On The Rise, Inc. (OTR) is a dynamic Cambridge, MA-based non-profit founded in 1995 that serves women, trans, and non-binary people currently/formerly experiencing homelessness throughout the region. Our Safe Haven day program provides a space where participants can meet some of their tangible needs, such as taking a shower, receiving their mail, or doing laundry, as well as meet one-on-one with advocates to work on longer-term goals. The Keep The Keys program supports our participants as they transition into stable housing and the opportunities and challenges that presents. Our innovative approach supports our participants’ initiative and core strengths to help them find safety and discover new possibilities. OTR is committed to social justice, dismantling oppression, and striving to be an anti-racist organization.
At On The Rise, the core of our work is building authentic, long-term relationships with program participants. Through these relationships we foster the trust and belonging that is foundational to people’s feelings of agency, empowerment, and safety in community. Program participants display enormous strength and ingenuity in coping with challenges such as homelessness, domestic violence, mental illness, the after-effects of childhood abuse, involvement in the legal system, systemic oppression, and intergenerational trauma. We work to meet people where they are and follow their self-determined visions of success as they navigate structural barriers and challenges. We strive to create a low-threshold environment where people can bring their whole selves, while also holding each individual accountable to the community.
