In the nine months that the coronavirus pandemic has ravaged the U.S., the most vulnerable Americans have struggled to keep up with monthly expenses. Eight million Americans have fallen into poverty since May, and today, there are 10 million fewer employed people than there were before the pandemic. By quickly passing the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, Congress was able to stave off…
An advocacy group for low-income residents in Greater Boston said Tuesday that the ongoing partial government shutdown is taking a devastating toll on millions of Americans who depend on federal food and housing aid. In a statement, Action Boston for Community Development, or ABCD, said the shutdown has hit the nation’s most vulnerable residents with “life-threatening hunger and hardship, with funding running…
The past few years have been turbulent ones in the field of public health. The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 put severe strain on healthcare systems around the globe, and the aftershocks are still felt roughly 4 years later. At ABCD’s Health Services department, administrators, clinicians, and support staff are working diligently to repair the damage left behind by the pandemic,…
ABCD launches three-machine pilot to address maternal health, STI disparities For Black communities, local and national statistics have identified disparities in maternal health outcomes and transmission rates of sexually transmitted infections. A program launched by ABCD aims to close some of those gaps by increasing free, around-the-clock access to reproductive health supplies through vending machines installed at three of its…
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — On Monday, even with rain moving in, donators paid to take the field at Fenway Park for a charity ballgame benefitting the advocacy group, ABCD’S SummerWorks jobs program. According to the anti-poverty organizations website, the event “Field of Dreams” has raised over $5 million for ABCD SummerWorks over the 20 or so years. At “Field of…
Ten years ago, the man who led ABCD for 41 of his 45 years with the organization passed away. Robert M. Coard, renowned as a builder of social institutions, was a catalyst in the national community action movement launched with the passage of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. Robert Coard “had ideas that the city could be better, that…
For Betty, a Dorchester mother raising her young son on a fixed income, help from nonprofits and community organizations has become essential to keeping food on the table. By the time she arrived late morning, the shelves inside the Dorchester Community Fridge were nearly empty. “Oh my goodness, they did get in here,” Betty said as she looked through the…
Like gasoline, heating oil is selling at an all-time high, and that’s hurting people in the cold weather. John Drew heads Action for Boston Community Development, or ABCD. The organization provides assistance to the needy, and their heating oil fund has run dry. “Two-hundred seventy-five gallons times $6 is a lot of money, and people don’t have it,” he said….
Tens of thousands of Massachusetts residents are officially unemployed, and trying to find a job isn’t easy these days. Often, when you’re switching careers, it can be difficult to know where to start, or what resources are available for you. ABCD and MassHire are teaming up to open a brand new career center in Roxbury’s Nubian Square! ABCD’s President and…
Shantell Jeter will receive a Health & Wellness Champion award at this Saturday’s (Oct. 4) 30th anniversary celebration at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center. The “Reggie,” which opened in 1995, is much more than a track facility. For three decades, it’s been a hub for the community and a place of opportunity. But as it’s so often said,…