Our Approach
At Housing Families, we believe in a holistic approach to uplift individuals and families facing homelessness. We address the challenges of housing equity and provide additional wellbeing programs and services to support our clients on their journeys toward stable, permanent housing.
We serve clients within the Route 128 belt.
Jogalys
Jogalys and her family turned to Housing Families when one of her two children required treatment for stomach cancer at Boston Children’s Hospital. Travelling from Puerto Rico, Jogalys received consistent support from her case manager and a private, fully furnished apartment through the Housing Families Emergency Shelter Program, Jogalys and her husband could focus on caring for their children during such a difficult time. The security and privacy of the Housing Families apartment made all the difference. Today, her children are happy and healthy, and the family has moved out of shelter and found a permanent place to call home.
When the doctors asked if we had a safe place to go, I could confidently say yes every time.
Housing
At Housing Families, we work with clients to ensure a dignified experience when facing eviction or homelessness. Whether a client needs temporary emergency shelter, or is transitioning to permanent, stable housing, the Housing Families team compassionately creates a personalized support plan to keep people housed.
We understand that many factors can contribute to achieving housing equity, and we provide holistic programming to overcome the barriers required to achieve permanent housing and wellbeing.
- Family Emergency Shelter
- Individual Homelessness Services
- Individual Shelter
- Mobile Street Outreach
- Warming Centers
- Permanent Supportive Housing
- Housing Search and Stabilization Case Management
Legal Services
Housing Families is committed to providing housing assistance, which also includes the prevention of homelessness. We provide free legal assistance to help clients stay in their homes and offer other crucial legal advice. Our legal services team is unique, as they work with clients to identify resources and problem-solve difficult housing situations.
- Homelessness Prevention Case Advocacy
- Direct Financial Assistance
- Housing Problem Solving
- EA Placement Navigation
- Medical Partnerships
- Malden Office of Housing Stability
EnrichEd is a therapeutic after-school and school vacation program that provides individual or group tutoring, individual or group counseling, and enrichment clubs for youth experiencing homelessness. Housing Families understands that families and individuals experiencing homelessness need holistic support in many areas of their lives, and our personalized approach allows for expanded learning and stability.
- After-School Tutoring
- Child/Education Advocacy
- Summer & Vacation Camps
- Enrichment Programing
- Weekend Schools
- Transportation
Homelessness and housing insecurity lead to complex trauma and take an undoubted toll on mental health. As such, CareCollective implements a trauma-informed and culturally competent approach to providing mental health support to Housing Families clients.
- Counseling & Therapy
- CareCollective Training
- School-based Clinical Support Services
Health & Wellbeing
We know that based on the social determinant of health, which are non-medical factors that impact people’s health, housing significantly impacts health and vice versa. In addition to stabilizing our clients’ housing situations, Housing Families aims to address food security and other health-related issues.
Advocacy
Housing Families advocates for policy changes at local, regional, and state levels to address the root causes of housing insecurity and promote systemic solutions. Our Advocacy team develops strategic advocacy plans, including grassroots organizing, coalition building, and engagement with policymakers, to provide advocacy leadership and thought partnership in our region.
Our programs and services make a difference and we know this because we measure them. We also know our program is a success from the relief a family feels knowing they have a safe place to stay, the gratitude expressed for our support in housing court, and the broad grins on the faces of the children in our after-school program.
Cheryl Williams
Senior Director, People and Culture