Boston
LIFT-Boston Region
Roxbury Office
c/o Vine Street Community Center
339 Dudley Street
Boston, MA, 02119
Phone: (617) 427-1155
Fax: (617) 427-1125
Cambridge Office
c/o The Cambridge Multi-Service Center
19 Brookline Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone: (617) 349-6294
Fax: (617) 349-6333
Somerville Office
c/o The Family Center
366 Somerville Avenue
Somerville, MA 02143
Phone: (617) 591-9400
Fax: (617) 591-9411
Interested in volunteering?
BOSTON CLIENTS
LIFT-Boston provides client services in the areas of:
- Employment (both lack of employment and underemployment),
- Housing (including emergency housing, subsidized housing, and transitional housing),
- Public benefits and tax credits (including food stamps, WIC, TANF, SSI, and SSDI)
- Referral services (including health care, children’s services, education/job training, legal services, immigration, food assistance, and computer literacy)
Cambridge
LIFT-Cambridge benefits from a strong relationship with its co-locator, the Cambridge Multi-Service Center (MSC). The MSC is a collaboration of programs sponsored by the City of Cambridge and other community agencies to address the needs of homeless and near-homeless families and individuals in the community, along with elders and persons with disabilities. Clients typically discover LIFT through word-of-mouth or through referrals from the numerous programs housed within the MSC.
Somerville
LIFT-Somerville is located within The Family Center, a hub of therapeutic and family support services for families in Somerville. LIFT-Somerville actively recruits Spanish-speaking and Haitian-Creole-speaking volunteers to respond to the culture and needs of the large Haitian and El Salvadorian populations in Somerville. Clients typically discover LIFT through word-of-mouth or through numerous strong community partners in Somerville.
This past year, over 40 percent of LIFT-Boston clients applied for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) services; LIFT-Somerville serves as the only VITA provider for Somerville and LIFT-Cambridge is one of two VITA providers in Cambridge. With LIFT-Boston’s help, area residents are able to receive free tax preparation assistance online, preventing low-income families from paying expensive fees to tax preparation companies and generating faster returns for clients. LIFT volunteers are also trained to identify critical tax benefits for clients, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).
CLIENTS
Carlos and Dorka Santana
Location: Boston
Carlos and Dorka Santana came to LIFT after hearing about its services through the City of Boston and the Circle of Promise, a community-wide initiative to provide critical supports and resources to parents of Boston Public Schools' students (where LIFT-Boston is a lead partner). Working with their LIFT advocate Carly at LIFT-Boston's center in Roxbury, Carlos and Dorka obtained emergency rental assistance and utilities shutoff protection to stay in their home while they searched for work. Dorka recently secured a job interview and enrolled in English classes to improve her communication skills, and the couple is working toward increasing their family’s economic stability.
Bill Viera
Location: Boston
After working over 25 years in the hospitality industry and working his way up to managerial positions, Bill Viera was laid off from his hotel job in 2007. He lived off of his savings for three years and struggled to find work, and he was eventually forced into a homeless shelter. With the help of a long-term advocate, Bill was able to turn his life around with a new job with a local retailer, better healthcare, and renewed optimism about finding a permanent home.
Francois Desjardins
Location: Boston
Francois Desjardins had been living in an apartment on his own, but was struggling to make ends meet on the small weekly checks from his unemployment insurance. With only three weeks of unemployment insurance coverage left, Francois was desperate to find a new job.
He contacted LIFT-Somerville for help locating new employment.
Maria Selamoglu
Location: Boston
Affiliation: LIFT-Somerville
After losing her job in March 2007, Maria Selamoglu was struggling to get back into the workforce. With no income and little savings due to a recent divorce, she was falling behind on her rent and utility payments. She found LIFT-Somerville and immediately began working with volunteers to update her résumé and expand her job search. With LIFT-Somerville's assistance, she soon secured part-time work at Massachusetts General Hospital.
George Uwanawich
Location: Boston
Affiliation: LIFT-Cambridge
This past year, George Uwanawich became a victim of the foreclosure crisis that has swept through communities across the country. George was living as a tenant in a multi-unit house when he was received the news that what had seemed like a stable home was in the midst of foreclosure. He had gotten to know the volunteers at LIFT-Cambridge as a tax preparation client, so he immediately turned to them for help.
