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Greetings!
As we enter a new year, it’s natural to pause and reflect on the one behind us, the achievements we celebrated, the challenges we faced, and the lessons we learned along the way. Reflection matters. But just as important is where we choose to focus next. A new year offers a renewed sense of possibility: time to plan, to dream, and to recommit ourselves to becoming the best versions of who we can be. Not only for ourselves, but for our families, our colleagues, and our communities.
At Community Teamwork, our mission has always been to be a Catalyst for Change in the lives of those we serve and within the communities we support. Living up to that mission requires intention. It means entering each year with clear goals that guide our actions, strengthen our impact, and keep us grounded in our values.
In 2025, we focused on four organizational priorities: Staff Engagement, Agency Stability, Service Coordination, and Data Management. These goals were designed to ensure the sustainability and growth of our work while reflecting our core values of Integrity, Equity, and Compassion.
As we move into 2026, we are building on that foundation. Our goals for the year ahead reflect both what we’ve learned over the past 12 months and where we believe our work must go next.
Staff Engagement and Work Environment
The heart of Community Teamwork has always been our people. Whether working in our Walk-In Centers, Housing Programs, Education Centers, or Administrative offices, our staff show up each day with compassion, professionalism, and a deep commitment to others. This work is meaningful and it can also be emotionally demanding.
In 2026, we will continue investing in the well-being of our staff by strengthening professional development opportunities, expanding wellness initiatives, and fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment. When our people feel supported, valued, and connected, they are best positioned to support others and drive lasting change.
Entrepreneurship
The past year tested all of us. We faced real funding pressures, program uncertainty, and shifting policy landscapes that reinforced an important truth: long-term mission impact requires financial resilience.
In 2026, while stability remains essential, we will explore more entrepreneurial ways to serve our community. Seeking innovative service models, strategic partnerships, and sustainable revenue opportunities that support our mission. This work is not about moving away from our values; it is about protecting them. By refining how we deliver services, strengthening partnerships, and approaching planning with intention, we can ensure our work remains responsive, impactful, and sustainable for years to come.
Program Integration
Service coordination is not a one-year effort, it is ongoing work that requires patience, collaboration, and trust. Over the past year, we have made important progress, and in 2026 we will continue enhancing service coordination across programs and departments.
A key focus this year will be piloting integrated service models designed to create a more seamless experience for individuals and families. Our goal is simple but powerful: when someone comes to us in need, they should experience connection, not complexity. Integration helps reduce barriers, improve outcomes, and ensure people can access the full range of assistance needed to achieve long-term stability.
Data Management
To be a Catalyst for Change, we must be able to measure, understand, and communicate our impact. Data helps us tell the stories behind the numbers, stories of resilience, transformation, and hope, while also holding us accountable to equity, effectiveness, and efficiency.
In 2026, strong data systems will be especially critical as we roll out our Three-Year Strategic Plan and complete our Community Needs Assessment. Together, these efforts will guide our priorities and ensure our work remains grounded in real community needs and measurable outcomes.
As we move through this year, I encourage each of us to reflect on how we can be a Catalyst for Change within our own spheres of influence. Whether through small acts of kindness, bold ideas, or steadfast commitment to shared goals, each of us has the power to make a meaningful difference.
Thank you for your continued trust, partnership, and belief in this work. I look forward to what we will accomplish together and to making 2026 a year defined by progress, stability, and transformation.
Sincerely,
| | |
Carl Howell, CEO
Community Teamwork
| | Greater Lowell Fair Housing Regional Listening Session | | |
Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC)
Office of Fair Housing
Invites You to Join
Location: UTEC, 35 Warren Street, Lowell, MA 01852
Date: January 29, 2026, 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Registration: https://forms.office.com/g/6cSTNfjhFj
Parking: UTEC lot has limited parking, on-street metered parking and LAZ Parking - Lower Docks Garage (3 min walk) is available
Secretary Ed Augustus and the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC), in partnership with Northern Middlesex Council of Governments and Community Teamwork, is inviting you to the EOHLC Greater Lowell Regional Fair Housing Listening Session.
