The mission of The Pettengill House, the social service provider headquartered in Salisbury, is multifaceted.
Each day staff at Pettengill House, organized in 1994, support, empower and coordinate community and state services, provide basic needs and emergency assistance, and offer prevention education and case management services for those in need.
Offering services to Salisbury, Amesbury, Newburyport, Merrimac, West Newbury, Newbury/Byfield, Rowley and Groveland, Pettengill House staff help 2,500 individuals, children and families.
Recently, Pettengill House held a capacity forum to address the growing needs of those in the region, Executive Director Deborah Smith said. The goal of the forum was to determine the primary needs within the local communities it serves, identify duplicate services and gaps in the social service safety net, and formulate recommendations to resolve outstanding issues.
Sponsored by Anna Jaques Hospital, the half-day forum was attended by 83 people from across the region, including representatives from counseling and social service agencies, local and state government officials, school authorities, representatives from faith communities, service organization and emergency personnel.
The day was very productive, according to Smith, but more work will be done with information learned at the forum. Next, the data accumulated will be distributed, Smith said, and, where needed, resolutions developed to address unfilled needs.
Pettengill House is a nonprofit community social service agency that is funded through grants, private donations and contracts with state agencies.
For more information on Pettengill House, visit its Web site at www.pettengillhouse.org.
Pettengill House may be contacted by calling 979-463-8801 or by visiting or writing to The Pettengill House, P.O. Box 5551, 13 Lafayette Road, Salisbury, MA 01952
