The Somerville Homeless Coalition has been helping families and individuals in need of food and shelter since 1985.— Photo courtesy of Somerville Homeless Coalition

By Gina Ingrando

The Somerville Homeless Coalition was established in 1985 in response to the homelessness social crisis. They are on a mission to give support to individuals and families who are homeless or are almost to the point of homelessness. The coalition’s goal is to help these individuals and families to obtain and maintain affordable housing.

Since 1985, the Somerville Homeless Coalition has transformed the lives of “well over 7,500 men, women, and children.” In 2021 alone, this coalition prevented 129 evictions and placed 192 clients in housing.

When a family or individual becomes a part of the Somerville Homeless Coalition, they are treated with the same dignity and respect that any other individual receives. The shelters provided by this coalition are seen as a short-term program because they want to see families and individuals succeed in obtaining a home of their own. This coalition is always working to build alliances with affordable housing providers and other organizations to help out these families and individuals.

When Felicity Beal, the coalition’s Director of Development, was asked what she believed the biggest success story for the coalition was, she responded with, “Our desire and ability to meet the increasing needs of our clients in crisis. For example, last year we served 7,298 clients. This year 7,999. In 2021 we distributed 56,000 bags of groceries, this year over 61,000. Since COVID we have prevented nearly 300 evictions. This year we have moved five clients into subsidized housing and six clients from our emergency shelter into permanent housing. We genuinely care about our clients and achieve these results because of the trust we gain and the reputation we have in the community.”

Anyone interested in donating to the Somerville Homeless Coalition can visit their website (https://somervillehomelesscoalition.org/) and go under the tab “Get Involved.” Under this tab you will find two lists, one containing what clients can accept, such as outdoor necessities, toiletries, and healthy snacks. The second list explains what clients cannot accept due to limited space and surplus, such as clothing, shoes, toys, school supplies.