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Led by the brass band Second Line, a little over 100 people
walked throughout Somerville neighborhoods for the 6th annual Save Our Homes walk to prevent Homelessness Sunday afternoon.
~Photo courtesy of Somerville Community Development Corporation |
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Elizabeth Sayer
A
crowd of a little more than 110 Somerville residents enjoyed stunning
spring weather while participating in the 6th annual Save Our Homes
walk to prevent Homelessness. Led by the brass band Second Line, which
contributed to the buoyant grassroots atmosphere, participants walked
3.1 miles throughout Somerville neighborhoods to raise money for the
Affordable Housing Organizing Committee (AHOC).
AHOC is an
advocacy coalition comprised of Somerville residents and community
organizations including Somerville Community Corporation (SCC),
Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS), Cambridge and Somerville
Legal Services (CSLS), and Somerville Homeless Coalition(SHC).
The
walk began and finished at Somerville High School, meandering through
Somerville's Prospect Hill neighborhoods, passing several low-income
housing developments and areas that are affected by the money raised
through the Save Our Homes walk.
The Funds that are raised
through the walk are given as emergency grants to Somerville residents
who are facing housing crisis, whether it is for rent, utility bills,
security deposits, moving expenses, or other various housing costs. The
individuals that receive the grants have often fallen behind on rent
because of unemployment, domestic violence or disability and would face
eviction without immediate financial assistance. In 2008, 68 Somerville
families and individuals received assistance from AHOC.
Mayor
Curtatone and Danny Leblanc, the CEO of SCC, each spoke briefly at the
beginning of the walk, touching on the generosity of the Somerville
community and the importance of grassroots community action. Mayor
Curtatone and Mr. Leblanc also touched on the particular importance of
collective action and support while we are facing strenuous economic
times and elevated utility costs.
State Representative Denise
Provost, Alderman Bill White, and several school committee members were
present to participate in the walk.
Many of the participants
in Sunday's were walking because they had a family member or a friend
that had been a recipient of the emergency grants, worked for an agency
that provided homelessness prevention assistance or had been a previous
recipient of the emergency funds and wanted to give back.
With
donations still coming in, AHOC reports raising $22,000, however they
expect that number to continue to grow exponentially and are still
accepting donations. The Save Our Homes walk raised $41,000 dollars in
homeless prevention money last year, and according to Mary Ann
Sclafani, SCC organizer, AHOC hoped to surpass that number this year.
Awards were given to Dennis Fischman and to the Cambridge and
Somerville Legal Services for being the individual and team that raised
the most money for the walk.
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