Cambridge Council Approves $625,000 for Domestic Violence Nonprofits Facing Federal Cuts

CAMBRIDGE — June 22, 2026 — Cambridge City Council taps $625,000 stabilization fund to rescue five domestic-violence nonprofits from federal cuts. The council voted 7-0 at its June 22 regular meeting to appropriate $625,000 from the Federal Stabilization Fund to bridge a gap in victims-of-crime funding for DeNovo, Transition House, BARC, On the Rise, and MAPS, organizations that city officials said were days away from layoff decisions. City Manager Ian Wong called the transfer a one-time measure and said a longer-term funding plan with the Cambridge Community Foundation would develop over the coming year. Vice Mayor Zeeshan Azeem supported the vote but noted he wished the council had been "more transparent" about shifting the fund's purpose away from emergency housing vouchers, and asked for a status report on the 128 households the fund was originally intended to protect. In the same session, the council advanced the city's Zero Waste Master Plan ordinance package — requiring food-waste diversion and limiting single-use plastics in takeout orders — to a second reading on a 7-0 vote, with final adoption possible at the August meeting.