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Cover image: mizunokozuki / pexels
A Message from the CEO
Dear Community:
This is my last report to you. Earlier this year I announced my decision to retire at the end of the calendar year. I am proud and honored to have worked with such a talented, dedicated staff and Board over the past 12 years. In the past decade we sharpened our vision, refined the mission, and laid out a set of strategic directions that kept us growing, energized, and on course. I invite you to view them on our website
The organization has grown significantly in my 12 years at Hildebrand, as the revenue tripled; the number of staff doubled; and most importantly, our impact on family homelessness significantly broadened. Now sheltering over 200 families a year, we doubled this capacity. The permanent housing portfolio will have tripled by year end! As the emergency shelter and permanent housing units have increased, so has the post-shelter stabilization program, because we lengthened the time of support from one to two years. 95% of families remain stably housed after two years of support.
These impacts were possible due to the growing number of partners and supporters, who are also invested in disrupting the systems that lead to poverty and homelessness. It is easier for me to move on knowing that Hildebrand is positioned to continue to positively impact hundreds of families every year.
None of this would have been possible without the strong resolve of many in our community, working together with families in the fight for justice and equality. There are few things as satisfying as working on a critically important social justice issue with thoughtful, motivated colleagues, families with lived experience, and others in the community. I am grateful for the encouragement and support that enabled me to lead this amazing organization for so long.
I hope you see this transition as part of the natural evolution of a strong, resilient organization that is poised to open the door to more possibilities and new opportunities.
Sincerely,
Shiela Y. Moore Chief Executive Officer
A Message from the Board
This year, as I reflect back on my time at Hildebrand, I am especially inspired and proud to be part of an organization that is fueled by resilience, innovation, and commitment to its critically important vision that every family has a home. Over the past year, Hildebrand worked with more than 1,100 individuals—adults and children of all ages—to find safety, stability, and permanent homes. We expanded our support for families around health access, language access, and legal services. And, amid transitions in the family shelter system, Hildebrand raised its voice as an advocate in the sector and will continue to work towards breaking the cycle of homelessness.
As Hildebrand’s Board Chair for the past six years, it has been an honor to support the strategic growth of this remarkable organization. I joined the Hildebrand Board in 2009 and have been amazed at all we have accomplished over the years. As of November 2024, I am passing the Board leadership baton to Jessica Howe as the new incoming Board Chair. I want to thank my fellow Board members for their dedication and for supporting me in this role over the last several years, and the community for your partnership with us. The Board and I are deeply appreciative of Shiela’s leadership as CEO over these past 12 years, which has resulted in the steady growth of Hildebrand, and I am eager to see what Hildebrand’s next chapter holds. Thank you for joining Hildebrand on this exciting and important journey.
Kelly Blackburn
Outgoing Chair, Hildebrand Board of Directors
I am honored to be entering the role of Hildebrand’s new Board Chair beginning November 2024. I want to take this opportunity to express my deep commitment and connection to Hildebrand’s mission. We are up against some strong headwinds with our state’s growing housing shortage, affordability crisis, and limits on family shelter capacity. However, I know that Hildebrand is prepared to take on any obstacles that are thrown in front of us, and through every transition, we are as committed as ever to realizing our vision that every family has a home. We are deeply grateful to our community of partners and friends for your support, and we look forward to taking on new challenges and forging new paths together.
Jessica Howe
Incoming Chair, Hildebrand Board of Directors
Timeline of Our Growth
Transitions In Our History
In 1986, a partnership between St. Paul AME Church and the City of Cambridge supported the conversion of the parsonage into a shelter for families experiencing homelessness. Since then, Hildebrand has significantly grown its reach and impact. Over the past twelve years, under the leadership of CEO Shiela Y. Moore, Hildebrand has expanded its shelter and permanent housing portfolios, increased the number of families it reaches each year, more than doubled its budget and revenue, and grown its staff. As the growing crisis in family homelessness continues, Hildebrand has been responsive and proactive in working to move families from poverty toward stability and economic mobility.
2013
Opened Columbia House, Hildebrand’s third congregate shelter, adding seven shelter units. Added new scattered site units. Reached 184 families with a budget of $4.6M.
Reached 310 families with a budget of $6.4M.
Converted Morse House into a new shelter site. Increased shelter capacity from 99 to 117 units. Reached 272 families with a budget of $5.3M.
Shifted to a client-centered, strength-based approach. Reached 211 families with a budget of $4.7M.
