A group of FII families meet to support one another to achieve their goals. By Jessica Taubner As a society, we’ve come to view government and the social sector as the experts on the needs of people but the reality is that while government and funding priorities often shift, the industriousness and drive of families doesn’t waiver. What if we considered families the experts and allowed them to define their own success? We are conditioned to be a helper or a helpee in this country. Data shows that families know what they need, and the systems meant to help are getting in the way of their initiative and innovation. We are intentionally creating and practicing new ways of being in relationship with people, and that is what I love about being FII-Greater Boston’s Site Director. The Family Independence Initiative (FII) has been listening to families for the past 17 years. Instead of the client services model typically deployed in the social sector, FII, aided by a widening pool of philanthropic partners, is trusting and investing in families. This means investing direct dollars in the initiatives of families, giving them choice and control over their funds, and charting the incredible progress they

Bob Shea, a homeless man, lived on the streets of Cambridge for 30 years. He served three tours of duty with the army in Vietnam. He suffered from alcoholism and possibly neurological conditions. He bounced in and out of jail and rehab. At best he was a colorful character. At worst he was one in an army of invisible people living in the shadows of wealth and privilege. To those lucky enough to know him, Bob was something more: a protector of the weak, a raconteur blessed with an almost encyclopedic memory, a man with an eye for beauty and grace in unlikely places. For CCF Board Member Phil Johnson, founder and CEO of PJA Advertising + Marketing, Bob was above all a friend. “I was attracted to his strong sense of humanity, his wit, and his often sharp insights,” said Phil. “All the best qualities you would look for in a friend. He was easy to be with.” Bob drifted in and out of Harvard Square for more than 30 years, and he was in Phil’s life for 25. Their first slightly awkward encounter took place on Arrow Street where Phil had an office. Begrudging nods turned to

Cambridge’s growing housing crisis is putting a financial burden on many people in Cambridge, and renter households in particular. From low-income to moderate and middle-income families, everyone is feeling the squeeze. The cost of housing in Cambridge is staggering: The median market rate of a single-family home in Cambridge was $1,377,500 in 2017. A condominium in Cambridge cost on average $730,000 in 2017. The average rent for a Cambridge apartment was $2,337 for a one-bedroom unit, $2,689 for a two bedroom and $2,827 for a three-bedroom unit in October 2018, according to Zillow.com’s rent index. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, in Cambridgeport a renter must earn $44 dollars per hour in order to afford a two-bedroom apartment, more than three times the current Massachusetts minimum wage ($12/hr. as of 1/1/2019) Why is this happening? What does it mean for our families? And what can we do to address such a complex problem? CCF spoke with leaders in the local housing arena to gain insight. This is what we learned. Why is this happening? There was a time when Cambridge lost residents to suburban towns, but today, the desire for urban housing is on the rise. People

Cambridge is home to hundreds of families with million-dollar annual incomes AND hundreds of families facing hunger year-round. The statistics on food insecurity in the area are startling; according to the 2017 Cambridge Needs Assessment, a study funded by CCF and the City: 12% of Cambridge households are enrolled in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a federal program; 45% of students enrolled in Cambridge Public Schools (CPSD) are enrolled in the free or reduced lunch program. For many, this is the one solid meal kids have in the day. Meanwhile as residents struggle to provide food for their families, there is a tremendous amount of wasted food from homes, restaurants, caterers, cafeterias, and grocery stores. Cambridge is fortunate to have a web of nonprofits and programs addressing hunger and food insecurity in our community and CCF is proud to support most of them. These programs include major efforts like Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee (CEOC), a one-stop shop for social services that also acts as a clearinghouse for food. And Food For Free, a local nonprofit that helps distribute more than 2 million pounds of food to 120 agencies, serving a dozen local pantries in our area. (Food For Free

On Martin Luther King Day, Monday, January 21, the values of Dr. King and Cambridge will be on display in our city. Every year since 2010, Many Helping Hands 365 has organized the Martin Luther King, Jr. Cambridge Day of Service, drawing thousands of volunteers together for an afternoon of service projects at Central Square locations. It has become one of the largest community service events in New England. Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds work on projects aimed to help people in need in our community. Neighbors work side by side to deliver donated food to local food pantries, make valentines for seniors, sort winter clothing for shelters, design and sew fleece blankets and scarves for the homeless children, teens and adults, and deliver them to shelters. Photo by Randy Goodman Last year the impact was incredible, reaching more than 10,000 people in need in our community: 400 bags of groceries were donated by neighbors in Huron Village, an effort that involves dozens of high school students from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School as collectors and deliverers to thirteen food pantries; 660 fleece blankets and scarfs were designed and sewn for homeless children and adults and then delivered; 1,700 toiletry kits were delivered to the homeless and those in shelters, thanks to donations from local hotels; 3,500 Valentine Cards were made and delivered to local seniors,

