New Blogs for Everyone's Somerville!
|
Stay connected with news and upcoming events related to our affordable housing work by visit our newly updated Everyone's Somerville site! The purpose of this site is to answer questions and provide information about our housing development work and campaign to keep Somerville a thriving and diverse community.
|
|
SCC Membership
|
SCC is an organization of relationships- people with a passion for social justice and for improving quality of life for everyone in Somerville. When we are members together in an organization, we access collective power and have a greater impact in our community. When we work together, we get more accomplished. Please consider becoming a member today, which you can do online or by contacting Julia at
|
| 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!
|
|
|
| Greetings! |
It's been a slow start to Spring here in Somerville, although the staff and members of SCC have been hard at work moving forward our efforts for local jobs, access to quality affordable housing, dedicated funding for transportation, and building new community leaders.
Our hearts are heavy in the wake of yesterday's human tragedy just miles away from our office at the Boston Marathon finish line, and our thoughts remain with the hundreds of runners, spectators, families and first responders who were affected by the violence. It is in times like these that the strengths of our communities become most valuable and perhaps most evident. From all of us at SCC, we sincerely hope that you and your loved ones are safe and well as we continue to welcome the new growth and life of Spring~
|
|
Progress Continues for 181 and 197 Washington Street-
New Renderings Released!
|
On Monday, 4/8, SCC, our partners at Cathartes Private Investments and Alderman Tom Taylor hosted a neighborhood meeting to discuss our proposed development at 197 Washington Street (Cota Funeral Home) and 181 Washington Street (Boys and Girls Club). This meeting was the third in a series of public engagement events hosted by SCC over the last several months.
At our first meeting on 2/5, we introduced the community to our new partnership with Cathartes, and our plans to pursue a comprehensive approach to our separate, yet connected developments at 181 and 197 Washington Street.
Later in the month on 2/23, we invited the neighborhood to a design workshop where we toured the sites and came up with a common vision for the public spaces of the development.
Finally, this past Monday, we concluded the series with another neighborhood meeting at which we came together with our partners at Cathartes and architects at Dimella Schaffer to unveil the latest plans for design of the two buildings. What do you think?
It is our vision that this project will not only revitalize and provide a welcoming gateway to the eastern portion of the Union Square neighborhood, but will also represent a microcosm of what makes Somerville desirable and unique: namely, its commitment to social and economic diversity, sustainability, and inclusion.
For more renderings of this project, click here
|
|
New Leaders Emerging at
Leadership Development Institute 2013!
|
SCC has been proud to host this series of training sessions- offered on Saturday mornings in 4 languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese and Haitian Kreyol) over the course of one month- for individuals of all ages and backgrounds to gain new skills and attributes important to becoming strong community leaders.
 
Options
This year's LDI kicked off on 3/30 with an exploration of the qualities that define a good leader, and continued on 4/6 with an interactive session about effective relationship building and storytelling. The twenty two participants in this year's LDI will reconvene on 4/20 to learn about the nature of power and conclude on 4/27 by framing all we have learned into the local context and, finally, graduation! To see more photos of this year's LDI sessions, click here
|
|
Save Our Homes Walk: May 19th
|
Come walk with us! On Sunday, May 19th, SCC will join the Somerville Homeless Coalition, Community Action Agency of Somerville, and Cambridge-Somerville Legal Services in sponsoring the 10th annual Save Our Homes Walk. This 5K walk will raise money to support our friends and neighbors who find themselves behind in their rent and at risk of becoming homeless as a result. In these volatile situations, even a small amount of money can make the critical difference between keeping someone in safe decent housing, and that same person finding him or herself out on the street, homeless.
Over the 10 years of our efforts with Save Our Homes, hundreds of families and individuals have been helped to stay in their homes. Join us for a fun, festive afternoon with a nice walk through a few Somerville neighborhoods, knowing that you are helping some fellow Somervilleans stay in their homes.
Sign up as a walker or please make a donation today.
Contact Kathryn Benjamin at 617-625-6111 x225 or somervillesohwalk@gmail.com if you'd like to help.
|
|
Taking a Stand for Dedicated Transportation Funding in MA
|
On Tuesday 4/2, SCC staff joined our partners and fellow advocates for a rally and day of action sponsored by Transportation for Massachusetts at the MA Statehouse to push for dedicated transportation funding in our state. Just hours before this event, the House passed a transportation package that provided an average of $500 million in new funds for transportation, thus rejecting Governor Deval Patrick's push for a heftier tax hike he said was needed to upgrade our state's aging and debt-ridden transportation system. Later that week, the Senate released its bill for $800 million that is a step in the right direction, but still falls short of what is needed to maintain, improve, and expand our crumbling and outdated transportation system. Read T4Mass' statement on the newest Senate vote here and read the Boston Globe's coverage here.
Please contact your Senator today to tell them why long-term, adequate transportation funding is crucial to our state, and particularly to our most vulnerable populations who depend on transit. Here is a script to use for talking points. Follow @T4Mass on Twitter using #fixingtranspo and #mapoli for updates!
|
Testifying to MassDOT for Local Jobs in Green Line Extension
|
At a MassDOT Board meeting on 4/10, the SCC Jobs for Somerville Committee delivered powerful testimonies in support of adding clear local hiring goals for Somerville residents, particularly for women and minorities, in the construction RFP for phases 2 and 2a of the Green Line Extension. After hearing from SCC member Julia Elena about the impact that her husband's long-distance commute for multiple jobs has had on her family, MassDOT Director Janice Loux spoke out in agreement- that local jobs are important and can make a real impact on the community and its families. SCC will continue to work with MassDOT to address local hiring goals and develop effective ways to recruit local residents throughout the hiring process for phases 2 and 2a of the Green Line Extension.  
|
|
Upcoming Financial Education Class at SCC
|
We are excited to announce an upcoming financial education class at SCC! Over the course of eight weeks, participants will gain important information and skills to help them navigate their financial lives more successfully. The class will meet on Thursday evenings from 6:15 to 9 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. Class dates: 5/16, 5/23, 5/30, 6/6, 6/13, 6/20, 6/27, 7/11. Language: English. Dinner and childcare offered.
To register, please contact Thais DeMarco at (617) 776-5931 x233 or Shannon Erb at x238.
|
|
Career Counseling Opportunities
|
Interested in figuring out what your career path should be? Need help with your resume or cover letter? Not sure how to go about finding the job of your dreams? Come to SCC to see a Career Counselor from The Career Place!
For details, or to set up a time to see someone, please call Thais DeMarco at x233 to schedule an intake.
|
|
