CultureHouse East Somerville

East Somerville has consistently been the neighborhood hit hardest by each wave of the pandemic. The high infection rate, along with historical disinvestment and inequities, has left the community with multiple poor outcomes on critical social determinants of health. In order to reconnect the East Somerville community in the wake of the ongoing pandemic CultureHouse East Somerville will transform a vacant storefront into a community-driven pop-up public space. CultureHouse East Somerville, a collaboration between CultureHouse and East Somerville Main Streets, will address these issues by running an in-depth community engagement process that culminates in a one-month pop-up community space—and a clear roadmap for continuing the impact. 

Your partnership will help to rebuild social connection and reduce loneliness in East Somerville by improving access to social infrastructure, boosting commercial district livability by bringing vibrancy to the main street area, and creating equitable neighborhood development by inviting community members to be active participants in designing the future of their neighborhood. 

About CultureHouse 

CultureHouse improves livability in local communities by transforming unused spaces into vibrant social infrastructure. We work closely with communities to determine their needs and wants, and then co-design pop-up community spaces that address their challenges. 

About East Somerville Main Streets

East Somerville Main Streets (ESMS) is part of a nationwide movement of nearly 1400 Main Street Organizations working to build thriving local economies and centers of community. Their mission is to improve the life of the East Somerville community by building investment, connection and pride in their main street.