Since 2005, Charlotte Wagner has honed the mission of the Wagner Foundation to focus on justice through economic mobility, health equity, cultural transformation and institutional fairness, including criminal justice reform. Its motto: Just and Robust. The Wagner Foundation is also a long-time supporter of CCF and a major donor to the Family Independence Initiative (FII), a core program of the Foundation’s Strong Families Initiative. Charlotte spoke with the Foundation about the theme of justice. Why invest in this city? Cambridge represents excellence in so many different facets, from Harvard and MIT, and their world-class research and thought leadership, to its amazing cultural and business epicenters. Still, 14 percent of our community residents live in poverty. That disparity concerns me. We support Family Independence Initiative, which has expanded into Cambridge thanks to CCF and other donors. Through FII, families develop a network and get themselves out of poverty through the supportive relationships they form. FII provides resources and empowers families to meet the challenges they face in a way that is best for them. Why do you support CCF? CCF serves as a critical convener and thought leader, bringing together great minds and unique perspectives to solve complex issues. As

Bob Moses is a “big picture” person whose life work has been continental in scope.  A civil rights leader described as an inspiration by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Bob launched the Algebra Project in Cambridge with the proceeds of a MacArthur Fellowship (known as the “Genius” grant) he was awarded in 1982. Bob, Maisha, and Janet Moses Civil Rights are important to Bob and Janet, his wife and partner at the Algebra Project, but equally important are the very specific and very local needs of children—their own and those in our community. The Algebra Project began when Bob realized that structural gaps in local education blocked access to key upper level math courses for certain children – specifically low-income children and children of color. He began teaching math to kids at the MLK School on Saturdays and after school, beginning with his daughter, Maisha, and her classmates. Bob has always been an important presence in the community, says Khari Milner, who grew up with the Moses children in the neighborhood known now as “The Port.” Today, Milner carries the same Moses family-like focus on effective education as co-director for Cambridge Agenda for Children Out-of-School Time

By Deborah Blackwell Cambridge Community Foundation Correspondent If it weren’t for the Yellow Pages, a ride from a friend, and some good luck, Elaine DeRosa may not have spent nearly four decades changing lives. The former executive director of the Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee (CEOC), who retired March 2018, has always been pretty lucky, and her mission has always been to share it. DeRosa was the second generation in her Sicilian family to be born in America, and the first to go to college. In her junior year she hitched that ride to Cambridge hoping she might find work for her Springfield College required field placement and landed at CCF who sent her right to CEOC - an organization offering assistance such as housing, health, and food services to less fortunate members residing in the economically diverse community of Cambridge. “My family were the lucky ones, we had the luck of the draw, the benefits, and we were able to figure it out,” said DeRosa. “But I’ve known my whole life it shouldn’t be the luck of the draw, these are real issues to me. Thank you CCF, it was a remarkable connection.” When DeRosa arrived at CEOC on

Domestic Violence is hard to talk about and deeply personal. It’s also pervasive and universal, affecting people of all backgrounds, including Cambridge residents. While the executive director of Transition House, domestic violence was Risa Mednick’s adversary.  She knows first-hand a problem this big can’t be solved by a single domestic violence organization quietly working alone. “Historically, shelter was seen as the antidote to domestic violence, but it’s a tiny drop in the bucket of possible responses,” said Mednick. “It’s not the solution to an issue that’s driven by a culture of misogyny, violence and inequity.” Transition House provides transitional housing for about 100 people every year and serves over 1,000 community members of all ages and backgrounds with a wide range of support services, education, training, and prevention tools.  Cambridge Community Foundation has funded Transition House since it started more than 40 years ago as the first domestic violence shelter on the East Coast and only the second in the country. Under Mednick’s leadership, Transition House analyzed what was and wasn’t working in domestic violence prevention and re-committed to finding solutions.  As a result, the organization looked for reliable partners to create new strategies to both deliver services to

The Cambridge Community Foundation awards $467,000 in new grants; brings CCF nonprofit investments to $722,000 this fall Jump to a list of fall 2018 grants December 4, 2018—Cambridge, MA The Cambridge Community Foundation (CCF) has announced the recipients of its fall 2018 grantmaking cycle, awarding a total of $367,000 in grants to 56 local nonprofits meeting a wide range of social and educational needs, and committing an additional $100,000 to support four initiatives: strengthening the nonprofit sector in Cambridge, preserving and promoting Central Square as the heart of the City, connecting local youth to innovation through trainings, and supporting the growth of businesses owned by local women of color. This support, in addition to $255,000 in grants to four legal defense organizations in October, brings a total of $722,000 to local nonprofits this fall. CCF’s grantmaking is an important part of its century-long mandate to support the wellbeing of Cambridge and all its residents. “Listening to the community and responding to its needs is essential for a local philanthropic platform that supports shared prosperity, social equity, and cultural richness in our community,” said CCF President Geeta Pradhan. “This year we can clearly see that the need in the nonprofit