Winter Newsletter: Empowering Families Together
Dear Friend:

As I shared with you last week, after forty-seven years of serving people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, I plan to retire in June of this year. Both FamilyAid Boston and the community around us are filled with incredibly dedicated, compassionate, and capable people who will carry our mission into the future. Together, we have made great strides in our work to create solutions for parents and children experiencing homelessness, but there is still so much to be done. It is only with the support of friends like you that this work is possible. 

FamilyAid Boston’s accomplishments over the past few months are a testament to this community’s commitment to ending family homelessness. In November, our 15th annual Home for the Holidays celebration raised over $250,000 in support of the parents and children we work with. In January, we purchased another building for HOMES , our supportive affordable housing program for parents and children. Through the Family-to-Family Project and our other homelessness prevention initiatives, we are well on our way to ensuring that 150 families will be prevented from losing their homes and entering shelter this year. 

All of these accomplishments would not be possible without the support of friends and partners like you. Thank you for joining me in providing shelter, housing, and hope to parents and children. 

Thank you, 
Richard E. Ring
President
Home for the Holidays
Our 15th annual Home for the Holidays celebration was a great success. We raised over $250,000 for the parents and children served by FamilyAid Boston and honored two of our remarkable partners: State Senator Linda Dorcena Forry, Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Housing; and internationally recognized law firm WilmerHale. We are particularly grateful to Bank of America, United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley, our other generous sponsors, and the members of our event committee for making the evening possible. 
Supporting families to find solutions
Last month, we purchased two additional buildings for HOMES, our supportive affordable housing program for parents and children. FamilyAid Boston now owns or manages 6 buildings, including 33 units of housing, providing 102 parents and children with supportive services and a place to call home. As Andrea, the case manager for families in the program, reflects: “The HOMES program gives families the support they need to better themselves and make life better for their children.” Click here to learn about our HOMES program. 
Ending homelessness, one family at a time
Homelessness is preventable. Many families in crisis need only a one-time intervention to stay in their homes and avoid the trauma of homelessness and a difficult transition back into housing. The Family-to-Family Project , one of our homelessness prevention initiatives, works to help families at imminent risk of homelessness to either preserve their housing or help them to obtain new, safe, stable housing. We are happy to share Elsa’s story with you, which illustrates how our homelessness prevention program works to resolve families’ immediate crises and empower them to find stability. 
Bringing joy during the holidays
The holiday season can be a difficult time for families experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Many of the parents we work with struggle to afford even the smallest gifts for their children.

We are grateful that we have so many donors and partners who sponsored toy drives, provided tickets to sporting and holiday events throughout the city, and collected gift card donations for our families. 

Running to end homelessness
The 2018 Boston Marathon is just over three months away! Through the John Hancock Marathon Non-Profit Program , we have built an amazing team of experienced runners dedicated to helping parents and children experiencing homelessness. Click here to meet our team and make a contribution to help us reach our fundraising goal of $100,000!