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months. These homeless are also housed in the Bristol Women's Shelter and Briston Men's Shelter in Waltham. The number of low income and assisted rental units in Lexington falls far below the level of annual demand. When the Battle Green Innis demolished within the year, there will be no short-term shelter placements available in town. 3.There is a large Career Place agency in Arlington, which provides a clearinghouse on jobs, job counseling and training, and related services. Employers in the Metro Northwest area are heavy participants in this agency and its use by unemployed individuals, including those from Lexington, is great. 4. A large Clothing Exchange in Waltham provides free clothing to persons from Lexington, and there is a small supply maintained at St. Bridget's Church as well. Houses of worship in Lexington maintain and dispense discretionary funds to poor and disconnected persons who telephone them and call on them, but we could not learn the scale of these funds, which is kept quite private. Our best estimate is that the churches and synagogues assist about 50 persons each year. S.Coordination between departments, school system units, and private agencies is, we believe, exceptionally fragmented and weak. Many town professionals are earnest in seeking to help persons in need, to be sure, but many of those in need do not know where to turn and the various agents are not in systematic or coordinated touch with one another. The lead agency is of course the Department of Social Services, whose very small staff work hard to meet local needs. The department is housed within the Lexington Senior Center. Persons in need sometimes do not know to locate the Center. Teachers and guidance counselors in the public schools face many of the parents and students with urgent needs but expressed uncertainty about where to turn for collaborative help in town. ~n