Charitable Status
The Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless is a non-profit and is recognized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization (Tax ID 222-599- 662).
All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. A letter acknowledging the donation will be sent to each donor for your tax records.
To access the Coalitions 990 tax information and charitable rating please visit www.GuideStar.org. or check here to review our most recent federal 990 and our most charitable status from the Massachusetts Attorney General.
Giving with Impact
Your generous contribution to the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless will make a concrete difference in the life of a family, youth, or adult who is at-risk or experiencing homelessness-- including children like Sandra and parents like Samantha and Elly.
April 2014
Elly’s Story:
My name is Elly Perez and I live in Lynn, MA. I have two children. My oldest child is a girl who just turned nine and my youngest child is a boy who is one. Bed bugs took over my kids’ bed and it led me to obtain beds for them. I heard about the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless initiative A Bed for Every Child through the Callahan School in Lynn.
The Coalition was able to give my family new beds to sleep on. The Coalition's staff were so helpful and thoughtful. They treated me with respect and dignity. The process was easy and clear. I felt taken care of by the staff. I couldn't have asked for a better quality bed because it came new and not used. I felt really good to know that my kids were getting a new bed instead of a used bed. When my daughter did not have a bed to sleep on, it would take her over two hours to fall asleep. On those days she would have problems in school and sometimes academically. Her behavior would also change from friendly to angry towards her peers and teacher. Ever since she has had a bed, her behavior has not been an issue. In fact, she is a star student in her class.
My advice to anyone in a similar situation is to not give up hope, there is help and all you need to do is tell someone. We all need help sometimes, so don't feel ashamed of your situation.
Elly is a twenty-seven year old single mother of two who grew up in poverty. Elly recently graduated from Salem State University and has started a full-time job.
March 2014
Sandra's story:
For most children growing up, they move from the comfort of their crib to a bed of their own. Today, that is not the case for thousands of children throughout Massachusetts, simply because their parents are too poor to afford to purchase beds.
Sandra is just one of those children. Although both of her parents work, they are barely able to make ends meet when it comes to their family household expenses. After Sandra outgrew her donated crib, she slept on the crib mattress until she grew too big to fit. From there, she began sleeping in her parents beds and then to the couch in the living room. When she started school, her bed was the floor of her parent’s room so she could go to sleep earlier and not be woken up by people talking in the living room.
Sleeping on the floor did not lend itself to a good night’s sleep, resulting in Sandra being tired during the day at school. Sandra told her mom that she was tired and having trouble keeping awake. Sandra’s mother was concerned after she found this out, but she did not know what to do since she had no money to buy a new bed. During an open house at Sandra’s school, her mother stopped by a table that offered assistance with new beds for school aged children. The program was the Coalition’s A Bed for Every Child. Her mom completed the application form right there at the table. Sandra was placed on a waiting list since the representative at the fair for A Bed for Every Child informed the mom that there was presently a waiting list for beds.
Within a month of the school open house, Sandra received a bed of her own. As Sandra likes to say “I sleep like a bug in a rug”. Her mom says that her daughter now sleeps soundly in the comfort of her own bed and is so grateful for the help.
February 2014
Samantha's story:
No one ever expects to be on the verge of homelessness. It is something that many think can happen to individuals, not families with small children. Yet, a month ago Samantha, a mother of 2 young children along with thousands of other families across Massachusetts, found themselves on the verge of not having a place to call home. Many of these low income families are able to access state funded shelter; many more are unable too. Samantha was one of those families who was ineligible for state fund shelter because she was slightly over income.
Samantha, who works at a nursing home as a Certified Nurse’s Aide (CNA), found herself in a housing crisis when her one year son Alex was diagnosed with autism and she was unable to work the same number of hours. Alex began receiving Early Intervention (EI) services within their home. It was at one of these therapy sessions that Samantha shared with the EI social worker that she was in fear of becoming homeless in the next few months. With little savings and not enough hours at work to meet all of her household expenses, Samantha knew that it was only a matter of time before she would be evicted.
The EI worker’s office has been collaborating with the Coalition’s HomeLink Initiative for the past several years and was able to make arrangements for the advocate to join her on her next home visit. While the EI worker worked with Alex, Samantha was able to speak with the HomeLink advocate and go over all of her bills and what benefits the family was receiving. Samantha had been too overwhelmed to begin the process of applying for Social Security Disability for Alex. The HomeLink advocate was able to take over, assist in gathering all the correct documentation and help her in filling out and applying for this benefit. The HomeLink advocate also negotiated with Samantha’s landlord to allow for a bit more time before moving towards eviction to allow them to apply for RAFT funds for the back rent. Next, the HomeLink advocate assisted Samantha to apply for family housing and again worked to gather all the correct documentation required. All together, the advocate helped to place Samantha and her family on over 20 different housing authority list across Massachusetts.
Although the household budget they created allowed for little wiggle room, Samantha was able to retain her apartment over the next 18 months. During that time, Alex’s SSDI benefits were awarded. Then the true long term housing stability came when she received notice that one of her application for housing had been granted.
Today, Samantha and her two children are stably housed and Alex is thriving. Without the community based partnership that was formed between HomeLink and Early Intervention, time would have run out for Samantha that would have resulted in her and her family becoming homeless. HomeLink’s partnership with three Early Intervention home visiting program annually assists over 200 low income families to retain or obtain housing annually.
Thank you for your support for Sandra, Samantha, and the Coalition!
The Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless is a non-profit and is recognized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization (Tax ID 222-599- 662).
All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. A letter acknowledging the donation will be sent to each donor for your tax records.
To access the Coalitions 990 tax information and charitable rating please visit www.GuideStar.org. or check here to review our most recent federal 990 and our most charitable status from the Massachusetts Attorney General.
Giving with Impact
Your generous contribution to the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless will make a concrete difference in the life of a family, youth, or adult who is at-risk or experiencing homelessness-- including children like Sandra and parents like Samantha and Elly.
April 2014
Elly’s Story:
My name is Elly Perez and I live in Lynn, MA. I have two children. My oldest child is a girl who just turned nine and my youngest child is a boy who is one. Bed bugs took over my kids’ bed and it led me to obtain beds for them. I heard about the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless initiative A Bed for Every Child through the Callahan School in Lynn.
The Coalition was able to give my family new beds to sleep on. The Coalition's staff were so helpful and thoughtful. They treated me with respect and dignity. The process was easy and clear. I felt taken care of by the staff. I couldn't have asked for a better quality bed because it came new and not used. I felt really good to know that my kids were getting a new bed instead of a used bed. When my daughter did not have a bed to sleep on, it would take her over two hours to fall asleep. On those days she would have problems in school and sometimes academically. Her behavior would also change from friendly to angry towards her peers and teacher. Ever since she has had a bed, her behavior has not been an issue. In fact, she is a star student in her class.
My advice to anyone in a similar situation is to not give up hope, there is help and all you need to do is tell someone. We all need help sometimes, so don't feel ashamed of your situation.
Elly is a twenty-seven year old single mother of two who grew up in poverty. Elly recently graduated from Salem State University and has started a full-time job.
March 2014
Sandra's story:
For most children growing up, they move from the comfort of their crib to a bed of their own. Today, that is not the case for thousands of children throughout Massachusetts, simply because their parents are too poor to afford to purchase beds.
Sandra is just one of those children. Although both of her parents work, they are barely able to make ends meet when it comes to their family household expenses. After Sandra outgrew her donated crib, she slept on the crib mattress until she grew too big to fit. From there, she began sleeping in her parents beds and then to the couch in the living room. When she started school, her bed was the floor of her parent’s room so she could go to sleep earlier and not be woken up by people talking in the living room.
Sleeping on the floor did not lend itself to a good night’s sleep, resulting in Sandra being tired during the day at school. Sandra told her mom that she was tired and having trouble keeping awake. Sandra’s mother was concerned after she found this out, but she did not know what to do since she had no money to buy a new bed. During an open house at Sandra’s school, her mother stopped by a table that offered assistance with new beds for school aged children. The program was the Coalition’s A Bed for Every Child. Her mom completed the application form right there at the table. Sandra was placed on a waiting list since the representative at the fair for A Bed for Every Child informed the mom that there was presently a waiting list for beds.
Within a month of the school open house, Sandra received a bed of her own. As Sandra likes to say “I sleep like a bug in a rug”. Her mom says that her daughter now sleeps soundly in the comfort of her own bed and is so grateful for the help.
February 2014
Samantha's story:
No one ever expects to be on the verge of homelessness. It is something that many think can happen to individuals, not families with small children. Yet, a month ago Samantha, a mother of 2 young children along with thousands of other families across Massachusetts, found themselves on the verge of not having a place to call home. Many of these low income families are able to access state funded shelter; many more are unable too. Samantha was one of those families who was ineligible for state fund shelter because she was slightly over income.
Samantha, who works at a nursing home as a Certified Nurse’s Aide (CNA), found herself in a housing crisis when her one year son Alex was diagnosed with autism and she was unable to work the same number of hours. Alex began receiving Early Intervention (EI) services within their home. It was at one of these therapy sessions that Samantha shared with the EI social worker that she was in fear of becoming homeless in the next few months. With little savings and not enough hours at work to meet all of her household expenses, Samantha knew that it was only a matter of time before she would be evicted.
The EI worker’s office has been collaborating with the Coalition’s HomeLink Initiative for the past several years and was able to make arrangements for the advocate to join her on her next home visit. While the EI worker worked with Alex, Samantha was able to speak with the HomeLink advocate and go over all of her bills and what benefits the family was receiving. Samantha had been too overwhelmed to begin the process of applying for Social Security Disability for Alex. The HomeLink advocate was able to take over, assist in gathering all the correct documentation and help her in filling out and applying for this benefit. The HomeLink advocate also negotiated with Samantha’s landlord to allow for a bit more time before moving towards eviction to allow them to apply for RAFT funds for the back rent. Next, the HomeLink advocate assisted Samantha to apply for family housing and again worked to gather all the correct documentation required. All together, the advocate helped to place Samantha and her family on over 20 different housing authority list across Massachusetts.
Although the household budget they created allowed for little wiggle room, Samantha was able to retain her apartment over the next 18 months. During that time, Alex’s SSDI benefits were awarded. Then the true long term housing stability came when she received notice that one of her application for housing had been granted.
Today, Samantha and her two children are stably housed and Alex is thriving. Without the community based partnership that was formed between HomeLink and Early Intervention, time would have run out for Samantha that would have resulted in her and her family becoming homeless. HomeLink’s partnership with three Early Intervention home visiting program annually assists over 200 low income families to retain or obtain housing annually.
Thank you for your support for Sandra, Samantha, and the Coalition!