IN THIS ISSUE
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MESSAGE FROM THE CEO
WELCOME NEW HILDEBRAND STAFF
HILDEBRAND ALUMNI GROUP
CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES
STAFF ACCOMPLISHMENTS
STABILIZATION SERVICES
DONOR PROFILE: CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
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Message from the CEO
Shiela Y. Moore
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May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Throughout the month, we have shared information, resources, and news to increase awareness about mental health issues and to try and take better care of ourselves. So many of us have lived with worry, uncertainty, and fear for the past year: about COVID-19; racial injustice and violence; concern for the families experiencing homelessness who are now in shelter at Hildebrand – so many challenges. But as part of my own mental health awareness activities, I try to balance those fears and anxieties with all the things I am grateful for: Hildebrand’s amazing staff and Board; the resources and funding provided by Hildebrand’s community partners; the steps forward toward re-entry and re-opening, as COVID restrictions lessen; the warmer weather and spring; and the celebrations of the homeless families at Hildebrand who find permanent homes or who have a child graduating from high school and going to college (see the inspiring update below!). And when I do, I feel hopeful – and proud of Hildebrand’s strength and resilience. Take care of yourselves, be well, and stay hopeful! |
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Eve-Barbara Calixite, Residential Manager |
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Welcome New Hildebrand Staff |
We are excited to announce a few new additions to the Hildebrand staff including, Eve-Barbara Calixite, our newest Residential Manager working with our Cambridge families. We also warmly welcome our new Residential Assistants: Krystal Evans, Christine McCrory, Monique Maldonado, and Pauline Ongiro. We look forward to having them on the Hildebrand team! |
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Hildebrand will celebrate successes and share stories about experiences of families that have found new homes, with the launch of its new Family Alumni Program. Families who join the Family Alumni Program will play an informative and advocacy role by sharing lived experiences that illuminate the needs and resources required to build stability. These families will also serve as a source of motivation for those currently in shelter and in the process of transitioning to permanent homes and self-sufficiency.
Compelled by the vision that in our community, every family has a home, Hildebrand has helped hundreds of families move from shelter to permanent housing over the past 33 years. We look forward to sharing updates and stories as this new group gets going! All former Hildebrand families are eligible to join. Look for more information soon on our website and social media.
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Congratulations Hildebrand Graduates
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A very special congratulations to all the families with students in Hildebrand’s shelters who are graduating in June! High school can be challenging for all students but receiving an impactful and effective education is a significant challenge for children and youth in families experiencing homelessness. Residency requirements; lack of transportation or immunization records; frequent moves and transferring schools – of these can be overwhelming to young students while they are living in shelter. This past year also added the stress and isolation of remote and hybrid learning due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions for health and safety reasons. But with the support of Hildebrand’s Case Managers and residential staff, some of our students have continued their educational journey, completed high school, and are looking forward to college in the fall! One of the high school graduates has already been accepted into UMASS Dartmouth to pursue a degree in Robotics Engineering. Another has graduated and is deciding which college to attend to have a career in the electrical field. |
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We are excited to congratulate our Director of Human Resources, Schebania Cherilus, on obtaining her Society for Human Resource Management- Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) certification. SHRM's mission is to empower people and workplaces by advancing HR practices and by maximizing human potential.
Additionally, congratulations to Marc Jacques, Associate Director of Housing and Stabilization Services, who recently became a Certified Occupancy Specialist (COS). COS is the most widely sought certification in the Department of Housing and Urban Development's affordable housing industry and has been the gold standard since 1981.
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Schebania Cherilus,
Director of Human Resources
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Stabilization Services
Thanks to the work of Hildebrand’s amazing Stabilization Services team, 48 families have moved into new homes since July 2020! The Stabilization Services Program is designed to prevent the recurrence of homelessness by helping families recently moved out of shelter to maintain tenancy in their new homes for two years post shelter. Hildebrand takes a holistic approach to stabilization and works to address those issues that will support long-term tenancy, including employment, savings to cover unexpected expenses, employment, and education opportunities, and connections to community service providers. Thus far in Hildebrand’s FY’21 (July 2020-February 2021), there are 120 families working with the Stabilization Services team; 46 are in their first year of being in permanent homes and 76 in their second year. Of this current group, 87% are African American or Hispanic/Latinx; 52% are ages 0-17 who are now able to settle into their new homes with their parents. The past 12 months have certainly been challenging, particularly for families experiencing homelessness. The families in shelter and who received services from Hildebrand have faced a trifecta of challenges: increased family homelessness; COVID-19 pandemic related stress and isolation; and the ongoing emotional and physical health impacts of racism and intolerance. Hildebrand’s Stabilization Services team has help families develop a plan to increase economic mobility and establish personal and family goals, so the families can continue to work toward long-term self-sufficiency in affordable homes.
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Donor Profile: Cambridge Community Foundation
Hildebrand and the Cambridge Community Foundation are long-time partners. The organizations are neighbors in Central Square and both have deep roots in the community: the Foundation has been built, funded, and guided by residents since 1916 and Hildebrand was founded by the St. Paul AME Church in Cambridge in 1984. Both organizations embrace the mission of shared prosperity and social equity and the vision that every family has a home – and have maintained their commitments to being catalysts for transformative change. And the Foundation has supported Hildebrand for years through its Community Fund. So this past year, Hildebrand and the Foundation strengthened their partnership by coordinating funding resources and bringing additional financial support to families experiencing homelessness. Most recently, the Foundation, working with the Baker Polito Administration through the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development with some matching funds from the Cambridge COVID-19 Emergency Fund, made a grant to Hildebrand that quite literally changed the lives of some of Cambridge’s most vulnerable families.
“We’ve all seen how dramatically the pandemic has laid bare the inequities in our communities, with our most vulnerable populations—immigrant families, people of color, gig workers, and working poor—being the hardest hit. Lack of food, losing housing, and the digital divide are daily challenges for many,” said Geeta Pradhan, president of the Cambridge Community Foundation. “We’re incredibly thankful for this latest round of funding from the State, which will help our dedicated nonprofits support the most vulnerable in our communities. It is the steadfast support of our state and local leaders and individual donors that ensures those who need help now have a lifeline.”
Shiela Moore, CEO of Hildebrand, agrees. “This grant through the Foundation gave resources and opportunities to each and every member of the families experiencing homelessness that helped them stay healthy, stably housed, and moving forward. We were able to provide resources for healthy food; help the families get current, and stay current, with rent payments; and connect the children to Hildebrand’s Student Success Initiative so they kept up with their education throughout the year. That’s a lot of positive impact with great outcomes for these vulnerable families. All of us at Hildebrand look forward to sharing more opportunities as we move forward – together – on behalf of families experiencing homelessness in our community.”
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