Last week, we celebrated Cambridge RISE, a cross-sector partnership that supported 130 single caretakers in Cambridge and their children with $500/month, no-strings-attached, cash payments over the past 18 months. The gathering at City Hall was a true expression of community with RISE families, Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui, Vice-Mayor Alanna Mallon, City Councillor Marc McGovern, our partners CEOC, Just A Start, UpTogether, Cambridge Housing Authority, our amazing donors, even Everybody Gotta Eat, all coming together with a shared belief – that poverty is a policy failure and it’s time to do something about it locally and nationally.
Soon, we’ll be sharing videos that showcase our resilient RISE families talking about the impact of the program. It was Rachel, a RISE participant, who summed it up: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world.”
We’re incredibly thankful for our generous donors, including lead supporters Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, Harvard University, and MIT, and so many others, who believed in this work and helped us join with Mayor Siddiqui to pilot a powerful program that underscored the need for bold, innovative solutions for big social problems.
