100 Years of Shelter, Housing, and Hope
  FamilyAid Boston 
February Newsletter
 A Letter from our President:

Dear Friend,
 
2016 is a significant year for the FamilyAid Boston community: 100 years ago, our organization was founded as the Travele rs Aid Society of Boston. Though our name has changed over the years, our commitment to helping the most vulnerable people in our community has not. Thanks to the support of friends like you, we now provide shelter, housing, and hope to hundreds of families every year.

We have given much thought to the best way to mark our 100 th anniversary and, more importantly, to using this milestone to make a lasting impact on homeless families. As we looked at our work and talked to the families we serve, the answer quickly became clear. There is a growing family homelessness crisis in our community.  There are more than 1,500 homeless families, including children with no place to call home.  We need more affordable housing in Boston, and more resources to help families who are on the edge return to stability.

With these goals in mind, we are working to raise $1 million in in 2016 to expand our stock of affordable housing and build a Family Stability Fund to help at-risk and homeless families overcome the barriers that keep them from permanent housing. I hope you will join us in making this goal a reality.
 
I invite you to get involved with FamilyAid Boston on a deeper level this year to help us maximize our impact.  Here are some ways you can help: You can donate to our efforts. You can keep informed about the issues faced by homeless families. You can  about family homelessness and our efforts to end it.
 
Thank you for being a partner in our efforts to end family homelessness in our community. Here's to bringing shelter, housing, and hope to many more families in 2016!

Sincerely,



Richard E. Ring
President
Home for the Holidays
FamilyAid Boston's 13th annual Home for the Holidays reception was a great success. We are deeply grateful to Mayor Martin J. Walsh for hosting us at the Parkman House, and to  Speaker Robert DeLeo and our Thomas M. Menino Award recipient, Chairman Kevin Honan.  

We are also grateful to Sylvia Edwards, our courageous speaker, who shared her own experience of homelessness.  Click here to read her powerful speech.

Make sure to check out our Facebook page and Twitter feed for event photos and opportunities to get involved with our 100th anniversary campaign in 2016.

We'd also like to thank our generous sponsors for making the evening possible:
  • Bank of America
  • United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley
  • Boston Capital
  • CORT
  • ZipCar
  • Marla and Larry Curtis
  • CVS Health
  • Karp Family Foundation
  • The McCormack Firm
  • Stop & Shop
  • TD Garden
  • WBUR, In-Kind Media Sponsor
  • CrossHarbor Capital Partners
  • First Republic Bank
  • The Karol Group
  • M&T Bank
  • Wayfair
This week at FamilyAid Boston
Name: Jeannie
Position: Social Worker
Time at FAB: little over a year

This week was good because...
One of the chronically homeless families I work with received the keys to their very own apartment this week.This family, a mother and two children, had been couch-surfing for the past three years, sleeping in two to three different places each week.

A combination of the mother's own hard work and the support services of FamilyAid Boston helped to secure the apartment they now call home.They are currently enrolled in FamilyAid Boston's rapid re-housing program, which  features rental assistance and case management for one year.

Despite their hectic situation, mom was able to hold the same job for the past 8 years and keep her children in school. The best part about this story is that this family can dream again. For the past three years, they've just been surviving. Now they can dream.

This week was hard because...
Even though we provide shelter and support services to an average of 250 families each night, we still have a waiting list. The parents we serve have jobs and work hard to keep their children in school. They deserve safe and affordable housing. 
Support our 2016 Boston Marathon Team 
The 2016 Boston Marathon is just over two months away, and FamilyAid Boston has compiled an awesome team of experienced runners dedicated to helping the city's homeless parents and children. 

Click here to meet our team and make a contribution to help us reach our fundraising goal!

 
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