14 Families Displaced by December 3, 2016 Fire Receive Keys to New Housing in Cambridge

Today, 14 families displaced by the December 3, 2016 fire in the Wellington-Harrington neighborhood of Cambridge can receive keys to their new permanent housing in Cambridge. The City Manager’s Office and the Mayor’s Office are working closely with a housing team comprised of City departments, the Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership, the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Cambridge Housing Authority to assist displaced households in securing permanent housing. Five additional families will be able to move in to new units at the beginning of next week. The City has identified 37 households needing to find permanent housing.

“The entire citywide response to this fire has been incredible,” said Mayor E. Denise Simmons. “From the opening moments when the first fire fighters arrived on the scene, to the next 48 hours as money started flooding in to assist these victims, to this past week as City Hall was converted into a bustling hive of activity, with scores of victims getting connected with the services they need. This tragic event has shown the very best of Cambridge. The fact that so many of these families are now on the precipice of signing leases or getting the keys to their new homes speaks to the level of coordination and collaboration among the City staff and State agencies. It has truly been a fantastic effort on all fronts.”

Throughout the week, a Disaster Relief Resource Center has been operating at Cambridge City Hall. A collaborative inter-agency team has been able to verify and register 80 families impacted by the fire, representing 166 individuals. The resource center has taken a holistic approach to supporting the various needs of the fire victims, ranging from applying for new housing to providing immediate financial support from the Mayor’s Fire Relief Fund. While the resource center at City Hall will close on Friday at 5 p.m., displaced victims can continue calling 617-349-9484 for assistance.

“Within 72 hours following the fire, the City dispersed more than $87,000 in direct support to the victims,” said City Manager Louis A. DePasquale. “Today, we are dispersing an additional $79,000 in bank cards to the 14 families getting keys to their new housing. In total, we have dispersed over $184,000 in donations from the Mayor’s Fire Relief Fund. In the days and weeks ahead, we will continue to distribute the donations that are coming in. All of the money being donated is going to the victims.”

More than $600,000 dollars have been contributed online to the Mayor’s Fire Relief Fund. Online donations can be made at www.CambridgeMA.GOV/FireFund.

The Cambridge Fire Department confirmed earlier in the week that 18 properties were impacted by the fire, representing a total of 75 separate units. The fire is being jointly investigated by members of the Cambridge Fire Department, Cambridge Police Department, State Police assigned to the Office of the State Fire Marshall, and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

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