Converted Strathcona House into a new congregate shelter with on-site support. Increased shelter capacity from 117 to 126 units, and expanded permanent housing portfolio from 8 to 11 units. Established the HAND-UP Fund (Hildebrand Assisting in New Directions) to assist families transitioning out of shelter with moving expenses.
Reached 311 families with a budget of $6.4M.
Expanded Hildebrand staff to 50 FTEs. Budget of $6.9M.
Purchased an 11-unit apartment building in Dorchester, doubling Hildebrand’s permanent housing portfolio to 22 units. Added 5 units of emergency shelter units through a new partnership contract with the City of Boston. Opened Groom Street co-shelter. Launched the Student Success Education Initiative. Reached 396 families with a budget of $8.0M
Opened 12 new shelter units at a congregate living program in Cambridge. Reached 355 families with a budget of $9.3M.
Created a comprehensive COVID-19 response to keep families and staff safe and healthy during the pandemic. Expanded the Stabilization Services Program from one to two years of support post-shelter. 86 families moved out of shelter and into permanent housing—an all-time high. Budget of $7.1M.
Opened a satellite office at Groom Street co-shelter. Awarded the Cradles to Crayons FY22 Chairman’s Council Impact Award. Launched six-month homelessness prevention pilot program with Citizens’ Housing And Planning Association (CHAPA). Reached 328 families with a budget of $7.5M.
Secured funding from the Boston Continuum of Care to open 13 units of Hildebrand’s first-ever Permanent Supportive Housing. Reached 386 families with a budget of $10.8M and a staff of 60.
Family Homelessness in Massachusetts
Transitions In Our State
Our vision is that every family has a home. In collaboration with our partners, supporters, neighbors, and friends, we’re making progress towards realizing that vision by working with families to transition out of homelessness and into permanent homes, all while addressing the systems that lead to growing rates of homelessness across our state.
Together, how can we achieve our vision that every family has a home?
More Emergency Shelter.
As of August 26, 2024, 7,190 families were in shelter through Massachusetts’ EA Emergency Assistance Program—and 762 families were waiting for shelter.
(Source: EOHLC Bi-Weekly EA Report)
More Support for Families.
Two in three people experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts are part of families with children—the highest proportion of any state in the U.S.
(Source: 2023 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, HUD)
More Affordable Housing.
The estimated wage needed to afford a market-rate, 2-bedroom apartment in Massachusetts is $44.84/hour— yet the minimum wage in Massachusetts is $15/hour.
(Source: National Low Income Housing Coalition)
80% of families considered extremely low income are cost burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent.
(Source: National Low Income Housing Coalition)
There are 162,118 publicly supported rental homes in Massachusetts—and we need 175,367 more affordable, available units to ensure everyone has a home they can afford.
(Source: National Housing Preservation Database)
Image: William Fortunato / pexels
Our Impact
Transitions Out of Homelessness
The impact of Hildebrand’s work is clear: Hildebrand’s comprehensive programming and support results in families moving out of homelessness and thriving beyond their stay in the shelter.
NUMBER OF CLIENTS AGES OF CHILDREN
IN FY2024:
386 Families
1,145 Individuals
58% Children
329 School-Aged Children
66 Families Placed in Permanent Housing
95% Families Stably Housed for 2 Years Post-Shelter
Image: Vanessa Loring / pexels
The Journey of a Hildebrand Family
Transitions Through Our Programs
When each family arrives at Hildebrand, they find resources, services, and programming to support them throughout their journey to transition out of homelessness. Each family’s situation is unique, and Hildebrand staff work together with every family to build on their strengths and leverage vital resources to find stability and a permanent home. At Hildebrand, each family finds:
Emergency Shelter
Hildebrand operates 157 emergency shelter units across Boston and Cambridge, which include congregate, co-shelter, and scattered-site living programs.
Emergency Shelter Units
Supportive Services
Hildebrand provides comprehensive, culturally-responsive case management and supportive services—in a variety of languages—to all families in shelter. Families and Hildebrand staff work together to overcome barriers to securing safe, stable housing and prepare families to thrive beyond their experience of homelessness.
Youth Engagement
Working with youth in shelter through our Student Success Education Initiative (SSEI) to access academic support, school-based resources, out-of-school enrichment, summer camp, and more.
Health Navigation
Partnering with community health centers, local hospitals, mental and behavioral health centers, and other providers to connect families with accessible, traumainformed care.
Economic Mobility
Conducting a communitycentered economic mobility research project, in collaboration with consultants, to inform the development of a new economic mobility program at Hildebrand.
