History, Mission and Overview

The Somerville Community Corporation (SCC) is a membership organization that provides leadership for sustaining the City of Somerville as a vibrant, diverse and tolerant community. We offer services and lead community organizing that supports low- and moderate-income Somerville residents in their efforts to achieve economic sustainability and increase civic participation.

True economic opportunity and social justice require long- term resolve and investment to turn communities of exclusion and disadvantage into communities of opportunity and equity. SCC’s work is the foundation of that investment. We help our neighbors find local jobs with living wages, and secure a sustainable place to live, either as residents of our affordable housing or by realizing their dream of owning a home. SCC’s work is part of a comprehensive vision for community investment using a range of equity levers, such as sustainable housing, wages and income, workforce development and employment, and education and training pathways. We take an abolitionist stance on poverty and believe a stable home and living wage job are the foundation upon which all else is built. Through housing, community development, and economic opportunity, we aim to achieve a more equitable and just city.

SCC was founded in 1969 as a multi-service center assisting low-income Somerville residents. We opened Somerville’s first soup kitchen, Project Soup, and operated it for 25 years before turning over operations to the Somerville Homeless Coalition. We also provided advocacy services to our constituencies to address and prevent housing emergencies.

Starting in 2005 with our East Somerville Initiative, SCC began building a strong practice of participatory community planning, concentrated in that neighborhood and later the Community Corridor Planning project along the pathway of the anticipated MBTA Green Line Extension, and more recently alongside Union United to fight for the Community Benefits Agreement in Union Square, which passed with overwhelming support.. In 2014, we started the First Source Jobs program, which has become a model job training initiative in the region. We began our successful 100 Homes Program – a unique partnership with the City of Somerville to purchase homes off the speculative market and make them permanently affordable – in 2016.

Over the years, we have grown and evolved with Somerville — focusing on affordable housing, good jobs, equitable opportunity, and social justice — to become the SCC of today, impacting thousands of people each year through our outstanding programs and work in collective pursuit of sustainable social and economic equity.

Our approach works because it is rooted in common sense and care. People need a strong foundation – a home and a job – to succeed and achieve lasting stability. We help approximately 500 people every year and we see them achieve or get closer to achieving this critical bedrock.

Over the years, we have:

• Built or preserved 450+ affordable homes
• Placed over 700 job seekers into good jobs
• Helped hundreds of residents achieve financial stability and build their assets through our financial literacy and First Time Home Buyer program
• We educate an average of 250 households, with approximately 25 families becoming homeowners per year, some of whom were Section 8 voucher holders
• Acquired 117 permanently affordable homes through our 100 Homes and 49 More Homes Programs
• Are redeveloping Clarendon Hill, one of Somerville’s largest affordable housing developments

Building on our fifty years of history, today we envision a Somerville where:

• families and individuals from many different backgrounds and cultures enjoy equitable access to secure housing, economic stability, and opportunities for leadership and active engagement
• community change is embraced in a way that people of limited means, education or familiarity with the local economy share in the benefits of growth and development, no longer threatened by escalating living costs or the inability to keep or find a nearby job
• the planned expansion of the MBTA Green Line offers great opportunity and potential for jobs for Somerville residents as new development comes to our community
• low and moderate-income residents and those who have recently come from other countries and cultures, are included in the process of planning for and being involved in a more inclusive, equitable future for the City.

Our vision extends to a city where community change is embraced, ensuring that individuals with limited means, education, or familiarity with the local economy actively partake in the benefits of growth and development, and where lower-income residents and those who have recently arrived from different countries and cultures, are integral to the process of planning and creating a more inclusive and equitable future for Somerville. SCC strives for a community where the threat of rising living costs and the challenge of securing or retaining nearby jobs no longer hinder the aspirations of its residents, fostering a city that thrives on shared prosperity and participation.