What Is Scattered Site Housing?

Two women sit on a porch in front of an open door with clear bags of clothing donations around them

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

How Your Back To School Donations Help Kids Experiencing Homelessness

Combatting Clothing and Hygiene Insecurity in Boston and MetroWest Schools

Nearly 20,000 students in Massachusetts public schools experienced homelessness during the 2020-2021 academic year. In Boston Public Schools alone, 4,000 students experience homelessness every year.

Students experiencing homelessness are chronically absent from school at rates at least 2-3 times higher than their stably housed peers - due, in part, to clothing and hygiene insecurity. Students without access to seasonally appropriate, well-fitting clothing and hygiene essentials like soap, shampoo, and period products, are more likely to miss school. Children experiencing homelessness are also sick twice as often as their peers and have higher rates of mental health disorders like anxiety and depression.

Circle of Hope helps students experiencing homelessness in Boston and MetroWest stay healthy and attend school with confidence and dignity by providing them with new and like-new clothing, winter gear, shoes, and hygiene essentials. These vital supplies ensure that students can get to and from school safely, maintain personal hygiene to reduce their risk of viral and bacterial infections, and stay comfortable and confident throughout their day. By providing these essentials, we’re also helping lighten the mental load for thousands of parents experiencing homelessness by helping them meet these basic needs for their children. 

“My goal has always been to be a wonderful role model for my daughter by being able to provide the basic necessities of life,” said Camille Fenton, a former resident of Project Hope Family Shelter. “When my daughter comes up to me and tells me that her shoes are too tight or that her coat isn’t keeping her warm, I am instantly faced with a dilemma. Do I take the $20 I had budgeted towards her coat or do I buy these $16.99 shoes? With the help of Circle of Hope, I didn’t have to make those tough decisions.”

Your donations to Circle of Hope help students stay physically and mentally healthy, reduce rates of chronic absenteeism, and dismantle the barriers to education faced by children experiencing homelessness. You can help thousands of children stay healthy and learn comfortably:

  • Donate your child’s outgrown clothing in excellent condition. Visit our website to view our complete donation guidelines or schedule your donation drop-off appointment.

  • Shop for a full outfit (shirt, pants, underwear, socks) for a child who is the same size as your own child (or any size!). Schedule an appointment to drop off your donations or ship them directly to Circle of Hope at 1329 Highland Ave. Needham, MA 02492. 

  • Run a fall or winter collection drive to gather hygiene products, socks and underwear, winter accessories, or other much-needed items for children experiencing homelessness. View our Collection Drive Guide for help getting started.

  • Join our Go-To Crew to receive email alerts about urgent donation needs.

Your generosity has the power to change a child’s life. Together, we can help students experiencing homelessness stay healthy and stay in school.

Summer 2022 News from Circle of Hope

Dear Friends,

Happy summer! Circle of Hope's donation center will be closed in August, with donation drop-off appointments resuming in early September. Some staff will work remotely in August, so please don't hesitate to email us with questions!

In the meantime, please help fill our shelves for fall! Shop our Amazon Wish List and ship new clothing and essentials directly to Circle of Hope. When we re-open in September, we'll immediately resume shelter deliveries, bringing seasonal clothing and hygiene essentials to families and individuals experiencing homelessness and back-to-school clothing for children in Boston Public Schools and Framingham High School.

Planning a fall giving project or collection drive with your colleagues, classmates, or members of your community group? Our Collection Drive Guide is here to help! Together, assemble Welcome Baby Bags, Dignity Bags, Get Set packages, COVID Kits, or Emergency Clothing Kits and donate them to COH. Learn more.

We look forward to seeing you in September! We wish you a happy, healthy rest of your summer.

Warmly,

Barbara

Summer Highlights at Circle of Hope…

Donations Urgently Needed

We need your help giving seasonal essentials to families experiencing homelessness this spring! Please help fill our shelves for our upcoming shelter and clinic deliveries.

We especially need new and gently used sneakers for children and adults in all sizes and new and gently used unisex infant clothing in all sizes.

Please schedule your donation drop-off appointment by clicking the buttons below. Or ship these items directly to Circle of Hope through our Amazon Wish List or your preferred online retailer. Our shipping address is 1329 Highland Ave. Needham, MA 02492.

Thank you very much! We are so grateful for your help!

New Go-To Crew Request: New T-Shirts for Adults

As the weather changes, our clinic and shelter partners need seasonal clothing for adults experiencing homelessness. We are very low on short-sleeved T-shirts and we need your help!

Please help adults who are homeless stay healthy and comfortable by donating new plain T-shirts in all adult sizes.

Please purchase these items from our Amazon Wish List or from your preferred retailer. Ship your donations to Circle of Hope at 1329 Highland Ave, Needham, MA 02492 or schedule an appointmentto drop them off at Circle of Hope next week. Thank you!!

New Pilot Program at Framingham High School

Mark Goldschmidt holding two bags of donations outside 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.

New Go-To Crew Request: Adults' Sneakers

Our healthcare clinic partners and overnight shelter partners urgently need sneakers for adults experiencing homelessness! Please help us give essential footwear to adults who are homeless by donating new and like-new women's sneakers (sizes 7-10) and men's sneakers (sizes 9-12) to COH.

Please purchase the items from our Amazon Wish List or from your preferred 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 am- 12:00 pm on Tuesday, Mar. 1, Wednesday, Mar. 2, Thursday, Mar. 3, or Monday, Mar. 7. Thank you!!

Circle of Hope | 1329 Highland Ave. Suite 3, Needham, MA 02492

progress pride flag.jpg