Newton Forms Economic Mobility & Self-Sufficiency Advisory Committee

NEWTON, MA — Newton has formed an Economic Mobility & Self-Sufficiency Program Advisory Committee, which will work with Christina Citino at the UMass Donahue Institute (UMDI) to design, implement, and monitor a program aimed at supporting the economic mobility of low- to moderate-income residents, according to Mayor Ruthanne Fuller.

During her annual budget address last month, Fuller announced that the city will dedicate $1.75 million in ARPA funds to launch an Economic Mobility & Self-Sufficiency Program.

According to the city's recently completed Newton Community Needs Assessment, lower-resourced Newton households, particularly Black and Hispanic residents, have been disproportionately harmed economically by the pandemic and continue to face significant economic challenges, said Fuller.

One of the key recommendations was to invest in programs for our lower-income residents for long-term economic stability & mobility and self-sufficiency. The new Economic Mobility & Self-Sufficiency Program is Newton’s way of taking action on this recommendation.

"Under the direction of Christina Citino, the Economic Mobility & Self-Sufficiency Program Advisory Committee will begin its work later this month,” Fuller said. "Our goal is to explore which groups of services would be most helpful (e.g., financial coaching, education or job training, support services, employment counseling and services, mental health or substance use support, homeownership preparation, asset-building support).”

"In the fall, we will release a Request for Proposals (RFP) to identify partners in this critical work,” she continued.

Here are the members of the Economic Mobility & Self-Sufficiancy Program Advisory Committee:

• India Arnold – Community Engagement & Youth Services Coordinator, Newton Community Development Foundation (NCDF); former preschool teacher and a Newton resident
• Amanda Berman - Director of Housing & Community Development, City of Newton
• Nikia Bodden – Manager, Housing & Stabilization, The Second Step; over 10 years’ experience serving homeless survivors of domestic and sexual violence
• Rebecca Camargo – Director of Resident Services, Newton Housing Authority; LICSW; former Crisis Intervention Clinician with Eliot Community Human Services; and former Program Manager at the Cambridge Shelter
• Barney Heath - Director of Planning & Development Department, City of Newton
• Meghan Kennedy – Director of Social Services, City of Newton and a Newton resident
• Keith Mahoney - Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs, The Boston Foundation and a Newton resident
• Marva Serotkin - Member of the Newton Housing Partnership; former President and CEO of The Boston Home; a consultant specializing in long-term care, affordable housing, and not-for-profit management and a Newton resident
• Linda Walsh – Commissioner, Health & Human Services, City of Newton
• Deborah Youngblood – Executive Director, Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast; former Commissioner of Health & Human Services for the City of Newton; former Vice President of Research and Innovation at EMPath, Economic Mobilities Pathways; and a Newton resident

For more information on this project and the previous work done as part of the Community Needs Assessment, click here.