MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES GIFTS TOTALING $3 MILLION TO BOSTON'S WAY
HOME FUND FROM PARTNERS, SUFFOLK, AND LIBERTY MUTUAL
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Community partners step up to aid City's effort to create 200
units of permanent supportive housing for Boston's chronically homeless
individuals
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BOSTON - Tuesday, March 27, 2018 - Mayor
Martin J. Walsh today announced in his speech to the Boston Municipal
Research Bureau that Partners Healthcare, Suffolk, and Liberty Mutual have
each given $1 million to the Boston's Way Home Fund, totaling $3 million to
help Mayor Walsh's effort in ending chronic homelessness in the city of
Boston.
Announced in his second inaugural address,
the Boston's Way Home Fund, a
partnership with Pine Street Inn, has a set goal of raising $10 million over
four years, with funds being used to create 200 new units of supportive,
sustainable, long-term housing for chronically homeless men and women.
"In Boston, we are committed to making
sure that every person has a place to call their home and build a better life,
and the Boston's Way Home Fund will help do just that," said Mayor
Walsh. "I thank Partners, Suffolk, and Liberty Mutual for stepping up
and helping their community by tackling chronic homelessness. I encourage
everyone to learn more about the Boston's Way Home Fund, and invite
organizations and individuals to join us as we move closer to our goal of
ending chronic homelessness in our city."
Partners Healthcare, Suffolk, and Liberty
Mutual join Bank of America, which launched the fund in January 2018 with a
leadership gift of $250,000.
"The leaders of Mass. General, Brigham
Health, and Partners HealthCare are supporting Mayor Walsh's vision to end
chronic homelessness because accessible housing and services are the single
most effective way to improve the well-being of homeless individuals,"
said Peter Slavin, President of Massachusetts General Hospital. "The
Mayor's plan is among the most important strategies we can deploy to improve
the overall health of the Boston community."
"Suffolk is an organization that prides
itself on making a positive difference in our local community," said
John Fish, Chairman and CEO of Suffolk. "By creating an additional 200
units of affordable housing in the City of Boston, Mayor Walsh's Boston's Way
Home Fund is a wonderful way to give back and help our most vulnerable
neighbors in a time of need. We are excited to play a role in ending chronic
homelessness, and look forward to seeing the success of Boston's Way
Home."
"We applaud the Mayor's deep and
long-term commitment to ending homelessness," said David Long, Liberty
Mutual Insurance Chairman and CEO. "By investing in this partnership,
we're paving a way for people who are homeless today to gain a sturdy
foundation, so they can move onto promising futures. We're very hopeful that
our gift will get Boston one step closer to ending chronic
homelessness."
"All of us at Pine Street Inn are very
grateful to the Mayor for starting the Boston's Way Home Fund," said
Lyndia Downie, President and Executive Director of Pine Street Inn. "We
want to express our deepest thanks to Bank of America, Partners Healthcare,
Suffolk, and Liberty Mutual for their help in getting the fund started and
helping to end homelessness in Boston."
While traditionally mayors and mayors-elect
raise private funds for inauguration celebration costs, Mayor Walsh instead
encouraged organizations and residents to learn more about the city's work to
end chronic homelessness, and consider becoming involved in Boston's Way
Home. Mayor Walsh's personal message from Inauguration Day can be found here.
In his January 2016 State of the City address,
Mayor Walsh announced Boston had ended chronic veteran homelessness; to date,
nearly 850 homeless veterans have been housed. In 2016, the City scaled up
its efforts to end chronic homelessness; since January of
2016, 425 chronically homeless individuals have been housed,
representing more than 3,000 years of homelessness ended.
Since its implementation, Boston's Way Home
has also resulted in a complete redesign of the way Boston offers services to
homeless individuals. Rather than counting on shelter as the solution to the
issue, Boston has moved toward a housing-first model, where an individual's
entrance into the shelter system is also their entrance to a path toward
permanent, stable housing.
Creating new permanent supportive housing is an
important component of Boston's Way Home, the
City's plan to end chronic homelessness. Permanent supportive housing
combines subsidized rental housing with individualized support services so
that people with complex issues can receive the assistance they need to stay
housed. The services are designed to build independent living skills and to
connect people with services such as community-based health care, help
with mental health issues, substance use counseling, and employment services.
By definition, chronically homeless
individuals have barriers that create challenges to remaining housed. These
barriers can include physical disabilities, substance abuse issues, and
mental health issues, among others. Without additional assistance, some
chronically homeless men and women are not able to maintain their homes.
To learn more about Boston's Way Home, click here. |
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