UUA Message of Gratitude for the Successful Emergency Family Shelter Initiative

To residents and businesses of the Fort Point Neighborhood:

On behalf of the planning team for the SafetyNet Shelter at 24 Farnsworth Street, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks for your support for this project to provide temporary, emergency shelter to families in need. This four-month project is now concluded, and has been a testament to the power of creativity and partnership to meet the needs of our community and the current moment.

Around the winter holidays, the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) learned the Commonwealth of Massachusetts needed short-term shelter space, since a surge in families migrating from Haiti had overwhelmed the system during the coldest months. The Unitarian Universalist Association, as the national headquarters for over 1000 liberal religious congregations across the United States, reached out to the state and offered vacant tenant space at our headquarters building in Fort Point. The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities connected us with the City of Boston, the United Way of Massachusetts Bay, the YMCA of Greater Boston, and the Black Refugee and Immigrant Community Coalition. Working together, we opened a temporary SafetyNet shelter for 25 families with children on the UUA’s sixth floor.

Our first guests arrived on March 7th, and the project was completed by June 30th - all families were all placed in housing by the time of we closed the temporary shelter’s doors. Families stayed overnight at the UUA, and were driven to the YMCA and community centers during the day to receive additional support and services. Before coming to stay with us, most had been sleeping at Logan Airport. Through the shelter program and BRICC’s support, they were able to file for work permits, school placements and get help with housing applications. By any measure – and by the measure of the values that Unitarian Universalists live by and promote – this project has been a success.

The support from the Fort Point neighborhood has been critical to this project’s success. Before the shelter opened, the planning partners held a public meeting with the Fort Point Neighborhood Association and the City’s Office of Neighborhood Services, and remained engaged with regular updates. When there were logistical concerns, residents and abutters brought them to the planning team and we worked to address them.

We heard so many times the pride you felt, knowing that the Seaport could provide a supportive community to these families in their time of need. Some donated time, money and needed home goods, collected by the South Boston Neighborhood House. Local businesses made generous donations -Flour provided breakfast every Sunday, and The Children’s Museum gave 50 tickets so that families could enjoy the museum’s offerings.

Now that the shelter project is concluded, the UUA will be reopening its building to the public and returning the space to commercial use, as originally intended. We will be seeking new commercial tenants for our vacant space. We also invite you to check out our inSpirit Book and Gift shop on the first floor, now re-opened Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays.

The UUA, as your ongoing neighbor, was grateful to be able to use our assets in a creative way to do our part in addressing the housing crisis and our broken asylum system. From the beginning, this was a project grounded in mission and in partnership, something we never could have done alone. We hope that other building owners across the city and state will take up this challenge to help in the ways they can, a point we made in a recent opinion piece in Commonwealth Magazine.

Thank you again for your faith and support of this critical project, and for helping the Seaport neighborhood do its part to support our community’s families in need.

Warmly,

Carey McDonald
Executive Vice President

Temporary Emergency Family Shelter Update to the Fort Point Community

A brief update from the UUA to the Fort Point Community

The Temporary Emergency Family Shelter at 24 Farnsworth St. is in its final two weeks. We are happy to share that placements have been located for all the families staying as guests; moving out has already started the week of June 21st, and will continue through the next two weeks, staying flexible due to the heat advisory. Students are finishing out the year at Boston Public Schools. We remain on track to complete these placements for all guests so that they can move out by the June 30 deadline. Operations continue to be smooth, without any disruptions or major concerns. 

 

Our community partners who operate the shelter, the Boston Refugee and Immigrant Community Coalition, are still in need of certain home furnishings for the apartments where they are placing the families, such as appliances, certain furniture items, etc. The South Boston Neighborhood House is accepting donated items, new or gently used only. Urgently needed items include : Microwaves, Refrigerators, Vacuums, Tables, Chairs, Pots and Pans, Silverware, Dinnerware, Toasters, Blenders, Coffee Makers, Cleaning Supplies, and other small appliances. Check the United Way for updates. Cash donations can also be made through the United Way.

 

As I mentioned at the FPNA meeting, once the shelter project is concluded the UUA is returning the space to commercial leasing. We will also be re-opening the inSpirit Book & Gift Shop located on the first floor of our building. 

We’ll provide another update once the shelter project is concluded, and hope everyone has a great summer!

Warmly,

 

-Carey

Carey McDonald

Unitarian Universalist Association

Executive Vice President

UUA & United Way Letter To the Neighborhood Regarding 24 Farnsworth Family Shelter

FPNA contacted the team managing the temporary emergency family shelter at 24 Farnsworth Street regarding their plans to conclude operations. They informed us that, in an effort to minimize disruptions for families, the UUA and United Way intend to request an extension through June.

This additional time will allow families with children attending Boston Public Schools to remain in their current school until the last day of classes on June 20. It will also facilitate adjustments to programming at the YMCA as they transition to their summer schedule.

The United Way and UUA are deeply grateful to the neighborhood for providing a temporary home to their guests in Fort Point and for the support they have received.

The shelter team will be present at the FPNA Monthly Neighborhood Gathering on May 28th at 6:00 pm to address any questions you may have. 

Greater details are addressed in their letter to the neighborhood below:

Dear Neighbors and Members of the Fort Point Community, 

This letter is to share with you our plans for successfully concluding the Safety Net Shelter program currently hosted at 24 Farnsworth Street by the Unitarian Universalist Association, which we first introduced in a March 5 letter to the Fort Point Neighborhood Association (FPNA). As part of the statewide system of shelter for unhoused families, this temporary overnight shelter has been open since March and hosts 25 families with children. The project has been a collaborative effort between the UUA as the owner of the space, the United Way as the funder for the program, the Boston Refugee and Immigrant Community Coalition (BRICC) who operates the shelter, and the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC). 

