Vision: Whittier Street is a connected community whose members enjoy access to a broad spectrum of quality programs and services. Through a coordinated and accessible support network, residents experience greater financial stability, lower stress levels, fewer chronic health problems, better school outcomes, more out-of-school activities, and improved job skills. Moreover, Whittier Street residents are engaged in the broader Whittier neighborhood and feel part of a vibrant community.
-Whittier Choice Neighborhoods Transformation Plan, People Vision
Goal: Stabilize families and support good decision-making to achieve measurable progress toward individual goals for education and earnings.
Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath) (formerly known as Crittenton Women’s Union)
EMPath will focus on income and asset building through the Mobility Mentoring Model and “Bridge to Self-Sufficiency” framework. Mobility Mentors take a holistic approach to financial self-sufficiency that starts with ensuring home life stability and supports residents in life decisions leading to well-paying jobs and careers. This includes stabilizing families by working with them directly to identify recurring barriers to work, school and family health. Mentors will help create structured plans to address debt and non-payment issues and work towards a goal of three months or more of savings to be matched by the Whittier CNI program. Key partners will include education and employment providers that are focused on skill-building and job readiness including BHA’s Building Pathways, Best Corp, ABCD, Roxbury Center for Financial Empowerment, Roxbury Community College, and Northeastern University. Residents will continue working with CNI partners to build upon skills and increase earnings.
Housing Opportunities Unlimited (HOU)-Relocation Contractor
HOU will be collaborating directly with EMPath to ensure that all residents fully understand their range of housing options. This will occur through individual counseling, information sessions, workshops, notices and newsletters. Additionally, HOU, along with EMPath will prepare residents who are planning to return to Whittier.
Goal: Increase resident knowledge of and access to resources to address and prevent chronic disease. Expand services and supports for managing and/or reducing depression, anxiety and stress.
Whittier Street Health Center (WSHC)
WSHC is a state-of-the-art, federally qualified, health center located adjacent to Whittier. WSHC is committed to expanding the Social Health Coordinator position at Whittier from part-time to full-time. Furthermore, there will be a full-time Health Ambassador with EMPath to organize on-site treatment support groups and implement education programs to address chronic illnesses such as obesity, diabetes and asthma. Moreover, WSHC will create 36 new slots for Whittier residents in its behavioral health urgent care program focused managing and reducing depression, anxiety and stress.
Goal: Develop comprehensive birth-to-career pathways that support all learners toward successful futures.
Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI)
DSNI is Boston’s 2012 Promise Neighborhoods grantee. DSNI’s Boston Promise Initiative will work to extend the reach of its educational services to the Whittier site through coordination with EMPath, Boston Public Schools, Tenacity, Nurtury, and the Boston Promise Initiative network of more than 50 other partners.
For Whittier’s youngest residents, DSNI will work with Nurture and other providers to: (1) increase enrollment in high-quality early learning programs, (2) support children’s healthy development from birth through its Screen to Succeed initiative and (3) collaborate with First Teacher, a parent-led organization in Roxbury, to support parents in their role as their child’s first teacher.
For school age children and adolescents, DSNI will strive to: (1) create an educational campaign to better equip parents with information and supports needed to navigate the Boston Public School enrollment process, choose higher-performing schools, and advocate for better programs and policies; (2) increase resources at Whittier Neighborhood schools to improve quality; (3) increase access to high-quality supplemental learning resources including coaching in connection with college and career and access to programming like the Latino STEM Alliance’s Robotics program; and (4) support students in gaining entry to college and persisting to graduation, including hosting annual college fairs.