Innsidernews from Pine Street Inn

Jazz, a black labrador retriever, comes into the room wagging his tail and sniffi ng everything in sight. Aft er greeting everyone, he lies down at the feet of one of the residents of the house and settles in contentedly.

Th is scene unfolds every day in households with pets, but in this case, the site is Stapleton House, a permanent residence for 11 formerly homeless men. Th is Housing First pilot, managed by Pine Street, provides intensive services to chronically homeless tenants. ninety percent of participants have remained successfully housed. (Continued on page )

For years, Kathryn worked for the phone company, in Illinois and then in Florida. In her 40s, she made a life change and came to Boston to pursue an advanced education, studying civil engineering. But soon aft er enrolling in classes, her life began to unravel.

“I started having physical problems and then trouble remembering things, recalls Kathryn. Far from the support of her family, her situation deteriorated. Kathryn became unable to work and ended up homeless, living on the streets for 16 years. (Continued on page )

A Man’s

Best FriendWinter 2010

WISH Come True

out of homelessness. By restoring dignity and hope to men and women like Chris and supporting them in overcoming obstacles and reaching their highest potential, we help them to reconnect with family and community.

While providing emergency services like street outreach and shelter is vital, we also know that you cannot end homelessness with temporary measures. Clearly, permanent housing is the answer to homelessness. At Pine Street, we have learned what it takes to get men and women off the street, out of shelter and into housing. We need to ensure that the policies — and the resources — are in place to guarantee cost-effective long-term solutions rather than “quick fixes.”

There will always be a need for some shelter. To that end, I want to take this opportunity to thank Governor Patrick for restoring funds to the emergency shelter account in the state budget, after 9C emergency cuts were made in October. We can breathe a little easier knowing that the most vulnerable

among us will continue to receive uninterrupted services during the cold winter months.

At the same time, we anticipate another challenging year — both

in terms of demand for services, as well as for funding. Your continued support is vital to ensure that Pine Street can provide the range of services — and solutions — to bring more men and women home again.

From the President

“We have learned what it takes to get men and women off the street, out of shelter and into housing.”

As we close out Pine Street Inn’s 40th anniversaryyear and the 25th anniversary of our permanent housing program, we pause to reflect on what it means to “end homelessness.” Ending homelessness is about more than a hot meal and a warm bed for the night. It is about supporting each man or woman in finding his or her own pathway home.

This newsletter presents the individual “pathway” of Chris, one of more than 550 residents in Pine Street’s permanent housing program, who has successfully navigated the road

Cold Weather responseWhen the temperature dips below freezing, Pine Street Outreach staff expands services to ensure the safety of men and women on the streets.

»» A van is added to the day-time Outreach effort. Day-time and night-time Outreach operations are each extended by two hours.

»» Counselors advise individuals on the streets of the weather conditions and offer rides to shelter. Those who decline receive warm clothes, blankets and hot food.

»» The Men’s and Women’s Inns, which regularly open doors at 4 p.m., remain open around the clock. Counselors encourage guests to remain indoors.

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One Guest’s

Pathway Home

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STrEET OUTrEACH:Chris’ fi rst contact with Pine Street is the Outreach van. He keeps an eye out, knowing he can get food and blankets when the van makes its nightly rounds.

EMErGEnCY SHElTEr: Occasionally, Chris stays at the Men’s Inn at Pine Street — but only if it is bitterly cold. He seems more comfortable with the solitude of the streets.

STrEET OUTrEACH:John, a Pine Street Outreach worker,

occasionally sees Chris by the Boston Public library. Aft er months of

John’s gentle urging, Chris fi lls out an application for permanent housing.

PErMAnEnT HOUSInG:Six months later, Chris moves into Yearwood House, a housing

partnership between Pine Street and Trinity Church. Th ree years later, he has maintained his sobriety and takes great pride in his room.

“I» moved» from» a»park»bench»to»Park»Drive.»

