Helping us celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month is a member of our Pine Street Inn team. Will, a Boston native, has family ties to both Puerto Rico and Spain. Growing up, Will lived in tight-knit communities in Dorchester and the South End that were a melting pot of people from Puerto Rico, Cape Verde and more.
Tom worked hard all his life, spending 27 years working in a large auto parts warehouse. When the business closed, he retired at age 62. Trying to live solely on his Social Security benefits was challenging. Each month, Tom found himself spending more than his benefits, and he amassed credit card debt. When Tom’s landlord…
Dennis B., 73, grew up in a small Midwestern town. During the Vietnam era, he enlisted in the Navy where he served for several years. Following his service, Dennis returned to his hometown where he attended community college and studied carpentry. However, his post-war struggles with mental health made it difficult for him to work….
Mominul Islam is a data analyst with Pine Street’s Department of Program Evaluation. In his role here, Mominul works to tell the story of Pine Street through data, while improving processes to ensure that the organization has solid data for the most accurate reporting.
Calvin, now 61 years old, was one of over a dozen siblings. Throughout his childhood, his parents struggled with poverty and the pressures of providing for a large family. Eventually, the financial strain led to substance use disorder for his parents. Due to the instability at home, Calvin and his siblings were sent to live…
Kenneth, 61, lived and worked in Central Massachusetts for over 20 years before relocating to Boston for a job opportunity. Prior to coming to Boston, Kenneth says, “I had a place to live, and was always able to pay my own rent.” After arriving in Boston, things changed quickly for Kenneth due to medical issues…
Katelyn Anderson, Pine Street Inn’s director of men’s stabilization and the MATCH program, has always had a passion for working with the most vulnerable populations.
Omar F. never imagined that he would become homeless. In fact, until 2019, his career was in homeless services, where he worked in a residential program with people exiting homelessness. Two things collided that made Omar’s future uncertain. Just prior to the pandemic, Omar’s mother passed away. This threw him into a deep depression that…
David grew up in a Boston suburb, the son of a veteran turned engineer and a mother who worked as a nurse. He beams with pride when he recalls his first job at age 15 and the early years in his hometown. In adulthood, things took an unfortunate turn for David, and he ended up…
Tai Irwin, one of Pine Street Inn’s employment and stabilization specialists, is a member of the team placing our workforce development trainees in jobs following their graduation.
John lived in Boston, working in the housekeeping field. He was very close to his family, especially his father, and when his father died, John became depressed and faced a series of challenges. “I lost my father and fell apart,” John says. “We were so close — he was my best friend.” Following this tragedy,…
Sadea became homeless after a significant rent increase and a job loss. “I was living in an apartment with my 12-year-old son,” Sadea says. “It was a freezing cold winter when we got evicted, and we didn’t have any place to go.” Sadea made some difficult choices that no parent should have to make. “I…