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Victory Programs’ ReVision Urban Farm
Opens
Farm Stand on Blue Hill Avenue
Stand
to Offer Healthy, Affordable Options for Families Living
in Dorchester and Mattapan
BOSTON, June 15, 2010 -- Just in time
for the summer growing season, Victory Programs –
Massachusetts’ leading residential treatment
and housing provider for homeless families living with substance
abuse, HIV and other chronic diseases – celebrated the opening
of their new farm stand at 1062 Blue Hill Avenue in Dorchester on June
10th.
Mayor Thomas Menino was on hand for a
ribbon cutting celebration and to kick off sales of locally grown
produce from Victory’s ReVision Urban Farm.
Proceeds from the farm help support Victory
Programs’ ReVision Family Home, a shelter for 22 homeless women and
their children.
“These inner city programs operated by
Victory Programs have helped hundreds of homeless women and their
children make healthy choices while moving to housing stability and
independence,” says Mayor Menino. “By offering produce grown right in
the neighborhood, the new ReVision Urban Farm stand will make healthy
food options available to everyone in the community.”
Located in the heart of Dorchester, the
mission of the ReVision Urban Farm is to provide fresh, affordable,
locally grown produce to families in the city with limited incomes and
transportation access, as well as neighbors living in the area. The
unique connection between Victory’s Revision Urban Farm and the
ReVision Family Home has created a dynamic and innovative approach to
ending homelessness.
Through the ReVision Urban Farm,
Victory Programs’ goal is to make a significant impact on the
surrounding community by helping to close the gap on health
disparities. According to census data, one-third of the renters in
the surrounding community have incomes that fall below the federal
poverty level and many spend more than 40 percent of their income to
pay for housing costs. Nearly half do not have access to an
automobile. The ReVision Urban Farm Stand will make healthy,
affordable food options readily accessible to this community.
During the growing season, the Urban
Farm distributes enough food to provide more than 1,200 people with
their recommended five servings of fresh vegetables and fruit daily.
Last season, the farm grew 7,500 lbs. of produce, donated 3,600 lbs.
to local shelters, and collaborated with other farmers to sell more
than 10 tons of produce to hundreds of urban customers.
“I cannot imagine a more exciting or
more important way to celebrate Victory Programs’ 35th
anniversary year than opening this fantastic new farm stand for our
Boston neighbors,” says Executive Director Jonathan Scott. “Sharing
the locally grown healthy produce from our farm stand right on Blue
Hill Avenue will bring the whole community closer together.”
In addition to providing fresh produce,
the farm operates a job-readiness program that is available to shelter
residents as well as others seeking training. The farm is staffed by
two farmers and a seasonal grower as well as several interns. The farm
has welcomed thousands of volunteers over the years and provides
hands-on educational experiences to more than 300 youth annually. The
volunteers and youth learn how a farm operates and more where the food
they eat comes from.
Once up-and-running the Urban Farm
Stand will provide a variety of vegetables, herbs and fruit throughout
the growing season and will be open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays
from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Historic Cambridge Housing
Program
for Women with HIV/AIDS Moves to Victory Programs
Ruah House Finds a New Home Under Victory Programs’ Umbrella of
Services
Cambridge/Boston (February, 2010)
– Cambridge Cares About AIDS (CCA), a provider of services to people
living with HIV/AIDS for more than 20 years, and Victory Programs,
Massachusetts' leading residential treatment
and housing provider for those living with substance use disorder and
HIV disease, have announced an exciting change in programming.
Effective February 1, 2010 Ruah House for women with HIV/AIDS, a
supportive housing site of CCA since 2003, has moved under Victory
Programs’ umbrella of health and housing programs. Victory Programs is
committed to honoring the original intent and mission of Ruah.
The decision to form this new alliance
came after a long and thoughtful community process funded by The
Boston Foundation. Over the past year, Cambridge Cares About AIDS and
Victory Programs collaborated with New Sector Alliance, a national
social impact consulting and leadership development firm, to explore
the strategic management and feasibility of moving this important
community housing program to Victory Programs.
“In working together it became very
clear how the goals of Ruah house are directly in line with the
mission and philosophy of care at Victory Programs”, said John Gatto,
Executive Director at CCA. “Victory’s commitment to providing housing
stability and HIV support to the most vulnerable members of our
community ensures that the women at Ruah will have the best possible
services and infrastructure to support their home in Cambridge for
years to come.”
Victory Programs Executive Director
Jonathan Scott commends Cambridge Cares About AIDS for its progressive
and forward thinking process. “I have the deepest respect for John
Gatto and Cambridge Cares Board and staff for having the foresight to
engage this comprehensive analysis of Ruah, and for then taking such a
bold step that helps all of us.” Scott further comments that adding
Ruah within the VPI network of HIV housing, “further demonstrates that
healthy organizations can work together in alliance to make innovative
decisions that capitalize on their complementary core competencies.”
