Somali Development Center (SDC)
Year established: 1996
Executive Director: Abdirahman A. Yusuf
10 Malcolm X Blvd.
2nd Floor
Roxbury, MA 02119
Tel: 617-522-0700
Website: www.sdcboston.org
Mission statement
The mission of Somali Development Center 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.
Our History
SDC was founded in 1996 by a group of Somali Americans, who had initially come to the Boston area to pursue higher education. As Somali refugees began fleeing the Civil War and arriving in Boston, these dedicated people came together to form the Somali Development Center. The organization started out working solely on housing matters, but soon expanded to cover other critically needed services, and serve other African communities. SDC was the first African social services organization in Boston.
Today SDC takes a thorough approach to meeting client need with culturally sensitive programs and services. The Road to Economic Self Sufficiency and Somali Women Rising are comprehensive programs which focus on breaking down barriers for young adults and women who, given the correct support and guidance, have the greatest potential to take advantage of opportunities and thrive in America. Other core services include housing assistance, health care and public benefits, support for citizenship preparation, English language, basic literacy instruction and employment training for youth and adults, interpretation and advocacy in court rooms, and elder service support.
In the Somali community alone, SDC has successfully placed over 500 families in affordable and safe housing, provided advocacy and assisted with civil and criminal cases to over 2500 individuals, and assisted over 1,500 families obtain health insurance. Through our advocacy citizenship classes, we have helped more than 1,000 individuals with green card and citizenship filings. Many of these individuals had to be taught to read and write to pass the citizenship exam over the course of six years.
Since September 11, 2001, SDC has been at the forefront of working with city government authorities to provide education and awareness of Islam and Muslims to promote peaceful coexistence in the wake of those tragic terrorist attacks. SDC continues this work with law enforcement agencies to ensure that young Somali men are not recruited to terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda and their affiliates. As a result of this work, the City of Boston has the lowest youth violence rate of any Somali community in the country.