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City Manager Yi-An Huang swearing in at a podium in City Hall.

Rising housing costs have become an ever-present challenge to everyone in our city, from young people building lives in our community, to families seeking more space for children, to seniors trying to stay close to family and friends. This issue will provide a broad overview of our key housing-related commitments, initiatives, and investments.

Initiatives Supporting & Inspiring Early Educators

This December, applications will open for the Cambridge Preschool Program (CPP), a joint initiative of the City and Cambridge Public Schools, which will offer free school-day, school-year preschool to every 4-year-old in Cambridge and some 3-year-olds.

Rise Up Cambridge Gives Relief to Families

Through Rise Up, Cambridge became the first city in the nation to introduce a non-lottery program to provide direct cash assistance to all eligible families. Ultimately, the City was focused helping families with children to meet their basic needs.

Staff Provide Help with Winter Heating Costs

Every year, the Fuel Assistance Program helps more than 1,200 residents in Cambridge and Somerville pay their winter heating bills between November 1 and April 30. Most residents don’t think about heating bills until temperatures drop, but for the staff managing this crucial service, planning for Fuel Assistance begins in the heat of the summer.

Behind the Scenes at Free Food & Summer Fun

The Annual Summer Food Program provides free breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals to Cambridge residents ages 18 and younger. Behind a summer of free food and fun is the critical mission to address food insecurity in Cambridge. And lots of logistics.

Block Party - kids playing on the street

Block Party Initiative Triples Neighborhood Celebrations

How do you build community, strengthen connections among neighbors, and showcase creativity to make a healthier—and more fun—Cambridge? Block parties. 

Dance Party Returns With One of Its Biggest Crowds

The City of Cambridge’s Annual Dance Party is finally back. After three years of cancellations due to COVID-19, the 2023 Dance Party had one of the biggest crowds yet, with an expanded event area, colorful lights, and music.

Cambridge Fuel Assistance Program Long and Contact Information

Cambridge Fuel Assistance Program Helps Low-Income Residents Pay for Winter Heating Bills

The Fuel Assistance Program also helps clients access benefits offered through other agencies, such as gas and electric bill discounts, weatherization improvements like insulation and sealing, the state’s Heating System Repair and Replacement Program, and more.

Foundry Grand Opening Dance Demonstration photo courtesy of Cambridge Arts

Cambridge Celebrates Opening of its Newest Creative Center the Foundry

The 50,000 square foot space offers opportunities in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math, as well as areas and programs for visual and performing arts, entrepreneurship, workforce education, and community activities.

Library Social Worker Marie Mathieu meets with a client at a neighborhood library branch.

City Staff Provide Critical Support to Cambridge's Most Vulnerable Populations

Cambridge Public Library has a social worker who can help in person or over the phone. The social worker speaks English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.

Cambridge Multi-Center Staff Help Residents Overcome Barriers to Housing and Access Critical Resources

Cambridge Multi-Service Center Staff Help Residents Overcome Barriers to Housing and Access Critical Resources

The Multi-Service Center helps people who are experiencing homelessness and provides eviction prevention support to help people stay in their homes.

The Almshouse building (CA 1965) still stands at 45 Matignon Avenue and has been home to the International School of Boston since 2005.

The Cambridge Almshouses and Avon Home for Children

From the beginning of English settlement in New England through the Revolutionary War, people in need turned to families, neighbors, and their church for help. Any without support became the town’s responsibility; children might be bound out as apprentices or servants, and adults hired as laborers.

FrostTerrace by Robert Benson Photography

Affordable Housing Basics at a Glance

Applying for housing can be confusing and overwhelming. This article contains basic information on applying for affordable housing.

Affordable Connectivity Program

This new federal program helps low-income households offset monthly costs of a new or existing internet service.

The completion of Frost Terrace in FY22 brought 40 new affordable housing units to Porter Square. Photo by Robert Benson Photography.

Access to Affordable Housing For All

Housing affordability promotes stability for our residents and allows for building the social, economic, and cultural bonds that strengthen a community. Creating and preserving affordable housing remains the City’s highest priority. In FY22, the City appropriated more than $32 million to the Affordable Housing Trust, bringing the total of City funds committed to the Trust to more than $278 million (FY92-FY22) to invest in affordable housing initiatives.

City staff hand out free at-home COVID-19 test kits.

Supporting Youth and Families, Seniors, & Veterans

Preschool, Childcare, and Afterschool programs, a part of the Department of Human Service Programs (DHSP), returned to in-person care and child-centered programming in September 2021.

Cambridge Community Learning Center Class

Educational Support and Workforce Development

The Birth to 3rd Grade Partnership (B3), continued its scholarship program for 3 and 4 year-olds from low-income families, adding two new programs to its menu of preschool options, and also increased its number of children accessing B3 scholarships by 13%.

Photograph of young children taking part in an arts and craft activity at a round table

Developing Universal Pre-K

The Birth to 3rd Grade (B3) Partnership is serving as the lead office in the design, development, and implementation of the City’s system of Universal Pre-K

Tobin Montessori Vassal Lane Upper Schools Image Courtesy of Perkins Eastman

Tobin Montessori and Vassal Lane Upper Schools Construction Underway

Located at 197 Vassal Lane, the new complex will house the Tobin Montessori School, Vassal Lane Upper Schools, the City’s Department of Human Services Programs preschool and after school programs, and Special Start.

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