Thank You! From Executive Director David Gibbs

Dear Friends, 

We are deeply grateful for your generous support as we continue to work toward the elimination of poverty in our community, a struggle made all the more challenging by the COVID-19 crisis and the increased needs of our most vulnerable neighbors in Somerville.

In the face of increasing rents, growing food insecurity, climate vulnerability, child care disruptions, and employment challenges throughout our City, the generosity of individual donors and corporate and foundation partners has helped us increase our capacity to serve more high-need, high-risk households. This support has helped us keep those most susceptible to COVID-19 safe, healthy, and stably housed during these incredibly scary times. 

Over the course of the last year, and despite transitioning to 100% “virtual” service delivery during the height of the pandemic, CAAS has remained extraordinarily productive. We delivered supportive services (such as access to rental assistance, help accessing food resources, or referrals to specialized service providers) to over 600 families. 221 children participated in Head Start, in an innovative program designed to counteract the learning loss caused by the closing of in-person classrooms. Our housing advocates and community organizers blocked 62 evictions, and helped 38 families obtain safe and affordable permanent housing. And our free Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program helped taxpayers obtain over $400,000 in state and Federal refunds in 2021 alone; since its inception in 2019, this program has returned over $730,000 in refunds directly to low- and moderate-income taxpayers, all at no cost to them.

CAAS has also reached two significant milestones during the pandemic. First, we are celebrating our 40th anniversary. Founded in 1981 by concerned Somerville residents, CAAS began as the community’s collective response to the challenges of economic inequality. For 40 years our dedicated staff have been on the front lines of the fight for wealth and income equity, and I couldn’t be prouder of the incredible work done by my colleagues across the agency.

Second, for the first time in our history we have raised and distributed over $1million in direct cash assistance to 1,619 needy households in a single year. I want to take this opportunity to reiterate my sincere gratitude to the many donors who helped us to raise these funds. So many of our neighbors were thrown out of work and into financial crisis by the pandemic, and you shared your wealth to help them when the need was greatest. Thank you!

In my seven years at CAAS I have been, and continue to be, humbled by the unwavering support we receive. While nobody knows for sure what the coming months will bring, we know that with your help, we’ll continue our fight to level the economic playing field in Somerville and give everyone a fair chance to achieve economic security. Thank you for your continued generosity and ongoing support.

Stay well. Sincerely,

David Gibbs

Executive Director