History
1987
Our Beginning
Casa Nueva Vida (House of New Life), was founded in 1987 in response to the unique needs of the growing number of homeless families. The shelter began operating in the basement of a local church with just enough space to serve four families.
1989
Non-Profit Agency
Casa Nueva Vida Officially became an independent non-profit agency and began operating seven days a week 24 hours a day.
1993
The Need Increases
Demand and need far exceeded the shelter's capacity, and in September the shelter moved into a beautiful three-story, six-family home in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood. This relocation allowed Casa Nueva Vida to expand its services and increase the number of families served at any given time from four to six.
1999
House Addition
Casa Nueva Vida builds a significant addition to the shelter adding an Annex containing an Adult Learning Center, a bedroom and handicap bath and a wheelchair ramp, increasing capacity from six to seven families.
2001-2005
Additions Continue
Casa Nueva Vida continues to complete additions to the house. These acquisitions added a teen center, a state of the art computer lab/classroom while also adding bedrooms to serve up to sixteen families at any given time (approximately thirty-two women and eighty-four children per year).
2007-2008
A Second Shelter
Casa Nueva Vida’s Board of Directors authorizes the acquisition and renovation of a second (Casa Nueva Vida) shelter in Lawrence. Purchase of property in Lawrence, MA located in the Prospect Hill Historic District adjacent to the Lawrence Commons. Constructed in 1855, it is of great significance and visibility to the City of Lawrence. Casa Nueva Vida launched its Capital Campaign at our 20th Annual Fundraising Gala at the Harvard Faculty Club in Cambridge, MA and began to renovate the property to contain 12 individual rooms for resident families, five bathrooms, and an office space.
2009
Casa Nueva Vida Lawrence Opens
Casa Nueva Vida opened 57 Jackson Street on March 3, 2009, with twelve families then later increased capacity to house Sixteen. Since the onset of opening the shelter families have accomplished many successes.
2013
Jackson Extension
On December 23, 2013, Casa Nueva opened 59 Jackson Street with a capacity of housing nine families at any given time.
2014
Second Lawrence Location
On September 14, 2014, Casa Nueva Vida opened a second shelter in Lawrence, our largest shelter to date with a capacity of housing twenty-three families.
2015
Three additional Boston locations opened with a combined capacity for 20 families.
2016
An additional location in Boston opened as well as the other place in Lawrence with a combined capacity for eight families. Thus allowing us to serve a total of 151 families at any given time.
2017
We celebrate 30 years since our opening our doors in 1987.