Ruah House was created in the early
1990’s by Sister Jeanette Normandin after she and others recognized
the great need to find safe housing for homeless women living with
HIV/AIDS in the Cambridge area. Ruah house, named for the Hebrew term
for “Breath of Life,” provides permanent housing to seven formerly
homeless women living with HIV/AIDS. Ruah joined CCA in 2003 as a
part of their housing service continuum. “As the housing needs of
people with HIV/AIDS continue to evolve we feel that this is the right
time to transfer Ruah to an organization with an even stronger
housing-specific focus like Victory Programs,” said Gatto. With this
newest alliance, Ruah House becomes Victory Programs’ 17th
program and the first Victory Programs residence located outside of
the City of Boston.
About the Organizations
For more than 20 years the mission of Cambridge Cares About AIDS (CCA)
has been to respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic by serving those most
impacted by social and economic inequality.
CCA provides accessible prevention,
education, advocacy, and support services in accordance with harm
reduction principles to help people meet self-identified goals.
Victory Programs, established in 1975,
is a non-profit organization based in Boston that provides housing and
direct care services to individuals and families. The organization’s
mission is to open doors to recovery, hope, and community to
individuals and families facing homelessness, addiction, or other
chronic illnesses. With the addition of Ruah House, Victory Programs’
umbrella of services now includes 17 programs.
Victory Programs and AIDS Housing Corporation
Join Forces
BOSTON (June 25, 2009) – Victory Programs, Massachusetts' leading
residential substance use disorder treatment and transitional housing
provider, and AIDS Housing Corporation (AHC), a nationally recognized
leader in advocacy and technical assistance services addressing the
housing needs of people living with HIV/AIDS and other disabilities
announced today that they have merged. The Boards of Directors for
both organizations unanimously approved this union. This merger will
add AHC’s well known and respected housing related Technical
Assistance services to Victory Programs’ suite of services.
Victory Programs and AHC have worked closely together over the past 18
years to advance their shared mission of bringing housing and
supportive services to some of the most vulnerable people in our
society. “As we began exploring the possibility of a merger it became
clear that formalizing our long-standing partnership in this manner
made a great deal of sense,” said Joe Carleo, AHC’s Executive
Director. “The joining of these two organizations will enhance our
overall capacity to help people living with HIV/AIDS, substance use
and other disabilities to find places to call home.”
Jonathan Scott, Executive Director of Victory Programs added that he
is delighted to be merging with AHC. “This is a true marriage of like
minds where it is clear that together we can offer more than we can
separately,” said Scott. “This new partnership will combine the
Victory Programs and AHC models to help other agencies and communities
achieve great results in ending chronic homelessness.”
“I applaud the merger of Victory Programs and AIDS Housing
Corporation” said Mayor Thomas Menino. “These two non-profits have
provided vital and compassionate services for the people of Boston for
decades in substance abuse treatment and technical assistance for
housing for people with HIV/AIDS. Together they will be a powerful
social service provider making all their programs more efficient and
effective. This is an innovative venture in an uncertain economic
climate, and the people of Boston are well served by the merger.”
The discussions on what a merger would look like, which began many
months ago, were greatly bolstered by the generous support of The
Boston Foundation. Financial support from The Boston Foundation
enabled Victory Programs to engage a team from New Sector Alliance to
guide the two organizations through a formal and extensive review
process looking at all of the aspects of a merger. “This part of the
process was invaluable and we are very grateful to The Boston
Foundation for their support,” said Scott. “Partnership with members
of the philanthropic community like The Boston Foundation can truly
help non-profits explore creative new ways to increase capacity and
enhance services.”
Jonathan Scott will remain as Executive Director and President of
Victory Programs. Joe Carleo will take on a new role within Victory
Programs as the Director of Community Affairs. The organization will
retain the name of Victory Programs.
About the Organizations
Since 1991 AIDS Housing Corporation (AHC) has been a leader in
addressing the housing needs of people living with HIV/AIDS and other
disabilities in both the local and national arenas. In addition to
serving the local Boston and Massachusetts areas AHC serves as a lead
member of the national Technical Assistance program for housing for
people living with HIV/AIDS with a direct service region that includes
all of New England and extends down the coast to as far away as West
Virginia.
Victory Programs, established in 1975, is a non-profit organization
based in Boston that provides housing and direct care services to
individuals and families. The organization’s mission is to open doors
to recovery, hope, and community to individuals and families facing
homelessness, addiction, or other chronic illnesses. With AHC on
board, Victory Programs’ array of services now includes 16 programs.
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