Human Services

The Newton Housing and Community Development Program provides Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to agencies and City departments offering human services that benefit low- and moderate-income Newton residents. The City's CDBG human service funds are targeted to people whose incomes are at or below 80 percent of the Boston area median income. Click here for the current income guidelines. Additionally, the following groups are presumed eligible: severely disabled adults, battered spouses, abused children, homeless people, people with HIV/AIDS, people who are illiterate, and elderly people. Since the City of Newton received its first CDBG grant in 1974, over $12 million dollars has been allocated in support of Newton human service programs serving low- and moderate-income people.

The City of Newton awards local providers the maximum amount of CDBG human service grant funds allowed by federal regulations. Human service grants comprise 15 percent of the City's total CDBG grant, plus 15 percent of all program income generated by CDBG funds in the previous fiscal year. For FY11 (July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011), the City awarded human service grants totaling $400,000, including $31,245 from FY10 program income.

All human service projects are selected through an open grant application process. The Human Service Advisory Committee (HSAC), an advisory body made up of Newton volunteers, reviews all human service applications using criteria that include project eligibility and a documented need for service. The HSAC then recommends that grant awards be made to applicant providers who best meet these criteria. These recommendations are reviewed by the Newton Planning and Development Board and approved by the Mayor before the grants are awarded.

In FY10, which ran from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010, the Newton Housing and Community Development Program awarded grants to 35 human service projects provided by 19 different organizations. These human service projects provide services to children, youth, adults and families, elders, people with disabilities and people who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness. A total of 5,640 people were served during FY10 by these projects, funded wholly or in part by Newton's CDBG program. Please click the link below to see the prior year's accomplishments and the current year's projects.

Human Service Projects and Accomplishments

For more information on human services, please contact Lowell Haynes at (617) 796-1132 or at lhaynes@newtonma.gov.