ABCD urges residents to apply for heating assistance |
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Thanks Biden-Harris administration for landmark funding to combat rising costs |
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As temperatures plummet and home heating costs skyrocket, ABCD President/CEO John J. Drew thanked the Biden-Harris administration for deploying an unprecedented $4.5 billion in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding to keep lower-income families healthy and safe.
“This is a watershed moment,” Drew said. “We know that LIHEAP keeps households running — and saves lives. The ARP funding is a major commitment at the highest levels to the well-being of at-risk seniors and people living with disabilities, to hard-working families struggling to make ends meet.”
Learn more and apply for fuel assistance at bostonabcd.org/heat. If you live in Boston, Brookline or Newton, you can also call 617.357.6012, and if you live in Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Stoneham, Winchester or Woburn, call 781.322.6284.
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ABCD Holiday Toy Drive seeking new unwrapped toys for children in need |
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The pandemic has hit low-income communities especially hard, and requests for toys from struggling families in Boston, Everett, Malden and Medford served are pouring in at an unprecedented rate to the ABCD Holiday Toy Drive. We need your help! Please donate new unwrapped toys for children ages 0 to 12 by December 15th. When you do, you’ll wrap up a difficult year with kindness and connection.
Each holiday season, ABCD staff, board members, and corporate and community partners join together to collect donated toys. ABCD generally distributes more than 6,000 toys to children in need but we are running behind. Please visit bostonabcd.org/toy-drive to learn more and give today – and you can help in other ways by supporting the ABCD Winter Fund: food, warm clothing, support to help households enjoy the holidays and make it through the harsh winter months. Give now at bostonabcd.org/donate.
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10th ABCD Hoop Dreams raises funds for youth programs
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Brad Stevens, Bob Ryan, Michael Holley welcome teams to TD Garden |
Generous businesses, groups of super fans, friends from the media, and two youth teams got their game on for ABCD Hoop Dreams, the iconic charity basketball tournament that benefits under-resourced young people in Greater Boston. |
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City of Boston and ABCD help homeowners avoid pandemic-related foreclosure |
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Since 2007, ABCD has partnered with the City of Boston to provide foreclosure prevention services to more than one thousand families at risk of losing their homes. Throughout the pandemic the ABCD Foreclosure Prevention program has become all the more important, helping households negotiate with lenders and avoid not only the loss of their dwelling but also the loss of the household’s equity and generational wealth. |
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Sharon Scott-Chandler testifies before Congress on the critical impact of the Community Services Block Grant; offers insights into early childhood education at state legislator’s invitation |
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ABCD Executive Vice President/COO Sharon Scott-Chandler shared her expertise at the state and federal levels recently. The National Community Action Foundation selected her to testify before the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor in favor of the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) reauthorization. At the November 3rd hearing, Scott-Chandler highlighted some of ABCD’s major successes that are enabled by the flexible, needs-based programming as defined by the communities we serve. Watch here.
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In this issue, ABCD’s video team features an ABCD partnership that delivered nutritious food to homebound residents who were hard hit by the pandemic, two impactful ABCD youth programs, and a block party in Allston/Brighton. |
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NBC 10 Boston
WBZ AM News/iHeart Media
Tufts Now
A decade-long research-practice partnership between the Eliot-Pearson Department at Tufts University and ABCD Head Start has improved science education for children and professional development for teachers. Read the Tufts Now feature.
intheknow.com
Founders Connor Schoen and Tony Shu discuss the importance of a good job in the quest to overcome housing instability. Breaktime associate Vickie shares her experience working at an ABCD food pantry as part of her path to stability. Watch now.
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Recommended Reading:
ABCD's Work in Context
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The Boston Globe
The Wall Street Journal
The New York Times
The Boston Globe
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Need help paying rent?
To date, the Commonwealth’s Eviction Diversion Initiative – which consists of state and federal rental assistance funds – has assisted over 44,000 households since the start of the COVID-19 State of Emergency.
While this milestone is significant, thousands more tenants and landlords experienced a serious financial backslide due to the pandemic and need assistance. The Central Application for Massachusetts Emergency Housing Payment assistance is an easy-to-use resource where Massachusetts residents (landlords, tenants, homeowners, and advocates) can apply for rental or mortgage assistance benefits.
Part of the application is a universal Landlord Application with no restrictions on the number of units the owner has; this means that landlords of ANY size can apply on behalf of their tenants. Learn more and file an application here.
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Questions about programs and services?
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Want to be an ABCD Insider?
Join us on social media and get to know the people who keep ABCD in motion every day.
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Action for Boston Community Development | 617-348-6000 | bostonabcd.org
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