Volunteers Help Families Head Home

The following article comes from Jeff Lavery on behalf of Heading Home Inc.

Heading Home, Inc., one of the Boston area’s largest agencies devoted to helping the homeless, announced Nov. 16 that volunteers from the towns of Concord and Sudbury generously donated their time to move two formerly homeless families into new apartments. The groups participated in Heading Home’s signature volunteer program, “Up & Out,” where volunteers help homeless families make the milestone move from shelter to a permanent home.

As Up & Out volunteers, they coordinated the moves of both families from start to finish, supplying the new homes with household items and furniture for the kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms, and helping to physically move the families into their new homes. The Up & Out moves were spearheaded by the Ewing and Solomon families with assistance from more than 70 volunteers from Concord and Sudbury.  Both moves occurred on Nov. 6 and helped families move to new apartments in Jamaica Plain and Boston.

“Up & Out moves require a dedicated approach to helping local families get on their feet, as volunteers clean, furnish, and decorate an apartment prior to a family’s move,” said Wendy Jacobs, deputy executive director/chief development officer at Heading Home. “We appreciate the enthusiasm of the Ewing and Solomon families, and the volunteers that supported them. Their efforts have truly improved the lives of two formerly homeless families.”

A non-profit organization, Heading Home’s mission is to end homelessness in Greater Boston by providing a supported pathway to self-sufficiency that begins with a home, together with critical services such as life skills, financial literacy, and job training. The number of volunteers who gave their time to Heading Home has tripled over the last year, due in large part to the overwhelming success of the Up & Out program. Twenty-four Up & Out moves were completed in 2010 and at least that many will be coordinated in 2011, which not only speaks to the depth of the homeless problem in Greater Boston but to the depth of Heading Home’s committed volunteers.

The perilous housing market and wave of foreclosures have displaced many people, and the issue of homelessness has become absolutely critical in the Greater Boston community. On any given night, there are more than 7,000 homeless people in Greater Boston, including 3,000 children. Sadly, not since the Great Depression have so many families been homeless. The number of homeless families is staggering and offers a glimpse into the depth of the affordable housing conundrum. In 2011, Heading Home helped more than 2,000 homeless families and individuals in Greater Boston by providing them a place to call home and opportunities for self-sufficiency.

To learn more about Heading Home, click here.