FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 01, 2018
Contact: Colneth Smiley Jr.
O: 617.348.6224
C: 617.872.9435
The organization is working with city, state & federal officials to save the only mobile unit serving the homeless population in Malden, Medford and Everett
ABCD announced today that short-term financial support will keep its Mystic Valley Mobile Homeless Outreach Team (MHOT) operating for another two months, but the organization is deeply concerned that this vital program will shut down April 30st if ongoing funding cannot be secured.
“We’d like to thank Malden Mayor Gary Christenson and others for answering the call to extend our services to chronically homeless individuals for the next two months. But after that, our street outreach services in Mystic Valley may come to an end,” said ABCD President/CEO John J. Drew.
“Unfortunately, the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) did not continue funding this program, and that puts the area’s most vulnerable people at severe risk. In 2016, after the failure of another nonprofit agency serving low-income and homeless people in Mystic Valley, ABCD was asked to step in and has done so very successfully.”
Drew went on to say that ABCD already allocates 25% of its federal Community Services Block Grant funds specifically to its housing and homelessness prevention services in Malden, Medford and Everett, and the need will only increase as the cost of housing skyrockets. The Mobile Homeless Outreach Team adds a critical component to these services.
The MHOT van is on the streets helping people to survive. The program provides food, water, clothing and hygiene kits – but, crucially, it also builds trust by working with individuals one-on-one, assessing their needs, providing counseling, referring them to mainstream services, and ultimately, helping them find permanent housing.
As Mayor Christenson recently stated, “ABCD and their Mobile Homeless Outreach Team (MHOT) have had a huge impact on our community…. [Their work] has led to positive outcomes as evidenced by the recent placement of one of our long-term homeless residents into permanent housing.”
For the next two months, ABCD’s MHOT team will still be a presence but will have more limited staff outreach capacity.
ABCD seeks additional funding
ABCD is working closely with Malden, Everett and Medford officials, as well as the state and federal legislative delegations, to secure ongoing funding. The organization is determined to save this program – one that saves lives and helps turn lives around.
ABCD asks any and all who are moved to support this essential program to contact the organization immediately. Grants and donations large and small from foundations, corporations, and individuals can most certainly save lives. For more information, contact the ABCD Give line at 617.348.6559 or email give@bostonabcd.org.
###
About ABCD
A Massachusetts-based nonprofit human services organization, ABCD provides low-income residents in the Boston and Mystic Valley areas with the tools, support, and resources they need to transition from poverty to stability and from stability to success. Each year, we’ve served more than 100,000 individuals, elders and families through a broad range of innovative initiatives as well as long-established, proven programs and services. For more than 50 years, ABCD has been deeply rooted in each neighborhood we serve, empowering individuals and families and supporting them in their quest to live with dignity and achieve their highest potential. For more, please visit bostonabcd.org.
