seen many times in and around Elm Park and who fit the stereotype of a "bag lady." She slowly opened up about her life; her abuse as a child, her addictions, her mental illness, every sordid detail.

Patrick Spencer sensed that with the right help, she was a solid candidate to escape homelessness. But as he talked to her he learned of her fear of health care professionals - doctors, counselors, anyone with a title - and her even more deep-seated fear of their offices. She had constantly refused to show up for appointments with them, or bolted whenever she was forced to go. She could probably conquer the former, he figured, but not the latter.

The concept of immediately available treatment in a "wrap-around" center started to click in his mind.

Because of his construction engineering background, he was asked to help with the conversion of the big house at 62 Elm St. With help from fellow Cutler Associates project manager Josh Brandt - "you just can't say `no' to Patrick," Mr. Brandt confides - he's been busy working with contractors and others to get the facility ready.

His only "payment" for his time and work came when he was told by Ms. Yost and Ms. Ekstrom that they wanted to name the place the "Lt. Thomas E. Spencer House." Make it the much less formal "Lt. Tommy Spencer House" and they had a deal, he replied.

"That's the way he was known to his family and friends," the proud son pointed out. "That's the way he should be remembered."

Contact Jay Whearley by e-mail at [e-mail].

ART: PHOTOS

CUTLINE: (1) Patrick T. Spencer of Worcester stands outside 62 Elm St., the first residence for the homeless under the Home Again program started by Community Healthlink and the Health Foundation. (2) Patrick Spencer views one of the rooms inside 62 Elm St., Worcester.

PHOTOG: T&G Staff/TOM RETTIG