Social Services
When our neighbors fall through the cracks, they too often land hard, in places like Cambridge District Court. As a bar advocate, that is where I first meet many of our neighbors. I have a front-row seat to the difficulties these individuals face, chief among them: homelessness and drug addiction. Our systems are stretched, and the people within them are under pressure. The City Council, of course, plays a role in trying to fix this.​
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The Council recently had to confront the closing of the Transition Wellness Center at Spaulding Hospital. It's just one example, but I worry it foreshadows more tough decisions. Cambridge, which today does more in terms of scope and depth of services and programs than any other municipality in Massachusetts¹, risks standing increasingly alone. We will need to rely on ourselves--and one another--to look after each other.
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As a Councillor, I expect to need to work with City staff and other veteran members of the Council to mitigate the damage from the Trump administration, and commit to creative and time-tested solutions to support and keep safe everyone in our community, particularly the neediest among us.
I believe, now more than ever, we need to support the least fortunate in Cambridge. These efforts will not only mitigate the suffering of the poor but will also benefit everyone in the city. We need to fund and expand Rise Up, a direct cash assistance program that has shown a remarkable return on investment, from higher employment, less financial strain, enhanced housing and food security, to increased time for parenting.² Every dollar we invest in programs like Rise Up is returned in community benefits many times over. When poverty is reduced, learning outcomes for kids are better, public health is improved, and crime rates go down. As the Trump Administration attacks the nation's social safety net, we as a city need to come together to stitch it back together.
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--Ned Melanson
(617) 453-8590
ned4cambridge@gmail.com​
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1. City Manager’s Agenda Item — CMA 2025 #108
Huang, Y.-A. (2025, April 28). A communication transmitted from Yi‑An Huang, City Manager, regarding the Transition Wellness Center (TWC) [Agenda Communication No. CMA 2025 #108]. Cambridge City Council. Retrieved from Cambridge, MA City Council portal
2. Center for Guaranteed Income Research. (2024). CGIR Final Report: Cambridge, MA. Retrieved June 20, 2025, from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5fdc101bc3cfda2dcf0a2244/t/66042ec9eea0004b202238f0/1711550156113/CGIR+Final+Report_Cambridge+MA_2024.pdf
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