In This Issue
Register for July First-Time Homebuyer Class
First Source Jobs - Fair on June 24
Jump Start Your Finances
Ongoing Meetings
Breaking News on Local Jobs for the Green Line Extension
St. Polycarp Ribbon Cutting
Social Equity Campaign Kick-Off
Union United Update
AHOC Pushes for Affordable Housing in Zoning Code
181 washington hearing 6-20-13
Registration Open:
July First-Time 
Homebuyer Class 
Sign up NOW for SCC's First-Time Homebuyer Class in July 2014! The four-session, 12-hour class will feature presentations by a real estate agent, a lender, a home inspector, a real estate attorney, and an insurance agent, in addition to SCC staff, and it will teach you everything you need to know before you start the process of buying your first home. Upon completion of the course, participants receive a certificate that enables them to access products geared specifically towards first-time homebuyers, such as the ONE loan product. 
 
The class will be conducted in English from 6 to 9 pm on June 3rd, 5th, 10th & 12th.
 
A complete 2014 class calendar can be viewed on our website. For more information or to register, please contact Shannon at 617-776-5931 x238.
First Source Jobs
June 24th Job Fair to Connect Workers and Employers 
Come and join our First Source Job Fair on June 24th from 10 AM to 1 PM at SCALE!

The First Source Job Fair is meant to help Somerville residents meet employers in the Somerville area that have current job openings. The Job Fair will be celebrated at SCALE (167 Holland St., Somerville, MA) and some of the employers participating will be: the security company Valor, the grocery store Whole Foods and the moving company Gentle Giant Moving.

If you are using public transportation, you can take the 87, 88 or 89 bus to Cameron Ave., or you can drop-off at the Red Line stop at Davis Square.

For more information about the program, or to schedule an intake session, please call Jorge at 
617-776-5931 x226. 

Jump Start Your Finances
SIgn up for the Financial Education Course Starting July 1 
We are excited to announce our second financial education class at SCC for the 2014 year! Over the course of four weeks, participants will gain important information and skills to help them navigate their financial lives more successfully. 
 
The class will meet on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:15 to 9:00 p.m., and a support group will be offered after graduation so participants can continue to hone the knowledge and skills acquired in the class. Graduates will receive a $200 stipend to get them started on a successful financial path! The class will be open to people who live and/or work in Somerville. 
 
Details:
Classes meet: Tuesdays and Thursdays (July 1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, and 24)
Language: English. 
Dinner and childcare offered. 
Pre-registration is required. Requirements: 
Participants must a) live, work, or study in Somerville; b) attend all eight class sessions, as well as two counseling sessions with SCC staff; and c) qualify under the following income guidelines: 

Household of 1:$47150
Household of 2:$53,900
Household of 3:$60,650
Household of 4: $67,350
Household of 5: $72,750
Household of 6: $78,150
Household of 7: $83,550
Household of 8: 88,950
 
Ongoing Meetings
Our many groups and committees meet regularly and are usually open to newcomers! Please click on the calendar image below to see the what's happening this month!
 
calendar icon
Links

 

Join Our Mailing List!   

 

  Follow us on Twitter

(@SCC_Somerville)

 

Like us on Facebook 

(@SomervilleCommunityCorporation)

Finally, summer is starting to hit its stride and things at SCC are just starting to heat up! This month the SCC commemorates a huge Smart-Growth, community-led affordable housing accomplishment with a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Saint Polycarp Village. The ceremony was an excellent opportunity to publicly thank the numerous partners, financiers, and supporters that made this project possible, and to get a glimpse of the wonderful community that has come together and will continue to grow as a result of the development. With all of the changes coming to Somerville Neighborhoods, we see plenty of opportunities to create more vibrant, mixed-use, affordable housing opportunities for even more of our neighbors!

 

~From all of us at SCC, thank you for your support!~ 

Breaking News!

MassDOT/MBTA and Jobs for Somerville sign MOU for local jobs program on Green Line Extension

After nearly three years of organizing for local jobs on the Green Line Extension, we have reached an important milestone! On June 18, officials from the cities of Cambridge, Medford, and Somerville, legislators, labor unions, and community partners joined MBTA General Manager Dr. Beverly Scott and other representatives from MassDOT and MBTA to formalize the creation of the MassWIN-GLX program. The program will help low-income and minority residents of Cambridge, Somerville, and Medford get access to training and job placement on the construction of the Green Line Extension. Along with our Somerville First Source Jobs Program, the MassWIN-GLX program will help to create additional career opportunities for job seekers in Somerville.

 
Please join Jobs for Somerville in Union Square on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 at 5:00pm for a community celebration of this exciting victory!
 
Community celebration of MassWIN-GLX program 
Tuesday, June 24, 2014 at 5:00 pm 
Union Square plaza in front of SCATV
 

Mission Accomplished!

Saint Polycarp Completion Marked with Ribbon Cutting, Community Speakers 

On Monday, June 9th, at 10:30am the Somerville Community Corporation (SCC) commemorated the completion of Saint Polycarp Village Phase III with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Congressman Michael Capuano, Mayor Joseph Curtatone, Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development Undersecretary Aaron Gornstein, and HUD Regional Administrator Barbara Fields, among other notable local leaders and Village residents, spoke at the event and celebrated with new residents.
 
