Fighting homelessness in Georgetown

GEORGETOWN, Del. – Since its opening in January 2023, the Springboard Village in Georgetown has seen more than 120 people experiencing homelessness pass through its program.

The location has 40 individual units, but what they’re trying to accomplish goes farther than just a roof over someone’s head.

“We haven’t eradicated homelessness, but we’ve made a huge impact on it. We’ve demonstrated a positive, proactive approach to helping,” said Judson Mallone, co-founder of The Springboard Collaborative. The pallet village model can be found across the country, but even so, there’s still been a learning curve for everyone involved over their 16 months of operation. Figuring out how to meet people where they are has been a significant lesson: “Some are going to be dealing with some pretty significant issues before they can make progress. And others only just need a little help and then they’ll move on.”

For participant Eunice Carter, that approach has gotten her the care she needs for both her mental and physical health: “They helped me get hooked up with a counselor and helped me get hooked up with a primary care doctor. All that good stuff.”

Mallone and Carter both said that there is a sense of urgency–there is a feeling of purpose. The springboard village is not the final destination for participants.

“We are willing to get the help. We are willing to do what it takes to be able to go back into society,” said Carter.

Some have raised concerns that the pallet village has brought more individuals experiencing homelessness to Georgetown, but Mallone said multiple tent cities in the area have shrank over the past year.

Looking to the future, Mallone said that his hope is for the state legislature to recognize and define their model as an entity in the health care system.

But one challenge still remains: fighting the stigma of homelessness in the public eye. “We’re still human regardless. We were just like everybody else,” Carter said.