ANEW Place steps in to run transitional housing program

New management will step in to run a transitional housing program in Burlington.

We told you back in March that Independence Place was closing at the end of June. The Lund Family Center operated the program on Mansfield Avenue for 20 years but couldn't keep going after they lost a quarter-of-a-million dollars in funding from the state.

The program helps families battling addiction transition to independent living.

Recently, ANEW Place-- a Burlington-based organization helping the homeless-- stepped up to help take it over. Executive Director Kevin Pounds told us they're in the middle of a fundraising campaign right now to raise the $36,000 they'll need to cover costs for the rest of the year.

"I know people look at that and they go, 'Oh, $36,000 for six months.' You can do the math, that's 72,000 over the course of a year. But if that keeps people from reentering the cycle of homelessness, that's well worth it. And we look at that as being something that year after year, we're able to take more and more people through that program and help them escape that cycle," Pounds said.

The program houses seven people at a time with an average stay of one to two years.

ANEW place will be co-managing the space with Cathedral Square starting July 1.