SECOND CHANCES INC

About Second Chances
Second Chances is the only local organization that provides free clothing, shoes, accessories, and gift cards to homeless and low-income people receiving housing and services from providers in our community. Since 2005, Second Chances has donated clothing, gift cards, and new socks and underwear to homeless and lower-income people in our community. We’re making a major impact in textile recycling and reuse, diverting clothing and textiles from area landfills since 2005 - before many people were even thinking about the impact of textile waste.

Second Chances specializes in clothing and operates one program, a Clothing Donation Program. The program has two components: (1) working with nonprofit shelter and service providers, selecting and delivering clothing for their homeless and low-income clients; and (2) partnering with local businesses, residential communities, universities, congregations, civic organizations, municipalities, and others to recycle and reuse clothing through clothing drives and/or hosting our outdoor clothing donation bins.

Each year we provide free clothing, shoes, accessories, and gift cards to hundreds of people in need, deliver thousands of pairs of new socks and underwear in collaboration with local shelters and meal programs, and recycle and reuse hundreds of thousands of pounds of clothing from community members. The need for our services has increased during the pandemic and post-pandemic era - the people we serve have experienced high rates of job loss, housing instability, and health issues and are more impacted by increasing expenses in our already expensive geographic area.

Second Chances is the only clothing donation program in our service area - which includes Cambridge, Somerville, and adjacent communities - that provides all ages and genders of homeless and low-income people with free clothing while also promoting textile recycling and reuse. We foster empowerment and dignity while giving clients a sense of belonging and a hearty vote of confidence in their ability to achieve their next steps. We deliver clothing and clothing gift cards to clients by working with the shelters and agencies where they already receive housing and services. This simplifies things for clients while allowing the service providers who are our partners to focus on delivering quality, individualized case management and other services, rather than sorting through piles of donated clothing for the right outfit.

Second Chances addresses the desire of community members of all ages and local businesses to be philanthropic, recycle and reuse textiles, and support other community members. Each year we collect more than 300,000 pounds of used and new clothing, shoes, and accessories, keeping approximately 95% out of landfills. We have identified donor and volunteer needs and interests through interviews and ongoing conversations where people discussed wanting to help and connect in ways in addition to or instead of writing a check. Over the years, we’ve discovered that by giving people an easy way to give back, with minimal restrictions on what can be donated, flexibility on where and when donations are accepted, while creating unique volunteer opportunities that address people’s interests and skills, people respond generously.

Program objectives
Second Chances’ objectives are twofold:
(1) To provide free clothing to homeless and low-income people in our community so that they can access opportunities to improve their lives; and,
(2) To provide community members with opportunities for recycling, reuse, philanthropy, and volunteerism, to build and promote a culture of caring for others and the environment while increasing community connectedness.

Impact
The immediate results of our work with low income and homeless clients are truly compelling -- when they have the right clothing, the people we serve can and do take the crucial next steps to improving their lives. Clothing, or the confidence that comes with having the right clothing, is no longer an obstacle to success. Our clients are moving forward by attending adult education classes, going to court to get child support and/or custody, finding stable housing situations for their families, and so much more. They have the confidence and tools to accomplish great things, and Second Chances and our community are helping them to take those important next steps to their own success.

Joseph’s success story is typical of our clients, and yet it is still unique and exciting:

When we first heard about Joseph from one of his service providers, he’d been living on the streets for decades. After returning home from active military duty, he had a difficult time being around people. The trauma of war haunted him constantly, and he drove away those who cared about him. Joseph is now in his 50s and being homeless for so long has taken a toll. A strong, proud man, Joseph had a hard time asking for the help he needed to rebuild his life. But, this year, he was ready, and Second Chances was able to help him.

Joseph had nothing except a filthy backpack full of disintegrating clothes, so we worked with our partners to provide what he needed for veterans’ services counseling, medical appointments, and housing interviews, as well as clothing for day-to-day living.

After six months of working closely with one of our partners, Joseph moved into a subsidized apartment in a nearby community, where he can continue to receive services and support from Second Chances and our partner. Joseph is getting the medical attention he needs and is starting to make plans for his future. He’s been talking about decorating his new home, learning to cook, getting a job, and reconnecting with his family, and all these things are possible because donors like you believe in and support the life-changing work that Second Chances is doing.

Since March 2005 Second Chances has:
• Provided free clothing, shoes, accessories, gift cards to thousands of homeless and low-income members of our community;
• Recycled and reused millions of pounds of used clothing and textiles from generous community members;
• Donated more than hundreds of thousands of dollars (used retail value) of clothing, shoes, accessories, blankets, and gift cards to local organizations serving homeless and low-income people;
• Assisted local homelessness organizations in establishing and maintaining emergency supplies of clothing for their clients;
• Provided clothing, shoes, and accessories for domestic violence survivors participating in several transitional living programs;
• Donated hundreds of clothing store gift cards (ranging from $25 to $100) to local agencies so that their clients can select and purchase outfits they choose themselves;
• Provided donors with referrals to other local and national organizations to facilitate donations of prom dresses, wheelchair ramps, cell phones, children’s shoes, eyeglasses, housewares, furniture, and other items.

Please consider contributing to Second Chances as we support people in need in our community while they rebuild their lives and move toward positive futures.

More information and the most up-to-date information about our impact: www.secondchances.org .