Eight Cities and Towns Join Forces to Address Homelessness

Special to The Advocate

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.

“None of our cities would be able to provide these services on our own,” said Mayor Gary Christenson of Malden, who announced the initiative today during his annual State of the City address. “Only together can we respond with the care, compassion, and capacity that these most vulnerable residents need. I’m grateful to the mayors and managers of our partner cities for their continued commitment to this vital work.”

The services will be available in Malden, Arlington, Chelsea, Everett, Medford, Melrose, Revere, and Winthrop, 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 are proud to be a part of this collaborative effort as it underscores our commitment and dedication to providing vital services and support to individuals and families most in need,” said Jim Feeney, Arlington’s Town Manager. “Through joint efforts like this, we are not only offering a lifeline to those in crisis but also building a stronger community where everyone has an opportunity to thrive.”

“Vulnerable populations are experiencing unprecedented difficulties when it comes to accessing social services that help them overcome the hardships they are going through,” said Fidel Maltez, Chelsea’s City Manager. “Unfortunately, this reality exceeds cities borders, so I am proud of Chelsea for joining this collaborative effort to serve the most in need in our region.”

“As government officials, it is our duty to respond to the needs of all residents,” said Mayor Carlo DeMaria of Everett. “Far too often, it is those with the greatest need for support that are overlooked in the allocation of resources. 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.”

“No one should be questioning where they will be sleeping at night, yet too many people throughout our region are forced into this situation regularly,” said Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn of Medford. “Thanks to this joint partnership led by Mayor Christenson, we’ll be able to better support those in need and get them the services and resources they need.”

“The City of Melrose is grateful for this regional partnership which will provide critical services to residents in our community and in our neighboring communities,” said Mayor Jen Grigoraitis of Melrose. “Supporting our most vulnerable residents doesn’t end at our city line, and my staff and I look forward to working with 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.”

“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.”

The program is scheduled to launch in April.