Working to heal as well as shelter: Boston's Pine Street Inn is beacon of hope to many

Food and Nutrition, Spring, 1990 by Cynthia Tackett

Working To Heal As Well As Shelter

"How are you today, Mr. Jones?"

Conversation. Simple, courteous, and humane. A welcome respite from the isolation of life on the streets.

Staff and volunteers at the Pine Street Inn in Boston, Massachusetts, great homeless men and women by name. They know that as much as their "guests" need shelter, they also need respect, kindness, and a basic affirmation of their individual worth and dignity.

The Inn, a converted firehouse, is easily recognized by its brightly lit tower beckoning the city's homeless to safety and shelter.

Meals and other

services provided

An emergency shelter run by a private nonprofit organization, the Pine Street Inn and its satellites provide 880 beds every night for single adult men and women. Largely through the support of its volunteers, the Inn also serves two meals a day, 7 days a week, to more than 1,600 persons.

More than 120 volunteer groups donate or help with meals. Food help also comes from USDA's Food Distribution Program, which provides approximately $2,000 worth of staple commodities each month.

In addition to food and shelter, Pine Street has an on-site clinic to tend to immediate health needs and assist with medical or psychiatric referrals. The Inn also provides clothing (primarily donated) 5 days a week to approximately 370 men and women per day.

The road back from homelessness is a hard one. Sheltering is only a part of the solution, says John Rood, community relations associate for Pine Street. ""Our whole focus is to get people out of this mode of coming in here to a virtual warehouse and sleeping. What we are looking to do is create smaller transitional programs aimed at specific groups."

The homeless population is varied--ranging from formerly institutionalized mentally ill men and women to mothers and children forced out of homes and apartments because of rising rents or personal crises such as divorce, loss of job, or illness.

Pine Street has put into place three programs to reach homeless people with various needs. They are: the work rehabilitation program; the permanent housing program; and Pine Street's newest program--Celeste House for women and children. FNS programs play a supportive role in each.

Beginning the

transition to housing

The work rehabilitation effort is called the Live-In Staff Program. It currently serves approximately 40 men and 15 women, most of whom have a long history of substance abuse or mental illness.

"The program gives them a chance to reverse the circumstances that brought them to the shelter," says Rood. "It is the first step in the transitional process of going from the shelter environment to permanent housing."

Placement in the program is done on an individual basis, and work assignments are individually paced according to ability. Typical work assignments include making beds, serving meals, and cleaning. In exchange, Pine Street provides a room, meals, an hourly stipend, and counseling to help participants with addictions or mental illness.

Also helpful are referrals to other work programs, such as the Food Stamp Employment and Training Program (approximately 43 referrals are made to this program each year), and information on other sources of food help and social services.

Says one former Live-In staff person who has since found a job and a home outside the Inn: "The Live-In Program enabled me to regain some of my self-esteem. It gave me hope that everything wasn't over."

Permanent residence

helpful to many

The Paul Sullivan Housing Trust, named in memory of the Inn's former executive director, was established in 1983. The goal of the program is to provide a stable, permanent residence for single men and women of limited means. Currently the Inn has about 80 units and hopes to have about 150 by the end of the year.

When someone is placed in one of the housing units, a liaison counselor maintains regular contact with him or her until both agree that the transition from shelter to permanent housing has been completed. For many, this process requires several months of regular visits.

The Pine Street staff feel this support helps ensure that placements will be truly permanent, instead of having people reappear in the shelter system after living awhile on their own.

People who are placed in permanent housing are required to contribute one-fourth of their income whether it be from employmetn wages or veteran or disability benefits they receive. The counselors often help residents secure furniture, kitchen equipment, linens, and a supply of food through the Pine Street's network of donors. They also help residents transport everything on moving day.

The residence has live-in managers. Additional staff come in during the day to provide counseling; help with referrals to social service agencies, such as the local food stamp office; and make sure residents have transportation to appointments.

"We maintain communication with people in permanent housing for an indefinite period on a individual basis," says Rood. "The successes we have had with this program let us know we are on the right track.