Samuel — “I’m Thankful for a Place to Call Home”

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 coming into a shelter.” 

Pine Street’s outreach team met Samuel on the streets and, over time, the team built a relationship with him. “It was the persistence of my outreach worker that led to me to getting into my apartment,” Samuel says. “One day, my outreach worker asked me to meet with her in her office. She said, ‘Guess what, I have housing for you. Your very own room.’ I was tired of living on the streets by this time, and I had come to trust the outreach team. I immediately accepted the apartment.”

Now in his own apartment, Samuel has a home and community. “It feels great to have a place where I can shut my door and have my own things in a safe place,” Samuel says. “I have friends in the building and in the neighborhood, and there’s a new market across the street where I can buy things to cook.”

With the Thanksgiving holiday coming up, Samuel is excited to cook with some of his housemates. “Holidays are a good time for people to come together and spend some time sharing a meal and getting to know one another,” Samuel says. “I am grateful that I get to do that this year.”

Since being in his apartment, Samuel has reconnected with his family. “Being here means that I can have people over and build relationships with my family again,” Samuel says. “I’m thankful to Pine Street for giving me a place to call home.”