The shelter’s operations have been smooth over the past two months. Residents are driven daily to the YMCA for use of their facilities, as well as to BRICC’s community center in the afternoons. School age children have been attending Boston Public Schools. Both BPS and the YMCA have also been excellent partners in this project. BRICC staff and their security team work closely with the UUA’s operations and facilities staff to manage the space and ensure the safety of our guests. 

We have now been able to clarify the timeline needed to wind down the shelter program, which will conclude no later than June 30, 2024. BRICC has identified placements for roughly half of the families and is on track to place all our current guests by that date. The shelter was initially approved for temporary occupancy by the City from March through May, a timeline which was reflected in the usage agreement between BRICC and the UUA for the space, and this plan will require a 30-day extension of that initial agreement and authorization. The UUA and the United Way are fully supportive of BRICC’s proposal to extend the agreement for another month, pending City approval, to allow BRICC to complete these housing placements and ensure children can finish out the school year. The June 30 deadline is firmly supported by the UUA and the United Way, at which point the UUA will be returning the space its office usage. 

We also want to clearly convey the successes of this project to date. Throughout the project, we have had an outstanding team of collaborators with BRICC, the City of Boston and the EOHLC. We are also grateful for the consistent support we have received from the Fort Point community and the City of Boston. We have remained in regular contact through the FPNA, and the United Way has received dozens of questions and supportive comments from nearby residents and business owners. We have also received incredible offers of donations from local businesses. Flour donates breakfast every Sunday for the clients at the shelter. The Children’s Museum provided about 50 tickets so that families could enjoy the offerings there. South Boston Neighborhood House played a role in collecting in-kind donations for the site. 

We are reaching out to you, the members of the neighborhood, to share this update as we proceed with this approach. If you have any questions, please share them through the South Boston Neighbors Contact Form on the United Way's website. We will join the next FPNA meeting on May 28 to continue our ongoing conversation with the neighborhood. 

This has been an excellent model for how collaborative efforts can bridge the gap to stable housing that gives our families a new foundation to thrive in our community. We are extremely appreciative of the ways in which the neighborhood helped us and our partners to maintain the well-being and dignity of our guests. 

Thank you again for your ongoing support. 

Warmly, 

Carey McDonald
Executive Vice President
Unitarian Universalist Association 

Christi Staples
Vice President of Policy and Government Relations
United Way of Massachusetts Bay

One Hand. One Heart. One Boston Day. Together Let’s Support Our New Fort Point Families.

In recognition of One Boston Day, please consider making a donation to welcome our new, temporary Fort Point neighbors at the emergency family shelter.  

The United Way of Massachusetts Bay in coordination with the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), the Black Refugee & Immigrant Community Coalition, and the Greater Boston YMCA among other community-based organizations, are providing temporary emergency housing and support to approximately 25 families with children who have an urgent and immediate need for shelter in Fort Point. 

Once a family settles into their new temporary housing, the need shifts to the essentials of daily living.  The home essential items listed will help replenish the supplies being used at the YMCA, where families are showering and spending their days. Once families relocate to new housing, they will have extra home essential items to take with them.

Items most needed are:

Diapers (disposable, multiple sizes)

Baby wipes

Baby bottles (new only)

Baby clothing (new only sizes 0-3) Including warm clothing

Baby gear (high chairs, strollers, pack’n plays) in excellent condition – no stains, tears, or missing pieces

View full list of recommended essential items needed at the Fort Point temporary family shelter. Please refrain from donating toy and stuffed animals. 

The drive is running now through May 31, 2024 and there are multiple way to participate. 

• Donate an item from United Way's Amazon wish list.  

• Drop off items at the South Boston Neighborhood House (aka The Ollie) at 136 H St. Monday through Friday between 9:30-5:00pm. If you are unable to drop off your donations or have any questions, please  contact Erin LaMonica, Community Initiatives Coordinator, via email or at 617-268-1619 x 403.

• Make a financial contribution by visiting the United Way 

24 Farnsworth MA Emergency Shelter Information Session March 1st

updated 3/11 with UUA donation opportunities.

Dear Neighbors,

Many of you have reached out asking how you may offer support to the guest families temporarily staying at 24 Farnsworth. The UUA is offering donation opportunities here. 

On February 7th, the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services notified FPNA that the Healey-Driscoll Administration was considering establishing an Emergency Family Shelter at 24 Farnsworth Street, the world headquarters of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Over the past three weeks, FPNA created two lists of questions with the assistance of neighbors closest to the site. They can be found here. Responses have been posted here. For more information and for contact information, visit the SafetyNet Shelter Feedback - United Way of Massachusetts Bay (unitedwaymassbay.org)

At Tuesday night's FPNA Neighborhood Gathering, the Healey-Driscoll Administration informed the neighborhood that a Shelter will be opening as soon as next week at 24 Farnsworth Street.

On behalf of the Healey-Driscoll Administration, the United Way and the Unitarian Universalist Association, we are helping to spread the word that they will be hosting a Fort Point Neighborhood Information Session on Friday, March 1st from 6pm to 7:30pm via zoom regarding the Emergency Family Shelter at 24 Farnsworth.  If you have any questions, suggestions or concerns, we encourage you to attend. 

As we hear more, we will be in touch. 

Regards,

FPNA

Healey-Driscoll Administration, United Way & Unitarian Universalist Association

24 Farnsworth Information Session