Essex County Community ECCO - is a non-profit, interfaith, broad based community organization on Boston’s North Shore that include churches, synagogues, a family housing project, school parents’ groups, and labor unions. ECCO’s mission is to develop leadership to build power and collaboration among families and communities on the North Shore. We are guided by a firm belief in the democratic principle that all people are created equal and have the right to make decisions about important issues affecting their neighborhoods. ECCO is governed by a board elected annually by the membership, and has a staff of one professional organizer. ECCO accepts no government funding for its operating budget.
 
    
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Essex County Community ECCO - is a non-profit, interfaith, broad based community organization on Boston’s North Shore that include churches, synagogues, a family housing project, school parents’ groups, and labor unions. ECCO’s mission is to develop leadership to build power and collaboration among families and communities on the North Shore. We are guided by a firm belief in the democratic principle that all people are created equal and have the right to make decisions about important issues affecting their neighborhoods. ECCO is governed by a board elected annually by the membership, and has a staff of one professional organizer. ECCO accepts no government funding for its operating budget.
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ECCO ORGANIZING VICTORIES

North Shore Wide Organizing Victories

  • New funding for Youth violence prevention and Positive Youth development programs state-wide. Governor Patrick has committed to an $11.5 million dollar increase in the state funding allocated to Youth development programs for the Fiscal year 2009 budget.
  • Founded the E-Team Machinist Training Program in 1996 in partnership with the Boston Tooling and Machining Association (BTMA), the Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership, Lynn Vo-Tech, and CWA/IUE Local 201. The E-Team Program develops hard and soft work skills to enable low wage workers gain jobs in the machining industry, which pays a living wage, with benefits and a career path. Presently, 170 people have graduated from the program. An eleventh program was launched in September 2007 with a record number of applications from women.
  • Created PRIMO, a pre-vocational education program for English as a Second Language (ESL) students using a curriculum tailored to the manufacturing industry and preparing students for machinist training or for college
  • Worked with the Massachusetts Senior Action Council to ensure passage of a law banning balanced billing of seniors in the state

Lynn Organizing Victories

  • Creation of Lynn's first Street Outreach Worker program targetted at prevention of youth violence instead of intervention.
  • Negotiated with local banks to secure a $13.5 million below market-rate loan pool for first-time homebuyers in Lynn
  • Secured a 50% increase in the number of Lynn youth hired through the Lynn Chamber of Commerce’s Jobs Bank Program
  • Won passage of a $3.4 million “Project Unity” budget to fund after-school, library, recreation, community policing and youth programs in Lynn
  • Worked with Lynn Hood School coalition and the Lynn School Department to make needed repairs at the school
  • Worked with Lynn’s Office of Economic and Community Development to clean up vacant lots in the city Reshaped city budget in Lynn to fund after-school programs, summer jobs for teens, park renovations, and the reopening of 2 branch libraries
  • Worked with the mayor and the Lynn police department to develop the North Shore’s largest community policing program

Salem and Peabody Campaigns

  • Created with the Salem Harbor Community Development Corporation (CDC) a program to re-train low wage workers for careers in the health field at Northeast Health Systems’ Beverly Hospital
  • Prevented the closing of 13 Peabody mobile home parks
  • Preserved Salem’s largest rooming house, The Lincoln Hotel, as affordable housing
  • Created affordable child care centers at North Shore Community College and Peabody’s Centennial Industrial Park
  • Organized to gain control of 77 deteriorated apartments in the Salem Point neighborhood, now a model cooperative operated by the Salem Harbor Community Corporation (CDC)
  • Worked with Salem congregations to set up a loan pool to support affordable housing
  • Won commitment from North Shore Medical Center and Salem Hospital to provide interpreter services and establish a licensing program for immigrant doctors to service a growing immigrant population in their service area
  • Helped establish the Salem Family Health Center in the Salem Point neighborhood

Beverly and Danvers Campaigns

  • Won commitments from the state of Massachusetts to build between 100-200 affordable housing units for seniors, Department of Mental Health clients, Veterans, and low income families at the former Danvers State Hospital site
  • Negotiated with Walgreens Pharmacy to lower prescription drug costs for seniors in Beverly and Swampscott stores

Gloucester and Cape Ann Victories

  • Created the Gloucester after-school youth hangout program currently in development.
  • Helped Outreach to contribute to the success of the regions FirstJobs program.
  • Created the Riverdale Park Residents Group with the help of Temple Ahavat Achim to lobby for improvements and increased safety at Riverdale Park, a 160 unit state-funded family housing project in Gloucester
  • Brought a Farmer's Market to Riverdale Park that runs every Saturday from July to November and supplies free fruits and vegetables to anyone that signs up for the program
  • Re-opened The Riverdale Park Community Center that was closed due to a lack of state funding.
 
     
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