To Be the Best Community Center Anywhere
East End House strives for excellence in its programs and our innovative and effective programs have received numerous accolades and distinctions. In 2010 the agency became the first in the country to earn both organization-wide and seperate accreditation for the School Age and Middle School Programs through the Council on Accreditation (COA). The scope and quality of family engagement activities was acknowledged by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the United Neighborhood Centers of America when they named East End House national Families Count: Family Strengthening Award recipients in 2009 and 2010. The agency continues to create innovative and essential programs for the children, teens, families, seniors, and individuals in our community.

Mission and Vision
East End House is a not-for-profit, multi-service community center and social service agency with an on-going commitment to a diverse population, providing programs and services to strengthen family and community. East End House is the center of community life, a safe haven welcoming, linking, and collaborating with individuals of all ages, their families, businesses, and community institutions to create innovative programs in pursuit of excellence on a sound fiscal basis.

Our Past
Originally established in 1875, East End House is one of Greater Boston's earliest social service centers. In its early years the agency was a vital resource for struggling or newly immigrated individuals and families. Consistent throughout our history is connecting and responding to community needs. Well-baby clinics at the turn of the century, New Deal Programs during the Great Depression, multilingual energy audits for lower-income families in the seventies, and expanding the facility in the early nineties all epitomize our ongoing efforts. More recently, East End House launched both a Family Support Initiative and the Connecting Schools and Afterschools program in 2005, earned national accreditation for the School Age Program in 2006 making it the first such program in Cambridge to receive national accreditation, expanded and diversified elder programming, started the Free Farmer's Market targeting low-income isolated and disabled seniors and launched a Family Engagement Initiative in the School Age Program in 2007.

Our Present
Today, as a dynamic community center, we continue to meet community needs through innovative programs that support families and individuals of every age and ability through affordable quality Child Care and School Age Programs; Emergency food services for families struggling to make ends meet and seniors who are isolated; community workshops ranging from computer classes and health screenings for seniors to helping expecting and new parents sign up for government benefits; and volunteer opportunities and community-wide events that bring neighbors together in the spirit of community. Our goals are to:

• Serve families and individuals of all ages with exceptional programming that meets the ever evolving needs of the community
• Create opportunities and experiences for those who have been traditionally denied access due to social and economic barriers
• Use volunteers to strengthen the capacity of the agency and build a sense of community
• Maintain a highly motivated and well-trained staff
• Continually assess community needs and respond with innovative, evidence-based programming to meet those needs.
• Rigorously document and evaluate programs to ensure high-quality and impact

Our Future
East End House is constantly evaluating and expanding programming in areas where there is the greatest need. This includes increasing programming for teens; addressing youth populations most at-risk of adverse outcomes; expanding and diversifying senior programs to meet the needs of younger and isolated seniors; and enhancing existing partnerships and creating new collaborations to share knowledge and practices so we can best serve all those in the community. From our historical past to our promising future East End House continues to emphasize community focus and community building. We strive to be the best example of a community center anywhere. East End House looks forward to the challenge of providing programs and services that create long-lasting, life changing experiences for our participants while continuing to evaluate and respond to the ever-changing needs of the community.
BACK TO TOP