Letter from our President and CEO

How do you measure the impact of our work? You could count:

• the 1,400-plus families we have helped to end their homelessness over more than 20 years
• the 94 families that live in our high-quality transitional and rental housing units each day, benefiting from our support and guidance toward stability and success
• the 90% of school-age children who demonstrated improved grades and behavior at school, as well as increased self-esteem and self-confidence, as a result of participating in our therapeutic arts groups and one-to-one tutoring and counseling
• this simple fact: We are the only local developer of affordable housing for very low-income families other than public housing authorities, and we are the largest operator of transitional and affordable housing for homeless families north of Boston

Other measures might include the thousands of hours spent each year by community volunteers; the many evictions prevented as a result of landlord mediation; the countless families who have found permanent housing through our assistance.

We are also proud that our advocacy efforts have helped to move the Commonwealth of Massachusetts away from sheltering families in hotels, and instead, toward a focus on strategies designed to prevent the loss of housing.

Housing Families can point to numerous achievements and milestones resulting from the efforts of a dedicated team of board, staff and volunteers. However, the achievements we are most proud of are those made by the families themselves, as they learn to recognize their own strengths, build their life skills and earning power, take risks, begin to trust others, and make healthy choices for their families. The impact of our work is truly measured in each and every family who leaves our programs with greater confidence, self-awareness and the ability to bring about a brighter future for themselves and their children.

Sincerely,