I used to be broken. I slept on beaches, rooftops, benches, and in parks. I blamed myself, I thought I deserved that. The streets have a way of eating you up inside; making you forget all of the good things and constantly playing back all of the bad.

Stabbed, kidnapped, beaten, raped and thrown away. I was just a kid when these things happened. Domestic violence, juvenile detention centers, foster care and countless youth shelters. I was only a kid. Courts, prisons and abuse. Wasn’t I just a kid? 

I may have been an adult in number when I found myself on the streets, but I didn’t know how this world worked.

And now I found myself huddling…in a crevice in the pouring rain on the rooftop of the very building my abuser lived in. Just three floors below, my abuser slept. In the same bed where she had forced me against my will so many times. The same apartment I had called “home.”

I was dealt a pretty rough hand of cards, but remember, we have to work with the cards we were dealt, we can’t change that. I’ve been stabbed, mistreated, and kidnapped…twice. I have witnessed domestic violence surround my mother, have been shuffled around in foster care and dropped at youth shelters. I spent more nights sleeping on the concrete slabs of Juvenile Hall than I can even count and watched as they took my own mother away to prison. I know firsthand the pain and shame of abuse at the hands of those you love. All these things I’ve experienced and not a single one could compare to how it feels to be young and homeless. To have absolutely nothing and absolutely no one. To see your life completely shattered.

I found myself scavenging for cans and change just to survive. I couldn’t sleep long, the other homeless kids and I, we would take shifts. It’s a cruel world out there, I learned that so fast.

I am NOT nothing. I am a SOMEONE. I have FEELINGS and DREAMS and FEARS just like everyone who passed us on the streets looking at us like we were nothing. The hardest part of being homeless…? Feeling invisible. Seeing myself begin to hate the beautiful world we live in. Feeling like I didn’t belong. Feeling forgotten and lost. Fear. Worry. And the worst of all…the cold. The harsh evil unforgiving cold. I felt like I kept getting rocks thrown at me and I just couldn’t stand up, not this time.

But I did—with the help of people who believed in me, who cared and who listened, I finally picked myself up and faced every challenge head on, determined to be what I saw inside myself. 

These days, I’m a full time student in the city at Bay State College studying Criminal Justice and dreaming of the days where I’ll work with youth in crisis and make a difference too. I have a beautiful apartment of my very own now, and bills that I can actually pay! I have friends that are my family and a life in Boston that I wouldn’t give up for the world. These days, I believe in myself and the dreams that I have. These days, I know I won the battle.

None of us are above life’s hardships. Don’t be afraid to look outside the box, to look past people’s outward shells. Homelessness can strike any moment; family violence, poverty, domestic abuse, displaced veterans….we can all experience homelessness. There are millions of people left with nothing every day. So next time, before you think to judge, remember this: life is not always “what you see is what you get.”

To bring speakers like Lizzie to share their stories with your school or community group, contact the Massachusetts Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau at speakersbureau@mhsa.net or 617-367-6447.

After spending the majority of my college years in anthropology and psychology classrooms, I graduated with a weakness for being excessively analytical. Despite all the unnecessarily convoluted theories, the simplest message I took away from my college experience was this: while we all have diverse life experiences as individuals, we also all share the common experience of being human.

As a coordinator of the Massachusetts Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau, I’ve heard many stories of struggle, and I’m surprised by how unfathomably amazing our speakers are each time they present their stories. I consistently find myself in awe of their strength, will and courage—every time our speakers agree to a speaking engagement, they are going out in front of a huge group of strangers to lay bare their experiences of hardship and to advocate for those who are still without homes.

Astonishingly, and fortunately for anyone who meets them, our speakers have found the strength and wisdom not only to overcome their individual sets of struggles, but also to advocate—no longer defining themselves by their struggle but instead by how they overcame it. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if these individuals can attribute their homelessness to unavoidable, generational cycles of abuse, poverty, violence, or substance abuse, or if they openly take responsibility for the choices that led them to the street. Regardless of their particular experiences of homelessness, they share a very similar mantra—while life doesn’t hold guarantees, we have an obligation to have a net positive effect on those we can affect.

Our speakers’ inspiring perspectives on life are, for me, a true embodiment of the humanism that I wish so many of us would share—no more defining ourselves by our greatest differences but instead by our ultimate similarity, our humanity, in order to best seek and further social progress. Everyone needs to fulfill the basic human needs of security and shelter in order to create a home. Just think back to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs; in order to even begin thinking about tomorrow, you need to know where you will be tonight. I personally believe that the best way to address the basic human need of shelter is by providing housing opportunities for un-housed individuals through Housing First initiatives. The speakers of the Massachusetts Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau are on the road week in and week out—sharing their stories, talking about the importance of Housing First and reminding all of us that as part of one humanity, we are responsible for each other.