It’s» like» hitting» the» lottery.»I’ve»been»sober»now»almost»three»years,»and»Pine»Street»Inn»was»with»me»every»step»of» the» way.» Today,» I» have»a» roof» over» my» head,» and»I» feel» like» a» real» person — and»that’s»a»good»feeling.”

Th ere is no singular path on the journey out of homelessness — diff erent situations, challenges and life stages require individualized approaches. Because there is no “one size fi ts all” solution, Pine Street off ers a variety of programs and approaches designed to off er the best possible outcome for each man and woman who comes through our doors for help reclaiming his or her life. Th is is one guest’s pathway from the streets to a home.

“I»ended»up»on»the»streets»when»I»was»15.»That’s»where»I»lived,»

on»and»off»,»for»years.»I»ended»up»drinking»because»

when»you’re»sleeping»in»the»streets,»it’s»a»way»to»cope.”

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TrAnSITIOnAl SHElTEr:Chris puts one foot in the door of sobriety, taking a bed in one of Pine Street’s sober programs. Aft er 18 months, Chris’ “trial sobriety” comes to an end. As the weather becomes warmer, he goes back to the streets and begins drinking again.

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(A Man’s Best Friend, continued from page 1)At Stapleton House, the residents take Jazz out for his daily walks and help feed and care for him. Jazz and other dogs have stayed at Stapleton House as part of an innovative “foster” dog program run by a local animal shelter. By taking these dogs out of the animal shelter, they receive love and attention while providing an enriching opportunity for the Stapleton House residents.

Bob, a tenant and a dog lover, had been volunteering at the Animal rescue league when he found out about the foster care program and talked to Barbara Davidson, the house’s case manager, about participating. Davidson, sensing it could be beneficial for the tenants on many levels, decided to give it a try and has seen great results.

The foster dog program is both a means and an end to helping the tenants. “The residents really relate to the dogs and what it means for them to have a home — they take the dogs’ care very seriously,” Davidson says. “Further, for a number of the men who live here, these dogs have been the key to getting them to open up — and the unconditional love they get from the animals doesn’t hurt, either,” she adds.

At that moment, Michael, one of the residents, walks into the room. Immediately, Jazz goes over to greet him, nuzzling Michael as he pets him…and leaving no doubt about the program’s impact on the tenants and their new canine friends.

Abundant Table:

Innovator of the Year

Pine Street Inn and its Abundant Tablesocial enterprise received the first Innovator of the Year award at the Providers' Council Convention in October.

The Innovator of the Year award was established to recognize an organization that has launched or operated an innovative program to “promote greater value and increase social impact.”

Since 2000, Abundant Table has prepared and delivered more than one million tasty, nutritious and reasonably priced meals to nonprofit institutions, schools and other organizations.

Abundant Table’s social enterprise model is a means for Pine Street to provide additional food service job training opportunities for homeless men and women while diversifying the organization’s revenue. Abundant Table provides 900 meals daily to other area nonprofit organizations, in addition to the 2,100 meals prepared each day for Pine Street’s own guests.

For more information or to place an order, contact roger Wellington, roger.wellington@pinestreetinn.org or 617.892.7778.

www.pinestreetinn.org/abundant-table

President Lyndia Downiereceives»the Innovator of the Year award»from»the»Providers’»Council.»

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Gift Annuities:A Good Plan, A Great BenefitThe original charitable gift annuity in America dates back to 1843, when a merchant in Boston first donated a gift of money to the American Bible Society in exchange for a flow of income.

Today, charitable gift annuities are a key planned giving vehicle, benefiting numerous charities and providing valuable tax benefits for donors. For many, more meaningful even than the financial advantages is the satisfaction they gain from helping to continue the mission and work of charities important to them.

By establishing a gift annuity, you secure a fixed income for yourself or another individual and make a gift to Pine Street.

To learn how you can support our mission while ensuring your family’s financial security, contact Alicia Ianiere, alicia.ianiere@pinestreetinn.org or 617.892.9177; or visit our website at www.pinestreetinn.org/pg.