Now complete, the site creates a vibrant smart growth community with 84 affordable rental units, commercial space, a church, a transitional home for single mothers and their children, and open space. Maria Salmeron, a Phase 3 resident and featured speaker at Monday's ceremony said that this project "has allowed me to stay in the community as it develops and be part of the community where my kids are in school."
 
"We are thrilled to be able to continue the use of this gateway to Somerville as a valuable community asset, creating 84 critically-needed new affordable apartments in the process," said Danny LeBlanc, SCC's Chief Executive Officer.  

       

 

SCC Kicks off Social Equity Campaign

Donors' Impact will Triple with New Community Investment Tax Credit

On Monday, June 9th, community leaders, Mayor Curtatone, and members of SCC's board and staff gathered for a breakfast to launch SCC's Social Equity Campaign. This campaign is SCC's largest donor campaign in its history, with the goal of raising $180,000 by the end of 2014, and $250,000 in 2015 as part of our 5 Year Campaign to keep Somerville diverse and thriving for everyone.

 

We have a golden opportunity to meet this ambitious goal. This spring, the Department of Housing and Community Development rolled out the Community Investment Tax Credit (CITC) program, signed into law by Governor Patrick in 2012. This State initiative allots tax credits to certified community development corporations like SCC, to improve economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income households and other residents in our communities.

 

We are motivated to launch this grand campaign due to the tremendous transformation Somerville will see in the next decade. Just in the next 5 years, Somerville will see 6 new Green Line stations, 6.3 million square feet of development in Assembly and Union Squares, a new community path, and thousands of new jobs and homes. SCC's role in Somerville's expansive transformation is to make sure these new amenities benefit people of all incomes, and that Somerville continues to be a diverse and affordable community. 

 

These tax credits are issued to public and private entities and individuals who make a financial donation to the organization in order to leverage deeper impact through community development. 

 

Any individual or entity that donates at least $1000 will be eligible for a tax credit of 50% of their donation. This kind of opportunity does not come often, and we are thrilled by the prospect of leveraging new dollars to significantly expand our impact in Somerville. 

 

For more information about the campaign, how to get involved, or how to make a donation to be eligible for the tax credit, contact: Meridith Levy, Deputy Director, at mlevy@somervillecdc.org,  or 617.776.5931x242.

 

          

 

Union United

 Coalition Crafts Community Benefits Agreement with Developers

Since April, SCC has been participating in Union United - a multi-issue coalition made up of residents, business owners and other stakeholders working to ensure that the Union Square redevelopment process and project results in tangible benefits and not displacement for the Union Square community. 

 

Over the last few months, we have met to discuss the redevelopment project and begun to craft a community benefits agreement that we hope to negotiate with the City and the master developer. Community benefits agreements, or CBAs, are legally enforceable contracts that have been used across the country to ensure that developments include community amenities like affordable housing, local hiring, and support for small businesses. We hope to complete the CBA by the end of June, and start a negotiating process with the City and the appointed master developer in the next couple of months. 

 

Fourteen organizations and more than 50 individuals have signed on to take part in the coalition. With the Link Somerville Equity Standards as a reference point, each coalition member has signed a pledge affirming the following equitable outcomes: affordable housing, community space and resources, local jobs and workers' rights, open and green space, public safety, support for small and local businesses, and transparent and participatory planning processes.

 

We have rallied in support of small business owners facing rent increases, attended multiple community meetings, met with several Aldermen, and sat down with three of the four developer candidates to share our agenda. Our next step is to build alliances with local decision-makers, including City officials and members of the CAC, so that when the master developer is chosen we have many voices in the community contributing to a strong CBA. We have a lot of work to do, but Union United has already come a long way toward creating solidarity, building power, and sharing a narrative of equity and development without displacement.

 

To get involved, contact Mashael Majid is mmajid@somervillecdc.org or 617-776-5931 ext. 228. You can also check us out online, on Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

Affordable Housing Organizing Committee Pushes Zoning

 SCC's AHOC Watchdogs Keep Pace with Somerville's Zoning Code

Somerville's zoning code is finally changing, bringing with it new opportunities to increase the amount of affordable housing in the city. SCC's Affordable Housing Organizing Committee (AHOC) has been working hard to craft a list of demands for the new inclusionary zoning ordinance, which requires developers to subsidize affordable units as part of new construction. 

 

AHOC believes that at least 1 out of every 6 new units throughout the city should be affordable, and that proportion should go up to 1 in 5 when new housing is within a half-mile of rapid transit. In May, we presented these demands to the city planners who are writing the new zoning and learned about their plans to simplify the code and make it responsive to community needs. 

 

On June 12, the Planning Department hosted the first of ten public meetings on the new zoning. These meetings are important opportunities for residents to offer feedback and have a voice in the way Somerville will be developed, and to ensuring that AHOC's demands get incorporated into the new ordinance. 

 

In addition, we are beginning to look at other ways to increase affordable housing outside of zoning. We need your voice to be part of the conversation! Join us at our next meeting on Thursday, June 19 from 6-8pm at SCC to be part of the movement for affordable housing in Somerville! For more information, email Rene or call 617-776-5931 x226.

 

If you are interested in getting further involved, there will be a meeting on Community Benefits, including affordable housing, on July 31 at the Public Storage building in Assembly Square. More information about the meetings can be found here.

As always, we appreciate feedback.  Be sure to join us on Facebook & Twitter for the most current info on what we're up to and how to get involved. We look forward to seeing and hearing from you soon! 

Sincerely,
Daniel LeBlanc
Somerville Community Corporation