Having traveled with our speakers to present to nearly 2,000 people in the last four months, I have seen the speakers’ courage again and again. I hope their stories will encourage people to recognize our shared responsibility to ensure an equally humane existence for everyone.

To schedule a Speakers’ Bureau presentation in your community, email speakersbureau@mhsa.net or call 617-367-6447.

Kirstie Moreno is one of two AmeriCorps VISTAs coordinating the Massachusetts Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau at the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance. Her responsibilities include facilitating presentations and working closely with the speakers. A recent Wellesley College alum, Kirstie is particularly interested in advocacy for mentally ill persons recidivating through homelessness and institutional confinement.

In honor of this day, Ed from the Massachusetts Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau has shared with us a reflection on one of his own friends who passed away while homeless.

On this Memorial Day for the Homeless, I’d like to write a few words about my friend, Jeff. Back in the day, he and I would meet on “Listerine Corner,” down by the Arch Street Church. He always looked like hell, but always had a smile and a joke. He hated shelters, lived on the street. Ate out of trash cans, and wore secondhand clothes. He rarely showered. No. His cleanliness was of the soul, and he clothed himself in kindness to his brothers and sisters in peril. Jeff never had much, but would always share. Didn’t have a thieving or violent bone in his body. I ran into Jeff two days before he was found dead at a shelter. Saw him at Haymarket Station, while waiting for a bus. I bought him coffee and a couple of donuts. He was mostly silent, unusual for him. I believe he knew he was about to leave us. He asked me to pray with him. I did. The last words he said to me were “God Bless You.”

Here at MHSA, I am helping promote awareness of the need for housing solutions to end homelessness through the Massachusetts Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau. Our speakers are formerly or currently homeless individuals who share their firsthand accounts of their experiences of homelessness with audiences across Massachusetts and New England. During these first few months of my service year, my perspectives and assumptions about homeless individuals’ experiences have already begun changing.

Before starting my year of AmeriCorps VISTA service, I had no prior in-depth experience or knowledge of the many invisible struggles homeless individuals face every day. Perhaps the most significant part of my first few months has been the opportunity to meet many of our speakers and listen to their stories at different presentations throughout Massachusetts. Through their stories, we come to further appreciate what many take for granted—a personal space with ownership of a door key.

I remember listening to Peter share his story of the day he got housed after spending several years in shelter at Father Bill’s & Mainspring. The big moment for him was not the fact that he was now permanently housed, but had his own key. That key to protect his belongings and personal space in which he could now welcome whoever he wanted—or not— was the significant milestone for him.

Hearing his story made me realize that too often privacy is taken for granted. I have always thought of homelessness as the loss of housing; the loss of a permanent physical structure, or shelter, if you will. But, homelessness is also the loss of privacy.

As I have come to realize, there are critical differences between shelter and housing. Shelter is exactly what it sounds like—a haven from the elements. Housing takes that a step further, focusing on the all-encompassing mental and physical needs of a person by providing a secure, private place in which to reside. Hearing Peter’s story, I will never be able to forget the difference between shelter and housing, fully appreciating and recognizing the necessity of that distinction.

To partner with the Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau in bringing a presentation to your community, please contact us at speakersbureau@mhsa.net.

Christina Smith is one of the AmeriCorps VISTA Massachusetts Faces of Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau coordinators. She helps book presentations and manages the grassroots outreach and communications efforts towards homelessness advocacy solutions.

Previously a development intern at InterFaithFamily, Christina is excited to translate her past speaker agency experience at Monitor Talent into a nonprofit setting through this year of service, expanding her communications and outreach experience. Christina is a recent Wellesley College graduate hailing from the U.S. Virgin Islands.

MHSA President & Executive Director Joe Finn, honoree Philip Johnston, and MHSA board member Jim Cuddy

The evening, chaired by Rick Heller of Legal Sea Foods, focused on its honorees: Philip W. Johnston of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, Pamela Feingold of Eastern Bank, and Mark Winkeller of Caritas Communities. Phil, Pam, and Mark were presented with awards for their innumerable contributions to the statewide effort to end homelessness.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to congratulate three individuals who have put such significant effort, throughout their careers, toward ending homelessness in the Commonwealth,” said MHSA President and Executive Director Joe Finn.

The above video about MHSA’s ongoing efforts to end homelessness was produced for the event by videographer Chris Goff. It features comments from two formerly homeless individuals who currently reside in a housing program operated through a partnership between MHSA and member agency Bay Cove Human Services.

Honoree and MHSA Board Chair Pamela Feingold, recipient of the Bob Ray Partnership Award, standing with the late Bob Ray’s family

MHSA wishes to say a hearty thank you to this year’s Raise the Roof sponsors — Eastern Bank and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts — and to all who came out on May 16 to show their support for the ongoing effort to bring our poorest neighbors home for good.

