SOMALI DEVELOPMENT CENTER (SDC)

History

Since 1996, the Somali Development Center (SDC) has been the lifeline to vital educational and social services for Boston’s growing Somali refugee and immigrant community. SDC was founded by a group of Somali-Americans who originally came to the U.S. to obtain higher education. In 1991, when a full-scale civil war started in Somalia, it forced millions of people to flee from the cities in Somalia into the neighboring states of Ethiopia and Kenya. As a result, the United States government, through its refugee resettlement program, settled thousands of Somalis in the U.S.

Nearly 10,000 of these Somali refugees have been arriving in the Boston area to start new lives since 1992. SDC is a tax-exempt organization as defined by Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. SDC was specifically established by the aforementioned Somali American group to provide multiple services to the Somali newcomers, as there were no effective mainstream social service agencies working with Somalis at that time.

Mission

The mission of SDC is to provide consistently excellent and accessible community services to all Somalis (and other African communities) in Boston, regardless of immigration status. These services help Somalis (and other African communities) in Boston, to obtain the basic resources, services, information and skills needed to build productive and self-sufficient lives in a new land. While strengthening the Somali community by promoting mutual assistance, cultural identity, and leadership, SDC fosters the ability of Somali individuals and families to advocate on their own behalf and Participate constructively in the larger community.

Core Programs

SDC provides the following core programs to the community:

• Post Resettlement Community Services: Housing search assistance, advocacy, interpretation/translation.
• Basic Adult Literacy Program and Citizenship Assistance Program
• Youth programs: Youth Career Development Referral Program, and academic counseling
• Elderly Services: Provides specific help to Somali elders to connect them to mainstream elderly programs and services. 
• Newcomer orientation & Acculturation Program
• Employment Services including job readiness training and job search
• Legal Assistance: Immigration, welfare, housing, domestic violence, and advocacy in the courts.
• Health: women’s health issues, health education, health care access
• Crisis Intervention, Counseling and provision of supervised visitation for non-custodial parents
• Resources and Information: Cable television program, community lectures, research, and referrals

Community social services and Student internship opportunities.