New Go-To Crew Request: Clothing in all sizes for infants, children, and women

Refugees in Framingham need your help! 35 refugee families from Haiti are moving into South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC) family shelters in Framingham and desperately need seasonal clothing.

Please help these vulnerable families stay healthy by donating new and like-new clothing in all sizes for infants, children, and women. 

Purchase these items from our Amazon Wish List or your preferred online retailer. Ship your donations to Circle of Hope at 1329 Highland Ave, Needham, MA 02492 or drop them off in the "Go-To Crew" bin outside Circle of Hope from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Monday, 9/19, Tuesday, 9/20, and Wednesday, 9/21. 

What Is Scattered Site Housing?

This summer, Circle of Hope (COH) began serving families in scattered site housing units operated by South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC) in Framingham. This is our first partnership of its kind, so you may be wondering: what is scattered site housing?

Scattered site housing refers to individual housing units, such as apartments, in which families experiencing homelessness live alone. Scattered site housing in Massachusetts is funded by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and operated by 52 nonprofits throughout the state, including SMOC. (1) Families cannot choose the location of their scattered site housing unit, but DHCD must try to place families within 20 miles of their hometown when possible. (2) On average, families stay in emergency shelter settings, including scattered site housing, for over a year. (3)

Larger families and families in which one or more members has a disability or complex medical need are typically prioritized for scattered site housing. Like in congregate shelter settings, families have access to case management and other support services. (4) But unlike families in congregate shelter settings, families in scattered site housing must purchase most of their own essential household items, including toilet paper, soap, laundry detergent, and other supplies.

Circle of Hope now makes monthly deliveries of clothing, infant essentials, and hygiene supplies to 10-12 families in scattered site housing, meeting their most urgent health and hygiene needs while helping them stretch limited income further and prioritize other daily necessities. COH volunteers bring the donations to SMOC headquarters in Framingham, where case managers can select the specific items each family needs. We made our first delivery in July after our previous SMOC partner shelter, Clinton House Family Shelter, closed.

Circle of Hope first partnered with SMOC in 2017 when we began serving Clinton House Family Shelter and Pearl Street Family Shelter. Our partnership with Pearl Street Family Shelter has not changed and we will continue providing clothing and hygiene essentials to families in shelter every month. The vital supplies we provide to families in congregate shelters and scattered site shelters enable children and parents to get to and from school and work safely, help families stay comfortable, and support physical and mental health and personal dignity.

Resources:

(1) The Boston Foundation

(2) Mass Legal Help

(3) Commonwealth of Massachusetts

(4) South Middlesex Opportunity Council

New Pilot Program at Framingham High School

Circle of Hope launched a new pilot partnership with Framingham High School (FHS) to provide essential clothing to students experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity.

We made our first delivery in December, bringing warm coats, boots, socks, and accessories for high school students who urgently needed them for winter. Mark Goldschmidt, Program Coordinator at the Resiliency for Life program at FHS, told us the first student was thrilled to receive Circle of Hope donations that very same day:

"It was adorable to see how happy she was! She was literally humming music while she looked through the options. She is the student who needed the boots and she was so grateful that you sent some in her size."

Following a public hearing Circle of Hope participated in, a City of Framingham administrator asked if we could help homeless students at FHS who didn’t have winter coats or clothes. We reached out to Goldschmidt and learned that 60 students were homeless and needed donations. Two weeks later, our volunteer driver made the first delivery with coats and clothes for 10 students. We are currently awaiting word on grant funding from the City of Framingham to allow us to help more children in Framingham who are experiencing homelessness.

"I think what you do is so vital and HOW you do it is so impressive," Goldschmidt said of COH.

Circle of Hope Receives $20,000 Grant from Middlesex Savings Charitable Foundation

We are thrilled to report that Circle of Hope has received a $20,000 grant from the Middlesex Savings Charitable Foundation!

These funds will support our partnerships with Clinton House Family Shelter and Pearl Street Family Shelter in Framingham. Through these two partnerships, we provide clothing, Welcome Baby Bags, and toiletries to 20 families experiencing homelessness at a time.

The grant will also support our new pilot partnership with Framingham State University, where we give homeless college students the clothing and everyday necessities they need to attend school in good health. We are very grateful to the Middlesex Savings Charitable Foundation for giving us the opportunity to deepen our impact on homeless individuals and families in MetroWest.

Read more about this exciting new grant in The MetroWest Daily News and Framingham Source.