Gina Braza of Hopkinton, Board Member of Homestart Recently Attended the Annual Fall Gala

From Left to Right (Ali Alvai, Cary Gatto, Joe Gatto, and Gina Braza)

Boston-based non-profit HomeStart announced today that it raised a record-breaking $548,000 at its Annual Fall Gala. With the help of event honorees Sushil K. Tuli, President and CEO of Leader Bank, Joseph E. Corcoran, Founder and Chairman of Corcoran Jennison Companies, and William F. Boynton, SVP of Morgan Stanley and longtime HomeStart board member, the Gala was a resounding success. Funds raised will be used to support HomeStart’s high-impact core programs to end and prevent homelessness.

“HomeStart is thankful for the generosity of the community that supports our mission,” said Matt Pritchard, President and Executive Director of HomeStart. “Last year, we received requests from nearly 4,000 families and individuals who we did not have the capacity to serve. Those who supported the gala are allowing us to serve more people, preventing single parents and their children from being evicted, and providing support for the man who has been on the street for years and, without that support, would remain on the street.”

The Gala was emceed by Janet Wu, news reporter and anchor, WHDH-TV Ch. 7 who is also a member of the HomeStart Advisory Board. Richard Holbrook, President and CEO of Eastern Bank and Thomas P. O’Neill, III, CEO of O’Neill and Associates hosted the live “Fund-a-Need” portion of the program where guests donated funds targeted to helping homeless families move into permanent and stable housing. Additionally, the Fund-a-Need, plus the live and silent auctions resulted in a $100k match donation from a very generous anonymous donor.

Over the past 21 years, HomeStart has provided vital solutions to ending homelessness by working to assist individuals and families in finding, maintaining and thriving in housing. 92 cents of every dollar donated to HomeStart goes directly to support their core services: homelessness prevention, housing search and stabilization.

Last year alone, HomeStart saved 407 low-income families and individuals from eviction and subsequent homelessness. On average, HomeStart can prevent an eviction and stabilize the family for approximately $2,000, compared to the cost of evicting and then sheltering that same family at the taxpayers’ expense of approximately $30,000 annually! Since its inception in 1994, HomeStart has found permanent homes for over 6,000 families and individuals including veterans, single parents and victims of domestic violence. In addition, HomeStart’s Stabilization Program helps reintegrate each client back into their community so they are able to maintain their housing permanently and break the cycle of chronic homelessness. As a result, 95% of clients receiving HomeStart’s stabilization services have remained in their housing one year later and beyond.

About Home Start

HomeStart is a non-profit organization whose mission is to end and prevent homelessness in Greater Boston by assisting individuals and families in obtaining permanent housing and settling into the community, and by developing strategies to address systemic barriers to housing placement. For more information, visit www.homestart.org, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.