David grew up in Fall River, Massachusetts. He began experimenting with drugs at a young age, and over the years, he developed a substance use disorder. “Getting high was the only life I knew,” David says. When he was just 18 years old, David was incarcerated for drug-related offenses. After six years, he was released…
Black History Month was unofficially started in 1915, 50 years after the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States. That year, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History was founded to research and promote the achievement of Black Americans and other people of African descent.
On Jean Yawkey’s 115th birthday, we celebrated the Yawkey Foundation’s $15 million gift to Pine Street Inn with the dedication of our women’s shelter to “Yawkey House.”
Bryce T., 69, is a tenant in Pine Street Inn’s newest residence at 140 Clarendon Street in Boston’s Back Bay. While Bryce has worked hard throughout his life with careers as both a chef and a mechanic, he still became homeless. “When the pandemic hit in 2020, I lost my job and my housing,” Bryce…
We are thrilled to partner again this year with 99 Restaurants for their annual Have a Heart fundraiser. From February 5 through February 11, 2024, 48 locations in eastern Massachusetts and Salem, NH, are raising funds for Pine Street Inn.We are thrilled to partner again this year with 99 Restaurants for their annual Have a Heart fundraiser. From February 5 through February 11, 2024, 48 locations in eastern Massachusetts and Salem, NH, are raising funds for Pine Street Inn.
Scott, now 68, grew up in a Boston suburb. From a young age, he was eager to be on his own and to move away from his hometown. Scott joined the U.S. Marine Corps when he was just 17. Following his discharge, he returned to Boston to start a new life. “I was a hard…
Jenny grew up in a large family with a history of substance abuse. “Unfortunately, substance use disorder is something I’ve struggled with for many years,” Jenny says. “It is part of the reason that I experienced homelessness.” Over time, Pine Street Inn’s street outreach team collaborated with Jenny to change her situation. “It makes me…
Tina Cheek is the Resource Center Supervisor at Pine Street’s Rapid Engagement Center. Tina supervises a staff of six, who are dedicated to ensuring that shelter guests have access to resources such as phones, computers and staff who can assist them in finding a job and housing.
Leslie M., a Vietnam-era United States Army veteran, served for six years. Despite working steadily at a telecommunications company for 30 years, he lost his home following a divorce. “I never thought I would end up without a roof over my head,” Leslie says. “I was paying my mother’s bills and paying my own mortgage…
Samuel lived on the streets of Boston for over ten years before moving into Pine Street Inn housing. “I would sleep in different places every night, often in a tent or in a park,” Samuel says. “During the day, I would visit different community programs to clean up and eat a meal. I wasn’t comfortable…
Annmarie began her Pine Street Inn career sixteen years ago working on the facilities team. Her commitment to helping others led her to become a residential counselor in shelter and then a case manager at a permanent supportive housing site for formerly homeless women.
Jeannie first experienced homelessness in Florida after her husband passed away. “I have been homeless on and off for several years,” Jeannie says. “When I first became homeless, I was living in Florida, so it was easier to live outside. However, I have a chronic medical condition, so I would try to sleep in shelters,…