On March 29, the congregation voted 65-2 to approve the proposal by Harvard’s Phillips Brooks House Association to convert Stebbins Auditorium into a young adult homeless shelter that would also house Youth on Fire, the LGBTQ-friendly youth service center, on weekdays.

Our partnership with Y2Y Harvard Square and Youth on Fire was featured on the front page of the Boston Globe.

The First Parish team led by Standing Committee Chair Susan Shepherd, Finance Chair Cade Murray, Sustainability Committee member Sylvia Wheeler, and attorney Mike Wiggins worked tirelessly with Phillips Brooks House Association and Youth on Fire to move this project forward. We look forward to a successful partnership for years to come!

Youth Housing Project Presentation in PDF Format
Youth Housing Project (1) Presentation in PowerPoint format

Youth Housing Initiative Overview and FAQs

Lease Summary

 Proposed Floor Plans and Space Use Drawings

• Proposed Floor Plan – First Parish Use
• Proposed Floor Plan – Youth Housing Use
• Room View 1 Draft
• Room View 2 Draft
• Room View 3 Draft

Letters of Support

• Marjorie Decker Letter of Support
• Harvard Square Business Association – Letter of Support
• University Lutheran Church Letter of Support
• Mark C. McGovern Letter of Support
• Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Initiative Letter of Support
• Cambridge Department of Human Services – Letter of Support

 Youth Housing Initiative Budgets

• Development Budget
• 5 Year Projected Operating Budget

Youth Housing Initiative Advisory Board & Supporting Committees

• Advisory Board Members
• Leadership Committee
• Building Committee

Standing Committee Statement on First Parish Resources Required for Support of the Homeless Youth Shelter Project

On March 29 we will hold a congregational meeting to discuss and hold a vote on expending First Parish resources in support of housing two programs that aid homeless young people in our auditorium. The auditorium is currently rented to the American Repertory Theater (ART) as a practice theater. The new use will require a complete renovation of the auditorium space. This statement lays out the benefits and costs to First Parish of housing the two youth programs in our auditorium.

Benefits to First Parish
A project very much aligned with our mission and in service to the community.

The Meetinghouse was built in approximately 1830. The auditorium was dug underneath it in the middle 1950’s and there has been no renovation of the space since it was built. We have often spoken of “taking back” the auditorium and using it for more congregational functions. We have thought this would be possible if only we could replace the rental income from the space, but most of us have come to understand that making the auditorium truly usable and pleasant would require a very expensive renovation.

The Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA) came to us in the fall of 2013 with a proposal to renovate our auditorium for their use as a homeless shelter for young people ages 18 – 24. They also proposed to share the space with a youth program currently housed at the Harvard Epworth United Methodist Church. That program is Youth on Fire, a program of the AIDS Action Committee. More information on both these programs is available on their websites and FaceBook pages. We will have information and links soon on the First Parish website as well.

The renovation of the auditorium, with an estimated cost of $900,000, will be paid for completely by PBHA. They have raised over $800,000 for the renovation through grants and donations and are confident of raising the remainder.
The renovation will include
• Upgrades to the plumbing, heating and electrical systems
• A new commercial kitchen with all new appliances
• New bathrooms and showers

The renovated auditorium will be a modern, usable, and architecturally pleasing space.
PBHA will operate the homeless shelter at night (6PM to 9AM) seven days a week from October through April. Youth on Fire will operate the day services component on weekdays from 9AM to 5PM year round.

At all other times, First Parish will be able to use the renovated auditorium:
• Every Saturday and Sunday daytime year round
• Every evening May through September

The rent we receive from the programs will completely replace the income we now receive from the ART. PBHA will begin paying rent as soon as a lease goes into effect, including during construction.

After the renovation, utilities for the auditorium will be metered separately for the first time. We currently cannot allocate utility costs to a tenant and we pay for all utility costs for ART. Youth shelter tenants will pay utility costs, up to $20,000 per year, adjustable annually. We believe this will encourage conservation of energy resources.

There will be separate leases for PBHA and Youth on Fire. They will run for 10 years and are renewable.

First Parish Resources Required
We will no longer be able to host the Christmas Craft Fair and will lose $14,000 in rental income annually. (We regret losing the Christmas Fair, but believe there are other facilities in Harvard Square that may be available to them.)

We will have to have a staff person available by phone or in person to liaison with the homeless shelter at night. We estimate that, at most, this would be a ¼ time full-time equivalent, or about $10,000 a year. While liaison with ART has been ongoing, we believe that dedicated staff resources should be allocated to support the youth shelter, as demands are likely to be more substantial.

We have been asked by PBHA to initiate a fund-raising group for the youth shelter, based on their experience partnering with the University Lutheran (UniLu) Church on Winthrop St., which houses an adult shelter, called the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter, in operation for 30 years, and has a fund-raising group. Such a group is intended to raise funds for the shelter, but also to allow the church to participate more fully as a partner in the endeavor. We would look primarily outside our congregation for funds, as UniLu does, to governmental and foundation sources, the UUA, crowd funding, and others. Our goal would be to raise $200,000 over 3 years.

To summarize, hosting the PBHA youth shelter and Youth of Fire youth services programs would cost First Parish $14,000 in lost rental income and as much as $10,000 in staff resources annually. This is $24,000 that would have to be raised for our operational budget. In addition, time and energy would be required to raise about $200,000 from charitable and governmental sources over three years.

More information
Cade Murray, the chair of the Finance Committee, and members of the Standing Committee will be in social hour every Sunday after worship to answer your questions about this project. We will be placing more detailed information onto the First Parish website in advance of the meeting.
With the Standing Committee, many skilled volunteers have been working on this project over the past year, including members of the Building and Grounds, Sustainability, Finance and Investment committees. In particular, Sylvia Wheeler, Mike Wiggins, Joe O’Farrell and Cade Murray have spent many hours working on documents and in meetings with PBHA.