Click here to see the photo gallery!

Your support throughout this budget process has been critical, and our work is not yet over. Now is the time to voice to the Senate our commitment to ensuring that Massachusetts invests in what works – permanent supportive housing that ends the homelessness of our most vulnerable neighbors and saves the Commonwealth money in the process.

Take Action: Contact Your State Senator!

State Senator James B. Eldridge, Chair of the Joint Committee on Housing, has agreed to file an amendment in the Senate Budget to allocate $2.2 million to line item 7004-0104 for Home & Healthy for Good supportive housing for chronically homeless individuals.

Please take a moment to call your state senator and ask him or her to co-sponsor this important amendment. To find out who your senator is, click here or contact Caitlin Golden at cgolden@mhsa.net or 617-367-6447 ext. 28. When you speak with your senator, please ask him or her to call the office of Chairman James B. Eldridge at 617-722-1120 and sign on as a co-sponsor to this amendment. The proposed deadline for amendments is Friday at 5 pm, so it is important to take action now.

For more information about Home & Healthy for Good, click here.

Finally, please let us know that you were able to take action by contacting Caitlin Golden at cgolden@mhsa.net or 617-367-6447 ext. 28.

Thank you for your support at this critical time.

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1. Tell us about your connection to MHSA and the MHSA mission to end homelessness.

I met MHSA President and Executive Director Joe Finn years ago after I joined Caritas Communities. Joe was Executive Director of Father Bill’s Shelter at the time. Joe was very helpful with a project that Caritas was acquiring in Quincy Center in the face of some local opposition. Caritas had historically focused on housing the “working poor,” many of whom had been living in homeless shelters.

As I got to know Joe, his eloquence and deep commitment to the homeless resonated with both me and my Board of Directors.  Four years ago, we were delighted at the opportunity to work directly with MHSA to provide housing for over 40 chronically homeless individuals.

We have learned a lot from Joe and the MHSA staff and are even more delighted to partner again in a program to provide housing for 15 homeless veterans.

2. What fuels your interest in ending homelessness?

My interest in homelessness is fueled by my academic background in social welfare planning, my work in the for-profit real estate industry and my 15 years of providing affordable housing at Caritas Communities.

To many people, homelessness is seen as some sort of conscious choice. To anyone who works with the homeless—especially in light of our weakened economy, with rising rents and static or declining wages—it is often a “choice” made by others, not by the homeless themselves.  Rich or poor, single or divorced, physically ill or uninsured, challenged by substance abuse or mental health problems, we all share some risk of homelessness.

No one should be living in the street; it is a dangerous, life-threatening and unpleasant place to be. Even in our weakened economy, we have so much wealth that failing to end homelessness is simply unacceptable.

3. What connections do you see between the real estate business and the nonprofit sector?

The real estate business has been a strong supporter of nonprofit work, particularly supportive housing for both those with extremely low incomes and those who are homeless. Real estate executives as well as entire companies have donated money and volunteers to organizations such as Caritas Communities and MHSA.

Ending homelessness requires a combination of real estate expertise to successfully develop appropriate housing that is well-designed, well-located, well-run and affordable, as well as the capability to bring supportive services to the residents who need them.

4. What have been some of your biggest goals at Caritas Communities since you became executive director?

Since I was fortunate enough to be hired as Executive Director 15 years ago, my goals have been as follows: increase the number of individuals Caritas can house by dramatically increasing the number of properties we own and widening the geographic areas that we serve; enhance existing ties and create new relationships with public and private supporters of affordable housing; expand our abilities to provide housing for homeless individuals, including veterans; and form close relationships with agencies that provide the appropriate social service support for the residents that we house.

5. What does this award mean to you?

In my view, this is really an award earned by all of us at Caritas Communities, and is by no means one that any single person at Caritas earned.

This award means that the vision our founder P. Leo Corcoran had in 1985 rings true today. We, and others like us, need to step up, do the right thing and provide high quality housing and services to individuals who, for whatever reason, are unable to secure decent, safe and affordable housing.

We are delighted to be honored for our accomplishments. We are also humbled by the knowledge that much more needs to be done to finally put an end to homelessness. 

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MHSA will be honoring Mark Winkeller, as well as Philip W. Johnston of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation and Pamela Feingold of Eastern Bank, at Home for Good: Solutions Start Here on May 16. Home for Good, a cocktail reception and awards presentation with hearty hors d’oeuvres, is MHSA’s ninth annual fundraising event. Join us for this elegant event at the Omni Parker House Hotel from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm on May 16. To buy tickets, click here.

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1. How did you become involved with MHSA?

I became involved with MHSA when Wainwright Bank provided the organization a line of credit in 1995.  Two years later, Philip Mangano asked me to join the MHSA Board of Directors.  I was honored to be asked!

