We are delighted to announce that Fidelity House Human Services has been awarded a grant of $100,000 from the Cummings Foundation.

The grant will be used to develop new housing models for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Board chair Andrew Novelline, says “this grant is fantastic news. We are grateful to the Cummings Foundation for supporting our work to address the shortage of safe, affordable housing suited for adults with disabilities, especially in the Lawrence area.”

Meeting the housing needs of adults with developmental disabilities is a challenging, multi-faceted problem. FHHS will be targeting the needs of adults with developmental disabilities who do not require 24 hour residential support. Specifically, the focus is on two groups – adults who are already living in the community and young adults with autism who are transitioning out of the education system.

Fidelity House Human Services CEO Yvonne Allard will join approximately 300 other guests at a reception on June 8th to celebrate the $10 million infusion into Greater Boston’s nonprofit sector. With the conclusion of this grant cycle, Cummings Foundation has now awarded over $170 million to local nonprofits.
The $100K for 100 program supports nonprofits that are not only based in but also primarily serve Middlesex, Essex and Suffolk counties. This year’s diverse group of grant recipients was chosen from a total of 549 applicants through a competitive review process. “Nonprofit organizations like Fidelity House Human Services are vital to the local communities where our colleagues and clients live and work,” said Joel Swets, Cummings Foundation’s executive director. “We are delighted to invest in their efforts.”

Fidelity House Human Services was founded in 1971 with one group home in Lawrence. The organization now provides a home for 85 adults in 20 community residences and supports an additional 690 children, teens and adults for a total of 775 families served annually. The agency is funded through contracts with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services (DDS), MassHealth and through charitable contributions. Services take place in 68 cities and towns throughout the Merrimack Valley and Eastern Massachusetts.

Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings of Winchester. With assets exceeding $1.4 billion, it is one of the largest foundations in New England. The foundation directly operates its own charitable subsidiaries, including two New Horizons retirement communities, in Marlborough and Woburn. Its largest single commitment to date was $50 million to Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.