About Circle of Hope
Meet the STAFF | BOARD of Directors | 2024 Annual report
MISSION
Circle of Hope’s mission is to provide individuals and families experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity with clothing and hygiene essentials to promote health and opportunity.
VISION
A community where everyone has what they need for health and opportunity.
Values
Harnessing the power of community and partnership. Circle of Hope was born from the understanding that it truly takes a village and we continue to operate from this belief. Rather than working in silos, we grow and nurture mutually beneficial partnerships with service providers to amplify and advance our shared goals. By working in collaboration and constant communication with community partners, we fill gaps in the service network and help more people than any one of us could alone. Through our robust volunteer program, corporate engagement, and community outreach, we harness the collective energy and generosity of our community to propel our mission forward. We hold deeply the belief that we are stronger together.
Advancing health equity by improving access. We believe clothing and hygiene access are crucial Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). Lack of access to warm, clean, and well-fitting clothes and proper hygiene essentials are increasingly recognized as SDOH because it directly harms physical and mental well-being, aecting education and social interaction, leading to bullying, absenteeism, joblessness, low self-esteem, and health risks. Hygiene products that maintain oral, body and skin health decrease the spread of preventable diseases. By increasing access to basic necessities for people of all ages and identities experiencing clothing, hygiene and housing insecurity, we are advancing health equity and creating a world in which everyone has exactly what they need for health and opportunity.
Responding to the unique needs of the whole person and family. We recognize and honor the uniqueness of each individual and family and serve holistically to meet the specific physical, cultural, emotional, and spiritual needs of everyone we serve. With constant feedback from our partner organizations, we provide items appropriate for all hair, skin, body, shape, size, age, gender identity, and health needs, from gender-arming clothing to textured hair products to inclusive clothing sizes. We respond to each individual need with appropriate urgency, providing essentials within 24-48 hours to families and individuals facing acute crises.
Ensuring accountability and meaningful impact. Through ongoing communication and data collection from our partners, we strive to constantly improve operational eciency and ecacy. We collect feedback directly from community recipients to improve and inform the products we provide and we utilize partner agreements to create accountability and ensure our partnerships are having their intended impact.
Transforming the narrative to build empathy and understanding of systemic injustice. In collaboration with other agencies, we work to fill gaps in research around clothing and hygiene access and advocate to include clothing and hygiene access in the conversation around health equity and social determinants of health. Through the practice of ethical storytelling, we amplify the voices of those we serve to educate our community, build empathy, and highlight the systemic barriers standing in the way of health equity and housing justice.
History
2008
Circle of Hope was established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization on October 2, 2008. At the time, we had three partner shelters in downtown Boston.
2009
By 2009, Circle of Hope was delivering clothing to seven partner shelters, clinics, and programs including Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP) and Project Hope Family Shelter.
2012
By 2012, Circle of Hope had already given $1 million worth of clothing and necessities to people experiencing homelessness.
2013
A Volunteer Coordinator position was created, allowing Circle of Hope to engage more volunteers, open for additional hours throughout the week, and bring in more donations from the community.
2014
Circle of Hope began serving six new partner shelters and programs, including Fenway Health and Southampton Street Shelter.
In October 2014, the Long Island bridge closed, suddenly displacing 700 women and men who sought refuge at Long Island Shelter. Circle of Hope immediately implemented an action plan to determine where the residents went next to find resources and continued providing them with warm clothing and necessities.
2015
In 2015, there were nearly 6,500 homeless individuals in Boston and 464 in Cambridge. The fastest-growing homeless population was children under five years old.
In order to accept and deliver more donations, Circle of Hope expanded its donation drop-off hours and procured a delivery van. The Dignity Project was created to provide toiletries and socks to adults experiencing homelessness, helping them stay clean and healthy. In just one year, Circle of Hope provided 650 “Dignity Bags” full of these essential items.
2016
Circle of Hope began expanding into MetroWest to address the growing rate of family homelessness in Greater Boston by partnering with Clinton House Family Shelter, operated by South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC).
The Emergency Response Program was created in 2016, allowing Circle of Hope to provide clothing to individuals and families who suddenly become homeless as a result of house fires, domestic violence, or other crises. Circle of Hope also doubled its staff, welcoming an Administrative Associate and Communications Manager to the team.
2018
By 2018, Circle of Hope had provided more than $4 million worth of clothing and necessities to children and adults experiencing homelessness in Boston and Metro West.
2019
Circle of Hope moved to a new location on Highland Avenue with double the operational space so we could continue growing and meeting the increasing need for clothing and hygiene essentials.
We also launched the Get Set program in 2019, partnering with Framingham State University to serve college students experiencing homelessness.
2020
When the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in Massachusetts, Circle of Hope immediately pivoted toward disease prevention, transforming operations to keep all staff, volunteers, donors, and shelter residents safe. In addition to brand new clothing, we began providing thousands of new masks and fully-assembled “COVID Kits” full of essentials for disease prevention.
2023
Founder Barbara Waterhouse retired from her position and we welcomed a new Executive Director, Ari Barbanell, to lead the COH team. In 2023, Circle of Hope served 26,000 people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity.
““At Circle of Hope, we hold out hope for those who might not have a lot of hope for themselves right now.”
-Barbara Waterhouse, Circle of Hope Founder”
Non-Discrimination Policy
Circle of Hope does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients.
