The Chelsea Collaborative, locally recognized as La Collaborativa, is a resource for the Hispanic/Latino immigrant community living in Chelsea and it serves as a resource to help the transition from immigration be more accessible. Through a variety of programs, the Collaborative functions similarly to former settlement houses or immigrant community centers that help to educate and create stability for incoming immigrant populations. This is a major factor in why immigrant communities tend to relocate to similar areas, because these resources help make the move more attainable. 

​

The Chelsea Collaborative was founded in 1988 and serves as a resource to the Hispanic/Latino Community in Chelsea. The main focuses of the collaborative are food and housing security, economic advancement, cultural celebration, and immigrant leadership initiatives. The collaborative performs a variety of services in order to reach these initiatives including food distribution, legal aid, emergency housing, job training and placement, translation services, youth programs, health insurance resources, case management and much more. The collaborative distributes food to over 7,000 people each week. Most recently, the Collaborative is in the process of constructing a second location which will serve as The Chelsea Survival Center and will be a one stop resource for at-risk residents. 

​

The Collaborative has been crucial throughout the Covid-19 pandemic as a backbone for the community of Chelsea which was one of the worst hit neighborhoods in all of Massachusetts. One of the founders of the Collaborative, Gladys Vega, has been honored by Boston Globe as a Bostonian of the Year and the efforts of The Collaborative have been mentioned by Massachusetts politicians. The founders say that their goals are to serve as “the pillars to address the immediate needs of residents, but also to provide sustainable program initiative such as workforce development.” Their hard work and resources are part of what makes Chelsea the thriving community that it is today.