Our area of reach is dramatically expanding. While we are based in Allston, our youth travel across the city to participate in our programs: Overall, 52% live in Allston/Brighton, 22% live in Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan; and the remaining 26% are from other Boston communities. Further, more than 60% of our teens come from Mattapan, Roxbury and Dorchester. With such a significant impact on our city’s youth, we need to ensure that West End House has the capacity and resources to support the leaders of tomorrow.
Serving More Youth, More Often
Over the past five years, our total membership has grown by 50% to nearly 1,600. Our teen population, in particular, has doubled from 375 to 750. More of our young people are joining as teens and arrive with greater challenges, particularly with academics. As more of our youth are pursuing college and career goals, we need to provide them with the right staff and the right environment to keep them on track.
A Dynamic Space CREATED
With the expansion of our programs and our population, our facilities hadn’t kept pace. We were experiencing overcrowding across all of our program areas. A strategic plan was created to expand and rebalance our space. As a result, our teens now have access to an enhanced space that accommodates both academic and social interactive programming, separate from our younger members. A rebalanced approach has also enhanced our academic, arts, fitness, nutrition areas, and takes a green approach to reducing our environmental impact.
Establishing Paths To A Sustainable Future
As a forward-thinking organization, we have created a plan to improve our capacity to execute our long-term goals. To proactively meet the needs of our youth, we need to improve our capital structure by increasing our operating reserves and our facility reserves to fulfill anticipated expenses that the board has identified through a Systems Replacement Plan. Additionally, by reducing long-term debt we can free up funds for staffing and impact programming. With an improved capital structure, we can unleash our full potential so that we can continue to be innovative and responsive. West End House is using research-proven methods to dramatically improve the impact of our programs. We’re helping more young people achieve their goals—from advancing art and music skills to improving nutrition and fitness to graduating from college and starting their careers. As our population continues to grow, we need to ensure that West End House has the capacity and resources to support the leaders of tomorrow.
Help Make the Campaign a Success
For more information on Expect More: The Campaign for West End House, please contact Rudy Ash, Chief Development Officer, at (617) 682-1009 or at rudy.ash@westendhouse.org.
Donate Now
