Housing Families, Inc. was established in 1986 as a response to the community members’ initiative to address the issue of homelessness in Boston, Revere, Malden, Everett, and Medford, Massachusetts. In 1987, the Broadway Shelter was opened by the organization for the purpose of supporting four families. The organization’s mission is to eliminate family homelessness with the help of providing a safe shelter and high-quality services for homeless families in need in Massachusetts (“About Us”). The focus is also on guaranteeing support to children in these families and their parents through assisting them in finding permanent housing. Currently, the organization’s mission is realized through an affordable housing program, an academic and supportive program for children and adolescents, as well as an eviction prevention program (“What We Do”). This prevention program was recognized by the National Alliance to End Homelessness in 2010. In its turn, the program for children is the only initiative in the state to include tutoring and counseling.
In 2016, Housing Families provided services to about 750 families, and more than 3,000 families have been assisted since 1986. Thus, since the start of its operations, the organization has been using 100 emergency shelters and 68 units of affordable housing for homeless families in Massachusetts (“What We Do”). Now the organization works to create more shelter spaces for families while addressing individuals’ needs. In addition, it develops such supporting programs as Parenting Skills Group and Pro Bono Legal Services to provide homeless people all the necessary help (“Welcome to Housing Families”). Thus, it is possible to state that Housing Families follows a holistic approach to addressing the problem of homelessness in the cities of Massachusetts.
Works Cited
“About Us.” Housing Families, 2013, Web.
“Welcome to Housing Families.” Housing Families, 2013, Web.
“What We Do.” Housing Families, 2013, Web.