Selecting the Recipients

September 14, 2023

“D Day”.  We gathered with our facilitators to share our learning on nonprofits to whom we might grant funds with the goal of selecting one or two. 

First we reviewed one more time our focus areas and problem statements.  Then we shared our learning about organizations addressing social and emotional health for teens including an outdoor/wilderness group, one that trains teachers and youth advisors on risk, bullying and available resources, and one that provides direct services to youth inside schools.  We heard about an organization providing therapeutic services to teens in low income and diverse communities, and another that provides family therapy with a focus on teen mental health.  Switching focus areas, there was an environmental organization that revitalizes communities including building healthy gardens and promoting shade, and another that promotes green spaces.  There was one that is all about environmental policy on green energy and scaling wind turbines, one that promotes internships and jobs in the environmental sector, and one that focuses on energy efficient housing while at the same time building political power to support environmental justice by combatting racism and classism systems.  One is addressing toxic pollution in marsh areas on the North Shore, while another focuses on landfills and hazard waste sites around New England.  And more.

We voted to make two grants, $5,000 each, one to Link House and one to SAFE. 

Link House has historic roots in Newburyport, Amesbury and Salisbury providing highly structured, intensive residential treatment programs for men and women who are living in sobriety, and longer-term residential housing in a highly supportive, safe, and sober environment.  Our gift, however, was given to their newest program called the Children and Teen Center for Help (CATCH). The program seeks to empower and support children, teens, and their families to understand and nurture their mental well-being.  The CATCH team of experienced, compassionate, and skilled providers works closely with children ages 5 to 18 and their families to understand the unique needs of every child and to nurture their mental well-being. Young people come to us for help with a wide range of concerns, including:

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Trauma

• Substance Use Disorder

• Gender dysphoria

The professional multi-disciplinary team includes a licensed educational psychologist, a licensed independent social worker, three masters-level clinicians including a part-time nurse practitioner, a consulting psychiatrist, and executives with expertise in behavioral health.  All are experienced in addressing the complex needs of young people who have experienced trauma, are LGBTQ+, or at risk for other reasons. Services include:

• Assessments

• Therapy

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

• Recovery Coach Services

• Group Therapy

• Wellness Education

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills

• Medication Management

• Substance Use Disorder Treatment

• ·Community Programs and Resources

Salem Alliance for the Environment (SAFE) works on a range of environmental issues that affect our community.  Much of the work focuses on the climate crisis, particularly reducing fossil fuel use and moving to a green energy economy.  SAFE worked with other local groups to eliminate coal-fired energy production at the Salem Harbor power plant, and is now supporting scaling off-shore wind production from the South Shore up to the Gulf of Maine.  SAFE works closely with the City of Salem to reduce the city’s carbon footprint, advocating for the first city sustainability coordinator, the introduction of LED traffic lights, solar-powered trash compactors, and purchase of green energy for all city residents.  SAFE also has supported key environmental legislation, including the Green Communities Act and the Climate Roadmap, which have made Massachusetts a national leader in addressing the climate crisis.

Here is an exciting summary of one piece of SAFE’s recent work:

• SAFE has long fought to ensure the closure of Salem’s coal plant and wanted/needed to be part of decision making on subsequent development of that site.  SAFE’s fight took on new urgency in the Spring of 2021 when important decisions started to be made about the Salem Offshore Wind Terminal planned for the site.  Efforts included testimony and monitoring at numerous state and federal agency meetings, supporting a workforce equity grant with MassHire, late nights at Planning Board meetings, countless fact-finding research and conversations, and regular connection points with the North Shore Labor Council, community nonprofit organizations, the City of Salem, city councilors, and importantly, fellow neighbors and civic engagement groups in Salem.

• In the spring of 2023, it became clear that SAFE and the community at large would need to work together to find a common voice if the community had any hope of being involved in the Community Benefit Agreement.  At first, the community was told that it would just be the city and the project developer negotiating the Community Benefit Agreement. So SAFE got to work.

• SAFE built a coalition working group—the Salem Offshore Wind Alliance (SOWA)--with neighborhood associations surrounding the offshore wind port (Historic Derby Street Neighborhood Association, The Point Neighborhood Association, Bridge Street Neck, Salem Common Neighborhood Association, and Salem Willows) as well as civics groups (Latino Leadership Coalition and the League of Women Voters – Salem). The coalition focused heavily on Environmental Justice principles in its asks so that they could establish one voice and provide community cohesion in the request to be involved in the negotiations.  Once SOWA was established, it successfully obtained pro-bono legal representation from Conservation Law Foundation’s Environmental Justice Program and from the Community Economic Development Clinic at Albany Law School.

• The newly elected mayor agreed to include SOWA in the negotiation via two representatives. The group elected Barbara Kelly of the Historic Derby Street Neighborhood Association for her abutter status and her leadership within her association and neighborhood, and Lucy Corchado who is the Point Neighborhood Association president.  The result:  the CBA between the City of Salem and the project developer includes:

o    Hiring targets by year for local, women and minority residents

o    $400,000 in scholarships for offshore wind or maritime-related career paths and educational opportunities, with a preference for Salem residents. 

o    $187,500 for bilingual outreach and educational programs to increase access for community members to the jobs available in the offshore wind industry, with a particular focus on the existing Career Technical Institute (CTI) at Salem High School. 

o    A commitment by the developer to utilize local supply chain sourcing for the project to the greatest extent feasible. 

o    At least $500,000 to support a new Climate Adaptation Fund to fund City sustainability and resiliency projects, and a commitment to port electrification by 2040.

o    $850,000 for an improvement project to the Essex Street/Webb Street intersection. 

o    $1,250,000 for additional personnel in the Harbormaster’s Department due to the maritime operation of the terminal. 

o    More than $3.5 Million for Salem Public Schools and educational programs – including Indigenous history and culture.

o    Transparency and accountability measures to ensure regular reports and community involvement are required as part of the CBA.

o    Notably and quite unique, but so critical to workforce equity and our community, is the commitment to $1.25 million tied to childcare. SAFE long ago wrote about this here. In all, the CBA’s value is about 3% of the total estimated project cost or $7.5 million over the course of 25 years.