Cambridge Charrette on Homelessness

In September 2015, the Continuum of Care convened a charrette on homelessness in Cambridge. This three-day community forum brought together diverse stakeholders including members of the public, provider agencies, and City departments to identify challenges around homelessness and work towards solutions. The charrette’s outcomes have been essential in informing the CoC’s ongoing efforts to plan a collective community response to homelessness.

The recommendations from this event were published in August of 2016 in Finding Solutions to Homelessness in Cambridge.

 

What is a “charrette”?

A charrette is a meeting in which all stakeholders in a project attempt to resolve conflicts and map solutions. Find out more from the Corporation for Supportive Housing here.

Anyone from across the Cambridge community who has a stake in the issue of homelessness is warmly invited to join the conversation and lend their voice.

You can come for as much or as little as you like: whether for just one session, or all three days!

Schedule of Sessions

Tuesday, September 15

Location: Sheraton Commander, 16 Garden Street

  • 9:00 am: Welcome (opening remarks from Mayor David Maher and City Manager Richard Rossi)

  • 9:30 to 11:30 am: Serving Frequent Users of Emergency Services

  • 12:30 to 2:30 pm: “Housing First” Service Models

  • 3:00 to 5:00 pm: Strategies for Increasing Investment

Complimentary refreshments: Coffee offered throughout the day, pastries served beginning at 8:45 for the Welcome session, and popcorn bar from 2:30 to 3:00. Lunch not served but participants will have time to eat on their own.

Wednesday, September 16

Location: Sheraton Commander, 16 Garden Street

  • 9:00 am: Welcome (opening remarks from City Councilor Marc McGovern)

  • 9:30 to 11:30 am: Increasing Housing Supply for People Experiencing Homelessness

  • 12:30 to 2:30 pm: Services and Policies to Prevent Homelessness

  • 3:00 to 5:00 pm: Service Navigation and Systems Coordination

Complimentary refreshments: Coffee offered throughout the day, pastries served beginning at 8:45 for the Welcome session, and popcorn bar from 2:30 to 3:00. Lunch not served but participants will have time to eat on their own.

Friday, September 18

Location: YWCA Cambridge, 7 Temple Street

  • 10:00 am to 12:00 pm: Community Recommendations

Complimentary refreshments: Coffee and pastries.

Panelists

Serving Frequent Users of Emergency Services

  • Mark Casanova, Homeless Health Care Los Angeles

  • Sarah Ciambrone, Boston Health Care for the Homeless

  • Kevin Irwin, Corporation for Supportive Housing

  • Heather Patrick, Boston Health Care for the Homeless

  • Cathy Pemberton, Cambridge Police Department

  • Mary Shannon Thomas, Eliot Community Human Services

“Housing First” Service Models

  • Suzanne Armstrong, Boston Health Care for the Homeless

  • Emily Buzzell, Miriam’s Kitchen (Washington, DC)

  • Lori Cain, HomeStart

  • Mark Casanova, Homeless Health Care Los Angeles

  • Sam Dodge, San Francisco Mayor’s Office of HOPE

  • Heather Patrick, Boston Health Care for the Homeless

Strategies for Increasing Investment

  • Chris Cotter, City of Cambridge — Community Development Department

  • Peter Daly, Homeowner’s Rehab, Inc.

  • Larry Gottlieb, Eliot Community Human Services

  • Aimee Hendrigan, Melville Charitable Trust

  • Tom Lorello, Heading Home

  • Eva Martin-Blythe, YWCA Cambridge

Increasing Housing Supply for People Experiencing Homelessness

  • Chris Cotter, City of Cambridge — Community Development Department

  • Peter Daly, Homeowner’s Rehab, Inc.

  • John Dunne, Corporation for Supportive Housing

  • Aaron Gornstein, Preservation of Affordable Housing

  • Greg Russ, Cambridge Housing Authority

  • Mark Winkeller, Caritas Communities

Services and Policies to Prevent Homelessness

  • Beth Anderson, HomeStart

  • Larry Gottlieb, Eliot Community Human Services

  • Miriam Greenburg, Eliot Community Human Services

  • Risa Mednick, Transition House

  • Ellen Shachter, Greater Boston Legal Services

Service Navigation and Systems Coordination

  • Emily Buzzell, Miriam’s Kitchen (Washington, DC)

  • Sam Dodge, San Francisco Mayor’s Office

  • Josh Levin, City of Cambridge — Department of Human Service Programs

  • Jim O’Connell, Boston Health Care for the Homeless

  • Tom Plihcik, New Lease for Homeless Families

  • Lisa Tepper Bates, Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness

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