Legal & Immigration Support
Collaborating with MIRA Coalition to provide immigration training for staff, and connecting families with pro bono legal support.
STEP
Permanent Housing
Hildebrand works closely with each family to find, apply for, and move into permanent homes. Hildebrand staff work together with families to explore and access a variety of pathways to securing a permanent home, which may include the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVPs), Section 8 vouchers, state or federal public housing, HomeBASE, and market rate options. Hildebrand currently owns and operates 22 units of affordable housing across Cambridge and Boston.
Stabilization Services
Hildebrand continues working with families for at least two years post-shelter to support families in remaining stably housed. Over the course of the two years, families and Stabilization Services Case Managers work together to develop plans to increase economic mobility and work towards their goals. This program is proven to be effective: after two years, 95% of the families in the Stabilization Services Program stay securely housed.
Image: Ketut Subiyanto / pexels
News at Hildebrand
Transitions In the Community
Hildebrand in the Press
The Boston Globe April 2024
The Boston Globe profiled a Hildebrand mother and daughter who moved out of shelter at Hildebrand and into a new permanent home. Tiffani and her Housing Specialist from Hildebrand worked together with Metro Housing Boston to obtain a voucher and find her new apartment, and they are now settled in their new apartment.
NBC News April 2024
In their coverage of new shelter length of stay limits, NBC News quoted Shiela Y. Moore, Hildebrand’s CEO: “There are many families who are in shelters for a much longer period of time than 14 months and it has nothing to do with people’s willingness to leave shelter. It’s about the ability to leave.”
The Boston Globe July 2024
Hildebrand CEO Shiela Y. Moore spoke with the Boston Globe about new length of stay limits and the impact these changes will have on families living in emergency shelter. She says that with these new limits, there may be “some families who may not be in long-term stable housing” when they leave shelter.
ESOL Partnership with English for New Bostonians
Hildebrand launched a new partnership with the state’s Office for Refugees and Immigrants and English for New Bostonians (ENB) to offer in-house ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) workshops for Hildebrand families. The program is a hybrid; participants complete work online in addition to attending in-person classes with teachers from ENB. Hildebrand staff provide childcare during the classes.
Annual Holiday Drive
In December, Hildebrand hosted its annual Holiday Drive to collect gifts and warm winter clothing for children and their families in shelter—which was highly successful thanks to the generous contributions of our donors and supporters. To distribute the items, Hildebrand hosted an in-person Holiday Market, where families selected gifts, clothing, toys, books, and gift cards for their children.
Spring Outing to the Museum of Science
In April, 20 Hildebrand families—55 individuals —participated in Hildebrand’s first family “Spring Outing” to the Museum of Science, thanks to a partnership with Bristol Myers Squibb and the Museum of Science.
Annual Fall Festival
Hildebrand families and staff celebrated the fall season with our annual festival. The evening was filled with games, snacks, and face painting.
Expanding Supportive Housing with a Grant from the Boston Continuum of Care
Hildebrand secured funding from the City of Boston’s Continuum of Care (CoC) to open our first-ever Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Program, which will house 13 families who are experiencing homelessness and offer ongoing, on-site case management support.
FY24 Supporters
Individual Donors
John Alam and Sylvie
Gregoire
Glenda L. Allsopp
Yolanda Anton Perez
Victoria W. Archabal
Sam Bagnall
Wilton Baker
Kelly Blackburn
Douglas Bosley
Patricia Brynga
Kathleen Carney
Richard and Judy J. Cohen
Jorge Colón
Christopher Cook
Anna Davis
Dorothy Derick
Peter Dimarzio
Larry Ellenberg
Joshua D. Elowe
Kirk Fackre
Anthony Galluccio, Esq.
