General Overview
Martin House, Inc. provides affordable, single-room occupancy housing, with support. We have staff on-site 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Martin House serves 54 adults, both men and women, 18 years and older. Most residents have experienced mental health, substance use disorder, homelessness and poverty. Residents pay a program fee that includes room, board, utilities and 24-hour staff on-site. Three prepared meals per day are offered cafeteria style. If a resident chooses to have a landline phone and cable in their room, the cost is extra and billed to them directly. Individual rooms are furnished with a twin bed, nightstand, lamp, bureau and chair. Residents may choose to purchase a small refrigerator, coffeepot and microwave for their room. Each room has one small closet. Martin House is a smoke-free environment. Smoking is allowed outside the building in two designated areas.
There are three levels of housing support within Martin House. Recovery for Life (RFL), provides the highest level of support. Adults transferring from network residential programs are eligible for this program. Referrals are made through the Southeastern Mental Health Authority. Residents will learn self-care skills, how to socialize, manage leisure time activities, make informed physical and mental health decisions, and explore education or employment. Upon completion of RFL, residents may transfer to Transitions. This program within Martin House assists residents in bridging the gap between more traditional programs that require residents move to another facility when they are doing well. Transitions will work collaboratively with other network providers to ensure residents maintain skills learned in RFL without loss of housing. Housing Supports is the most independent program within Martin House. Residents must be independent regarding their self-care needs. Expectations for good hygiene, having a safe, organized room and the ability to relate to others who live in the program are requirements.
All residents are asked to participate in the upkeep of the facility and may be asked to perform duties including dining room set up, dishes, cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming common areas, etc., as well as keeping up their private area. Room inspections are done weekly.
The average length of stay is four to five years. Martin House views itself as a place for adults who have committed to improving their lives. We offer the framework for residents to work on skills that support their move to greater independence and their own apartments.
Guests may visit seven days per week, between the hours of 9 am to 11 pm. Medication administration is available and provided by nursing personnel. Residents who are prescribed medications are asked to address any medication questions to their prescribers. Each resident is asked to participate in productive activity of their choosing. Work and volunteering are examples of these.
Our Vision
Martin House is a residential program that provides supportive services to 54 individuals who were homeless or threatened with homelessness due primarily to mental health conditions.
Because of Martin House, the men and women we serve have an opportunity to rebuild their lives while residing in a dignified, empowering community and develop a foundation from which to go on to secure permanent housing.
Our Values
Each individual who lives at Martin House is offered an community that will promote respect, personal growth, self-determination, and opportunity.
People interested in living at Martin House are just like you and me. They have had the misfortune of experiencing a mental illness, an addiction, poverty or homelessness, frequently all areas mentioned. Many individuals are coping with symptoms of a physical illness or a developmental disorder while at the same time experiencing symptoms of mental illness and/or addiction. We value each and every life regardless of their life experiences. Secure housing serves as a foundation from which each person can begin their road to recovery.
Our History
Martin House was founded in 1982 in response to the growing number of homeless men and women in the Norwich - New London area because of discharges from the Norwich Hospital due to deinstitutionalization.
The State of Connecticut made available an empty building on the Norwich Hospital Campus. Area non-profits were solicited on ideas for the use of this building. The Martin House proposal was accepted to house people of low income, the majority of whom have histories mental illness. Martin House proposed to provide a residence, three meals a day and support services to the people it served.
In August, 1998, with the closing of Norwich Hospital, Martin House moved to the Uncas on Thames campus after a multi-million dollar renovation of an abandoned building. We now occupy this building.
Through the years Martin House has served over 800 adult men and women. We have served people from 18 years of age to their late 80's. The majority of residents are in their 40's and 50's.
Upon leaving Martin House, most people move into their own apartment.