The St. Ambrose Family Shelter is a family shelter located in the Fields Corner section of Dorchester, MA. We currently house fifteen families at capacity. Our objective is to provide shelter, support, and hope for homeless families in transition. We strive to prepare them to live successful and independently by providing access to formal education and basic skills training. We feel that it is also important to assist in making our families feel like they are part of the community.
During the time that families stay at the St. Ambrose Family Shelter we make every effort to provide them with many educational and enjoyable family activities, while still preparing the family to live successfully in safe and permanent housing. The children’s playroom at St. Ambrose playroom allows children in the family to experience “normal” kid activities and gives the child a break from their daily stress and trauma. It also provides the family a space for positive play together.
For more than 100 years, Catholic Charities has continued its mission of building a just and compassionate society rooted in the dignity of all people. As one of the largest providers of social services in Massachusetts, Catholic Charities of Boston offers nearly 100 programs and services in 33 locations around Eastern Massachusetts. From Lawrence to Brockton and Natick to Boston. Our Basic Needs Service sites throughout Eastern Massachusetts helped 200,237 of our neediest neighbors of all faiths.
St. Ambrose Family Shelter is only one program in Catholic Charities. As part of the Basic Needs Service sites, there are other shelters, food pantries, refugee and immigrations services, childcare sites, senior citizen services, and many other important programs for underprivileged populations.
The mission for Catholic Charities is to build a just and compassionate society rooted in the dignity of all people. Specifically for St. Ambrose Family Shelter, our main objectives are to help families obtain safe and permanent housing while helping them achieve the skills necessary to live independently once they leave the shelter. We do this by providing on site trainings and workshops in life skills such as parenting, cooking, budgeting/credit counseling, health topics, etc. St. Ambrose also has a family advocate on site to help families enroll in further education, search for a job, and access referrals such as mental health treatment.
Name of Organization:St Ambrose Family Shelter
Number of Paid Staff:6 ft, 15 pt
Number of Volunteers:600
Total Organizational Expenses:$37,946,552
% of Organizational Overhead Expenses:17%
Our organization is unique because instead of simply providing shelter or a place to sleep, we really encourage families’ self-sufficiency and independent living. By giving our families the tools they will need for the rest of their lives, we are empowering them instead of enabling them.
Children
Clothing
Family Harmony
Hunger & Nutrition
Poverty
We often host volunteers at our site and many of them are youth (such as the volunteers from Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley, MA). We have our volunteers complete maintenance projects that may include cleaning up the yard around the shelter, painting, organizing a storage room, etc. Projects such as this help the shelter run more efficiently and feel more like a community, while giving us support that we otherwise might not be able to afford.
Name:Sara Harney
Title:Program Coordinator
Address:25 Leonard St. Dorchester, MA 02122
Telephone:617-288-7675
Email:sara_harney@ccab.org
Website:www.ccab.org