BArBArA’S PlAnBarbara, a long-time supporter of Pine Street Inn, has chosen to fund a portion of her retirement income needs by making a charitable gift annuity to Pine Street Inn because she supports Pine Street’s mission of serving the most vulnerable men and women in Boston. With more men and women turning to Pine Street for help during these tough economic times, she wanted to help ensure that the organization could continue to meet the growing need.

DONOR

CHARITABLEGIFT ANNUITY

Donor creates a gift annuity with Pine Street Inn

Remainder goes toPine Street Innat end of donor’s life

Donor receives: • income tax deduction • fixed payments for life

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(WISH Come True, continued from page 1)now, thanks to Pine Street, Kathryn will have a place to call home through WISH — Women’s Inn Supportive Housing. A new program that is part of Pine Street’s commitment to developing permanent solutions to end homelessness, WISH is converting space on the top floor of the Women’s Inn emergency shelter to provide 10 units of permanent housing, along with support services, bringing the total number of permanent housing units to more than 550.

“I am so grateful to be part of this program,” says Kathryn, who said she found “shelter, food and a safe place” at the Women’s Inn. now Kathryn has a feeling of stability that she did not have before. “People need peace,” she says simply.

The program is being funded by HUD, while the Franklin Square House Foundation supported the renovations. An anonymous donor purchased comfortable chairs for each woman’s room.

Kathryn is proud to serve as living testimony to this program’s success. now with a roof over her head, Kathryn finally feels she can plan for the future. “Having a place to call my own gives me a sense of security,” she explains. “I want to be productive.”

HOME REMEDYA BREAKFAST TO BENEFIT PINE STREET INN

Thursday, April 15, 2010 7:30 a.m.

Marriott Copley Place

Join us at this special event as we raise critical funds in our effort to end homelessness.

For details and sponsorship opportunities, contact:

Michelle caldeira 617.892.9176 michelle.caldeira@pinestreetinn.org

Friends of the Inn

Pine Street inn444 Harrison AvenueBoston, MA 02118General Information: 617.892.9100Donations: 617.892.9170Volunteers: 617.892.9186www.pinestreetinn.org

innsider

Published three times a year by the

Development and External Aff airs

Department

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Ending HomelessnessWhile Picking Up the GroceriesTh anks to all of our supporters who shopped at Whole Foods Market stores in Boston, Cambridge, Wellesley and

Bedford on 5% Day for Pine Street Inn in november. Proceeds from the day raised more than 25,000 to support programs that help men and women fi nd their way out of homelessness.

Whole Foods Market has been a corporate partner with Pine Street since 2000, donating food and generously helping to raise money to support our services. We appreciate their work and are grateful to those of you who have joined their eff orts.

Bath Fitters Fits Us PerfectlyTh anks to the generosity of Bath Fitters, residents in one of Pine Street’s permanent residences in Dorchester now have two sparkling new bathrooms.

In addition, Bath Fitters produced a public service announcement featuring Pine Street that ran on its website and on WCVB-TV this fall.

Help on the Holidays

Th e holidays can be a diffi cult time for those who have lost their connection with family and friends. Our thanks to the hundreds of volunteers who came to Pine Street during the holiday season, providing meals and kindness to men and women who would otherwise be alone. Special thanks to sponsors legal Sea Foods and the ninety nine restaurants, as well as Au Bon Pain.

Glen»Davis»of»the»Boston»Celtics»serves»a»Thanksgiving»meal.

Bath»Fitters»at»work.

A Young Volunteer Inspired

When the Barrett family volunteered at Pine Street’s family gift wrapping day, eight-year-old Seamus was particularly inspired. He wrote about his experience and won an essay contest in which youth were invited to describe something they have done to make a diff erence in somebody’s life.

An excerpt: “We decided to donate time to people less fortunate than ourselves. It was not very hard at all. It was actually quite fun! We got to wrap gift s that companies had donated to Pine Street Inn. Another thing we did was make cards for the guests staying there. Th ose were probably the only gift s and cards they are going to get all Christmas. Imagine only getting one present all Christmas. It would not feel very good.”

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Seamus»Barrett»and»sister,»Hannah

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