In the season 3 premiere of Giving Done Right, La Colaborativa Executive Director Gladys Vega talks with hosts Phil Buchanan and Grace Nicolette about our community, the pandemic, and what it truly means to have "boots on the ground." She discusses La Colaborativa’s...
Latino Heritage Month: We’re Celebrating Resilience & Opening Our Doors
September 15, marked the start of Latino Heritage Month and the kickoff to a month-long celebration of Latino culture, history, and leadership. This is a month to not only celebrate, but to recognize the immense needs still present in our Latinx communities. At La...
Massachusetts Homeowner Assistance Fund
The Massachusetts Homeowner Assistance Fund (Mass HAF) is now available to for homeowners who are behind on their mortgage payments by at least three months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of HAF is to prevent foreclosures and displacements of eligible...
From Survival to Stability: The Power of a Steady Hand to Help
Photo by: Brian Snyder / REUTERS When Maria* first arrived at La Colaborativa a year ago, she was a single mother fleeing domestic violence and desperate to find safety in a shelter for her family. She bravely shared her story with Case Manager German Miranda and...
The Evolution of a Housing Crisis
Photo by Gabriela Maria Cartagena Amid unprecedented housing security and economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of families in our community have struggled to remain housed over the last two years. With the ongoing gentrification of...
Keeping Warm in Winter
PHOTO BY DARLENE DEVITA This January, Chelsea and much of the Northeast has faced bitterly cold winter weather, leaving the most vulnerable in our community at the greatest risk. Many of our community members find themselves struggling to pay their heating bills as...
Evict the Rats! House Our Families!
La Colaborativa youth and families gathered to shine a light on Chelsea’s rat problem this week at city hall, calling on local officials to do more to improve housing conditions for our families. Housing resources should focus on addressing rat infestations and other quality of life issues, instead of evicting families.
Building the Tenant Toolbox: Self Inspections Keep Families in Their Homes
With the extreme housing crisis threatening the stability of thousands of local families, La Colaborativa has had to get creative and implement new tools for tenants to assert their rights and remain in their homes. One of those tools is the tenant self-inspection,...
The Art of Activism: Two Local Women of Color Take on COVID-19 and Racial Violence
Executive Director Gladys Vega joined activist Monica Cannon-Grant, founder of Violence in Boston, and Under the Radar Host Callie Crossley to talk about how they've harnessed the power of local activism and on-the-ground organizing to raise their communities up and...
From Homeless To Employed: A Story About Resilience and Determination
From sleeping on hallways to becoming fully employed and housed, this is the story of the resilience displayed by members of the community that are up against all odds. Mauricio Pinedas came into La Colaborativa looking for transportation assistance to get him to a...