This event, as part of a series of listening sessions throughout the state, will provide an opportunity for residents, advocates, and stakeholders to learn about fair housing laws in Massachusetts, share their experiences, identify barriers to fair housing, and shape strategies to ensure that every community in the Commonwealth is inclusive and equitable.
The goal of this convening is to center community voices, strengthen partnerships, and build public awareness of fair housing rights and responsibilities. By documenting lived experiences, identifying local barriers, and generating actionable recommendations, the Commonwealth will be better positioned to proactively address fair housing and ensure that all residents have access to housing opportunities free from housing discrimination.
Register today and join us in that commitment on January 29th.
EOHLC values your voice and perspective, and we hope you will join us for this session. This event is open to the public, so please share this invitation widely.
Please note, space is limited
| | CTI Partners ~ Mammoth Fire Alarms, Inc. and Worker's Credit Union | | Community Teamwork is truly grateful to members of our community who made the holidays merry and bright for those in our programs. The staff at Mammoth Fire Alarms, Inc. donated gift cards, toys, games, puzzles and art supplies for children and families in our Youth Services Program. Over at Workers Credit Union, employees collected gifts cards for families living in our shelter programs. We thank our community partners for their continued support! | | |
Camila Garcia Marin, Lead Youth Family Foundations Housing Case Manager showing off the gifts from Mammoth Fire Alarms
| |  | Community Teamwork Director of Development Margot Regan with Chayanis Hauswirth, AVP, Community & Business Development for Workers Credit Union as Chayanis presents the gift cards to CTI. | | | |
Toys for Tots and UKG Toy Distribution
December was a busy month for our holiday programs. Through our UKG Toy distribution and Toys for Tots efforts, we were able to serve over 900 children in our community this Christmas. Any leftover toys were donated to Sean Wilson to support families currently living in shelter. These programs were successful thanks to the dedication of our volunteers, donors, and staff, and they ensured that children and families in need received a joyful holiday season.
Volunteer Opportunities - Community Teamwork
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UKG Angel Tree
UKG employees donated more than $15,000 in toys, benefiting 300 children across Youth Services, Family Childcare, and School Age programs. Each child received three toys tailored to family preferences.
| | Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) ~ aka Fuel Assistance | | |
Winter Moratorium Now in Effect (10/27–4/1)
If your household qualifies for the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) you will automatically be protected from shut off for the duration of the Winter Moratorium.
If you are not eligible for HEAP or another low-income program. you’ll need to submit a Financial Hardship Form to your utility company to receive this protection.
If you’re unsure how to do this, contact your utility company for more information.
| | |
HEAP Funding Resumes
- Massachusetts remains fully committed to ensuring that all eligible households receive the heating assistance they need. With the federal shutdown now over, we are pleased to begin processing applications beyond heating emergencies.
- However, as a result of the federal shutdown, Applicants should anticipate delays in application determinations.
- Applications already submitted will continue to be processed in the order they were received. Households do not need to reapply or take additional steps if they've already applied.
- If a household is experiencing a heating emergency-such as no heat, less than 1/8 tank of oil, or a termination notice-they should contact their Local Administering Agency (LAA) immediately for assistance.
- HEAP helps income-eligible renters and homeowners pay a portion of their winter heating bills, regardless of how they heat their home: oil, electricity, natural gas, propane, kerosene, wood or coal. Even households with heat included in rent may be eligible.
- This is a grant, not a loan; the funds do not need to be repaid.
- Households may qualify even if they:
-Are not receiving public assistance
-Do not have unpaid heating bills
-Rent and have heat included in their rent
- To qualify, household income must be below 60% of the state median income, adjusted for household size and other criteria. For example, a household of four earning $99,573 or less may qualify for HEAP.
More Detail on HEAP Funding
| | Starting Your Business Journey Workshop | | |
Have you been thinking about starting a business but not sure where to begin? Join us for an in-person workshop designed to help you take the first steps with confidence.
