Greater Lynn Senior Services

This emergency fund allows GLSS team of caring, compassionate case managers to provide quick, meaningful assistance to low-income clients needing help with unusual or unexpected expensesthe kinds of emergencies that occur in everyones life but that can have a devastating effect on people living on low or fixed incomes struggling to maintain their independence. Over the years, the fund has helped countless people by providing for things like food and groceries, moving expenses, beds and mattresses, air conditioners, eyeglasses, assistive devices, and much more. The fund was established by former Executive Director Vince Lique and his wife Kathy and later renamed in his memory.

Like the Lique Living Legacy Fund, the Emergency Fuel Assistance Fund provides assistance to people age 60 and older who are living on the edge, needing to make difficult decisions about whether to pay the heating bill or buy groceries and other necessities in the face of rising energy costs.

Every weekday, Monday-Friday, Meals on Wheels delivers a hot nutritious meal to hundreds of residents age 60 and older, who are homebound or otherwise unable to prepare a meal for themselves. Meals can be medically tailored to meet specific dietary needs. An important secondary positive impact of Meals on Wheels delivery is the daily human interaction it provides, in some cases alerting case managers or family members to potential emergency situations.

The Mobile Mental Health Program is a compassionate, pioneering effort that delivers a range of critical mental health services to the most vulnerable in our communities and integrates them into the home environment. As the first of its kind in Massachusetts, the program concentrates on elders who are unable to access traditional out-patient mental health services and provides counseling services to address issues such as anxiety, depression, and grief/loss. The programs counselors provide ongoing psychosocial assessments, therapy, and support to elders as needed. It has been nationally recognized with the Deirdre Johnston Award for Excellence and Innovation in Geriatric Outreach Services by the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry. The program is now also recognized more broadly in the community as an important behavioral health resource for elders who are primarily homebound, including people who are at risk of substance use/abuse.

Each year our housing advocates find safe, affordable housing for people age 60 and older, including many who have lost their homes. Housing advocates help relocate elders who have been displaced or are in jeopardy of eviction by working to resolve landlord-tenant conflicts. This unique program received an Achievement Award from the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a).

GLSS Family Abuse Program serves men and women age 50 and older who have experienced abuse by an intimate partner, spouse, or adult child or grandchild. The program empowers these adults by respecting, listening, empathizing, advocating, counseling, offering support groups with others in similar circumstances, and creating a safe place to heal and grow. Through partnerships with regional councils on aging, domestic violence/sexual assault agencies, and other area agencies on agingthe program serves residents living in communities throughout the North Shore and Cape Ann and provides access to medical care, legal intervention/consultation, personal advocacy, interagency service coordination, individual and group counseling, group support, in-home visits, personal care services (for disabled clients), housing, transportation, and emergency shelter.

GLSS Caregiver program provides critical counseling and other supports to people helping to care for a family memberan aging parent or spouse, an adult child living with disabilities, or grandparents raising grandchildren. One quarter of American familiesor roughly 54 million peopleare caregivers, providing billions of dollars in unpaid care assistance. The program helps to find ways for caregivers to cope with the strains and stresses of caregiving, with special attention on the needs of people caring for a family member living with memory challenges. Specific services include in-home assessments; information and referral to other services; one-on-one counseling and support groups; education and training; and assistance finding and paying for respite care.