Special to the Journal
For the first time, eight communities north of Boston will launch a joint program to provide supportive services and outreach to those who are homeless, at-risk of becoming homeless, or fleeing domestic violence. The new program will serve Malden, Arlington, Chelsea, Everett, Medford, Melrose, Revere, and Winthrop and will respond to incidents of homelessness and provide basic necessities like food and water as well as dedicated case management, housing problem solving, and more to help get people transition from homelessness to stable housing.
The services will be available in the eight communities, which are funding the effort with approximately $1.8 million over four years with federal HOME-ARP funds that the cities collectively receive. The program is being managed by the City of Malden through its Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development, with service delivery from Housing Families and their partner The Neighborhood Developers.
“We look forward to expanding on the continued partnership that we have cultivated with Housing Families in this new iteration of homelessness support,” said Mayor Patrick Keefe of Revere. “We are confident that this program will mesh well into each community’s existing infrastructure and fill in the gaps we know are still occurring. Homelessness and domestic violence don’t recognize traditional city borders, and with this regional approach, we can tackle these issues more collaboratively.”
Malden Mayor Gary Christenson of Malden announced the initiative during his annual State of the City address last week, noting that none of the communities would be able to provide these services on their own.
“Only together can we respond with the care, compassion, and capacity that these most vulnerable residents need,” Christenson said. “I’m grateful to the mayors and managers of our partner cities for their continued commitment to this vital work.”
Chelsea City Manager Fidel Maltez stated that vulnerable populations are experiencing unprecedented difficulties when it comes to accessing social services that help them overcome the hardships they are going through.
“Unfortunately, this reality exceeds city borders, so I am proud of Chelsea for joining this collaborative effort to serve the most in need in our region,” said Maltez.
Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria said that as government officials, it is the duty of the communities’ leaders to respond to the needs of all residents.
“Far too often, it is those with the greatest need for support that are overlooked in the allocation of resources,” said DeMaria. “I am proud to support this initiative to provide wrap-around services for our most-vulnerable populations and I greatly appreciate the collaboration and partnership between the participating municipalities, Housing Families, and The Neighborhood Developers to address such a critical need.”
The program is scheduled to launch in April.
“Housing Families is very excited to broaden the scope of services we are able to offer in our communities for those who are experiencing or at-risk of experiencing homelessness,” said Housing Families, Inc. CEO Laura Rosi. “This program will complement the work we do with both our Homelessness Prevention and Individual Homelessness teams. The street outreach component fills an especially critical area of service in our region.”