Gary Gula
Michael Hadley
Phillip Hazard
Sarah Holmes
John Houshman
Jessica Howe
Miriam Huntley
Wendell Joseph
Jane Kamensky
Samir Kendale
Clifford and Kym A. Long
Kelly Mann
Daryl Mark
Michelle Meiser
John Melaugh
Shiela Y. Moore
Vivien Morris
Tom Perkins
Michael Plourde
Alice Poltorick
Ruby Pontbriand
Geraldine Reppucci
Ellen Semonoff
Mary Shetterly
Matthew Shulman
David Smith
Christopher Stephenson
Dariela Villon-Maga
Rev. Dr. Ellis I. Washington
Joshua Weigner
Michelle Wojcik
Pinghui Wu
Foundations
Cambridge Community Foundation
Cummings Foundation Organizations
Beacon Hill Nursery
Bombas Socks
Cradles to Crayons
Dignity Matters
Follen Church
Greater Boston Spelman and Morehouse College Alumni
Mercy Worldwide
MIT Office of Government and Community Relations
Network for Good Spoonfuls
St. James Church
Trinity Parish of Newton Centre
United Way of Massachusetts Bay West Medford Senior Club
Corporations
Bamboo Health
Benevity
Berkshire Bank Foundation
Cambridge Savings Charitable Foundation
Cambridge Trust Charitable Foundation
Citizens Energy Shelter Winter Assistance Program
iCorps Technologies
Loomis, Sayles & Company
Orna Therapeutics
Rockland Trust Charitable Foundation
Town Fair Tire Foundation
Public Agencies
City of Boston Mayor’s Office of Housing
City of Cambridge
Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC)
Image: Keira Burton / pexels
Community Partners
Birthday Wishes
Boston College School of Social Work
Boston Continuum of Care
Boston Health Care for the Homeless
Boston Housing Authority
Boston Medical Center
Boston Public Schools
Boston University School of Social Work
Cambridge Agenda for Children
Cambridge Chamber of Commerce
Cambridge Community Learning Center
Cambridge Community Safety Department
Cambridge Community Television
Cambridge Continuum of Care
Cambridge Health & Human Services
Cambridge Health Alliance
Cambridge Housing Authority
Cambridge Multi-Service Center
Cambridge Nonprofit Coalition
Cambridge Public Library
Cambridge Public Schools
Camp Harbor View
Central Square Business
Improvement District
Citizens’ Housing And Planning Association (CHAPA)
Colgate University
Cradles to Crayons
Dignity Matters
East End House
English for New Bostonians
Everett Public Schools
FamilyAid/CHIME Mapping
Project
Food For Free
Furnishing Hope
HomeStart
Horizons for Homeless Children
Immigrant Family Services Institute (IFSI)
Jewish Vocational Services (JVS)
Lesley University
Maria L. Baldwin Community Center
Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless
Massachusetts Department of Children and Families
Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants
Metro Housing Boston
MIRA Coalition
MIT University
Museum of Science
Northeastern University
Our Place, Salvation Army Day Care Center
Phillips Brooks House Association
Providers’ Council
Riverside Community Care
Second Chances
Spoonfuls
Suffolk University
The Dimock Center
Tufts University
United Way of Massachusetts Bay YMCA of Greater Boston
Image: Kseniachernaya / pexels
Image: Jonathan Borba / pexels
Statements of Activities
Revenue and Support
Program Fees
Grants Contributions
Investment Income
Other Income
TOTAL REVENUE
Expenses
Housing & Supportive Services
General & Admin Support
Fundraising
TOTAL EXPENSES Statements of Financial Positions
Assets
Current Assets
Property & Equipment
Other
TOTAL ASSETS
Liabilities
Current Liabilities
Long-Term Liabilities
TOTAL LIABILITIES
Net Assets
Unrestricted
Temporarily Restricted
TOTAL NET ASSETS
TOTAL LIABILITIES & NET ASSETS
2024
$ 11,111,929
$ 176,874
$ 56,103
$ 85,278
$ 220,909
$ 11,651,093
$ 9,424,495
$ 1,632,710
$ 227,127
$ 11,284,332
2023
$ 9,090,198 $ 404,228 $ 104,039
$ 34,847 $ 5,279 $ 9,638,591
$ 7,761,717 $ 1,358,489 $ 176,879 $ 9,297,085
2024
$ 5,238,515
$ 3,967,706
$ 905,670
$ 10,111,891
$ 1,054,178
$ 4,422,438
$ 5,476,616
$ 4,537,161 $ 98,114
$ 4,635,275
$ 10,111,891
2023
$ 4,808,951 $ 4,053,504
$ 1,010,493
$ 9,872,948 $ 1,047,655 $ 4,556,779 $ 5,604,434
$ 4,132,490 $ 136,024
$ 4,268,514 $ 9,872,948
Board of Directors
Officers
Kelly Blackburn, Chair
Kelly S. Mann, Vice Chair
Glenda Allsopp, Treasurer
Jessica Howe, Clerk
Members
Jorge Colón
Sarah A. Holmes
Michelle Meiser
Dariela Villon-Maga
Rev. Ellis Washington
Image: pnw-prod / pexels Back Cover: Maria Mileta / pexels
