Continued funding of the Transitional Wellness Center. CHARTER RIGHT EXERCISED BY COUNCILLOR TONER IN COUNCIL APRIL 7, 2025

O-2 FIRST IN COUNCIL April 7, 2025 City of Cambridge VICE MAYOR MCGOVERN COUNCILLOR SOBRINHO-WHEELER COUNCILLOR WILSON WHEREAS: During the COVID pandemic, the City opened the Transitional Wellness Center (TWC) at Spaulding Hospital on Cambridge Street as a temporary shelter to address the loss of shelter beds in other Cambridge based shelters; and WHEREAS: The TWC was funded through ARPA funds with a budget of $3 million per year; and WHEREAS: As ARPA funds are expiring, City Manager Huang has announced that the City will not fund the 58-bed Transitional Wellness Center beyond June 2025; and WHEREAS: Although the city has made bold investments in permanent supportive housing options including at 116 Norfolk St and on Wendell St, a range of options to address homelessness are sorely needed, and the creation of new permanent supportive housing should not lead to the closure of a non-congregate shelter facility; and WHEREAS: Numerous studies have shown the huge importance of non-congregate shelter options; and WHEREAS: Cambridge’s Ad Hoc Working Group on Homelessness stressed the importance of non-congregate shelter options; and WHEREAS: The TWC has been a largely successful model for non-congregate shelter, filling a gap and offering increased privacy, stability, and dignity—particularly for individuals who are underserved in traditional congregate settings, including LGBTQ+ residents and others who may not feel safe or welcome at facilities like 240 Albany Street; and WHEREAS: Finding a way to keep the TWC open beyond June 2025 is highly consistent with Cambridge’s self-proclaimed status as a sanctuary city for marginalized communities; now therefore be it ORDERED: That the City Manager and the Finance Committee of the City Council be and hereby are requested to explore options for continuing TWC funding, including, but not limited to: -The cost of continuing this program for another year through the city budget/Free Cash -The possibility of securing state funding -The possibility of committing funds from the Affordable Housing Trust -The possibility of partnering with outside stakeholders such as biotech companies to ease the funding burden on the city