January 22nd, 2026
1–3 PM
155 Merrimack Street, Lowell
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1743974728359?aff=oddtdtcreator
| More goals don’t mean more success. Need help deciding what to focus on? Our team can help you prioritize. | | |
The Financial Literacy Academy is back!
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) 2026
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The VITA Tax Program will offer free tax preparation services for the 2026 tax season from February 2 through April 9.
Certified volunteers will assist eligible taxpayers with accurate and confidential tax filing.
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program provides free, reliable tax help to qualifying community members.
Appointments, drop-off, and online services will be available.
For more information, contact Brenda Jimenez / bjimenez@commteam.org
VITA@commteam.org
VITA Flyer - English, Spanish, Portuguese
| | Child & Family Services is Recruiting! | | Child & Family Services Newsletters | Construction Has Started on Community Teamwork's New Women's Shelter | |
The new Women's Shelter is taking shape but we need your help!
Transformation continues at the future home of our new 50-plus bed dedicated women’s shelter. With interior demolition and portions of exterior site work complete, elevator shaft construction commences, and roofing, structural and interior framing, as well as mechanical rough ins, are right around the corner.
Our design and construction partners continue to focus on delivering on the aggressive construction schedule and budget, even as winter in new England rears its head.
Since 2020, nearly 40 percent of the individuals served in Community Teamwork’s emergency shelter program have been women, and nearly half of those women were older than 45 years old.
They are mothers. They are sisters. They are aunts. They are friends. And they all need a second chance.
We thank all our supporters who have helped us raise the funds needed to get to this important milestone, but we still have a long way to go to close our funding gap.
We ask that you please consider making a gift to support this important project by clicking here.
Together we can ensure that the women in our community have a safe, temporary place to stay as they rebuild their lives.
For more information about how to support the Women's Shelter, please contact Margot Regan, Director of Development at maregan@commteam.org or at 978-654-5813.
Naming opportunities still available!
| | Please watch the video above to learn more. (Click the Image) | | |
Together we can ensure that the women in our community have a safe, temporary place to stay as they rebuild their lives.
For more information about how to support the Women's Shelter, please contact Margot Regan, Director of Development at maregan@commteam.org or at 978-654-5813.
Naming opportunities are still available.
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“Housing is a human right. There can be no fairness or justice in a society in which some live in homelessness, or in the shadow of that risk, while others cannot even imagine it.”
--John Flaherty
| | Home Modification Loan Program Updates | | Thank You to our 2025 Newsletter Sponsors | | |
IN THE NEWS
EOHHS Secretary's Visit Highlights Youth Services Program, Lowell Sun, 11 16 25
Head Start Cuts Rip Across Region, Lowell Sun, 11.10.25
CTi Cuts Staff in Head Start Programs, Lowell Sun 11.9.25
Head Start programs shutter during government shutdown desite infusion of state funds, Boston Globe 11 3 25
Mass Head Start programs face closures as government shutdown drags on, WHDH 7 News 10 31 25
With 'a few weeks' of funding from the state, almost all Mass. Head Start programs staying open, WGBH 10 31 25
'They are terrified': Community assistance organizations brace for impacts of SNAP shut off, Lowell Sun 10 30 25 (Fuel Press Conference)
Head Start Agencies in Mass. expect cuts to programs due to federal shutdown, WBUR 10 29 25
'Completely Unsustainable' - CTI, Trahan Highlight Local Impacts from Shutdown, Health Care Costs, Lowell Sun 10 18 25
| | There are ALWAYS Ways to Help | | If you find yourself in a position to help, your contribution will aid our efforts on every front as we work together to care for our clients and families in their hour of greatest need, and emerge stronger than ever. Please note, Donations of $1000 or more qualify for a 50% refund or credit under the Massachusetts Community Investment Tax Program (CITC). Contact Margot Regan, Director of Development, for more information at maregan@commteam.org, 978-654-5813 | | | | |