2. What fuels your interest in ending homelessness?

I have always been interested in how we solve the homeless crisis.  I believe housing is a basic human right.

3. What is the relationship between your work at Eastern Bank—and your previous work at Wainwright—and your interest in MHSA and ending homelessness?

Eastern Bank has embraced Wainwright Bank’s social agenda.  I am fortunate to be able to continue my 20-year history of working to help support the poorest of the poor.

4. What connections do you see between the private sector and efforts to end homelessness?

I believe the private sector has a moral obligation to embrace and support their community.  I am proud to be an employee of an organization that supports the abolishment of homelessness among many other social issues.

5. What does this award mean to you?

It is incredibly humbling to be honored by the very people I admire and respect.  MHSA and all their member agencies are my heroes and I am so humbled to be recognized by my own heroes!

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MHSA will be honoring Pamela Feingold, as well as Philip W. Johnston of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation and Mark Winkeller of Caritas Communities, at Home for Good: Solutions Start Here on May 16. Home for Good, a cocktail reception and awards presentation with hearty hors d’oeuvres, is MHSA’s ninth annual fundraising event. Join us for this elegant event at the Omni Parker House Hotel from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm on May 16. To buy tickets, click here.

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1. What connections do you see between health and homelessness?

There is a total connection between health and homelessness. Homeless people tend to have both physical and behavioral health issues, and are in and out of the emergency room and community health centers on a routine basis. They tend to be high cost patients, with a greater incidence of everything from asthma and other respiratory conditions to major illnesses like cancer. The health data is pretty clear; homeless people are high utilizers of the health care system.

2. Tell us about your connection to MHSA and the MHSA mission to end homelessness.

I go back many years with MHSA. As Secretary of Human Services under the Dukakis administration in the 1980s, homelessness was a top priority and we developed an extensive network of shelters, temporary housing and permanent housing.

Massachusetts spent more on housing solutions and new permanent housing than any other state in the country.  MHSA helped us to enact major mental health reforms, including one that called for quadrupling the number of housing units available for mentally ill people in the Commonwealth.  We also worked to create family support programs, emergency care and both state-of-the-art inpatient care and permanent housing for mentally ill individuals.  We made significant progress working with MHSA.

MHSA works with the legislature very effectively and MHSA works with faith communities very well. While in office, I tried to develop coalitions to support programs for the homeless, and MHSA was key to that. MHSA has ties to key constituents in the state that are crucial to making positive changes in homelessness. People in government have relied on MHSA for a long time for help and guidance.

3. What motivated you toward a career focused on health, human rights and social justice?

I was born with it. I became involved with the civil rights movement as a teenager, and then became involved with progressive politics. I worked in Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign, which was a life-changing experience. I founded and ran a child welfare agency, the Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps, working with abused and neglected children of juvenile offenders. While I was on the legislature and in the cabinet, as well as later in the private sector, my life has been about these issues.

4. How have your years as a political official informed your current work as a consultant and board member for a variety of organizations?

My experience in government was very much focused on people in need. I continue to feel that this is a very wealthy country that doesn’t do enough to narrow the economic disparities between the very wealthy and those who don’t have as much. Public policy and political action are very important if we are to make our country more equitable for all our citizens. At the moment, things are going in the wrong direction. Collaborations between places like MHSA and progressive public officials are crucial to making sure we’re doing all we can to pull people out of poverty. MHSA should be very proud of what it’s accomplished on behalf of homeless people in the Commonwealth; keep up the great work.

5. What does this award mean to you?

This award is very significant in my life because homelessness and MHSA have been intertwined with so many things I’ve done in my career over the years. When I worked in state government, there were—believe it or not—40,000 people working in human services. We had an army of advocates. And so I represent all of them in accepting this award—and I am representing all of you who are on the front lines, working on behalf of people who need help.

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MHSA will be honoring Philip W. Johnston, as well as Pamela Feingold of Eastern Bank and Mark Winkeller of Caritas Communities, at Home for Good: Solutions Start Here on May 16. Home for Good, a cocktail reception and awards presentation with hearty hors d’oeuvres, is MHSA’s ninth annual fundraising event. Join us for this elegant event at the Omni Parker House Hotel from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm on May 16. To buy tickets, click here.

A few weeks into the internship, I had the privilege of going on a site visit with Doug Tetrault, MHSA’s Program Manager, to the Catholic Charities St. Patrick’s Shelter in Somerville.  St. Patrick’s Shelter is an all-women’s shelter that houses 30 women in emergency beds on a night-to-night basis, as well as 10 women in transitional housing.  Women in the transitional housing program live in individual rooms on the second floor of the shelter for up to two years while working with a case manager in order to find permanent housing.  Using money from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, MHSA funds seven of the emergency beds and all 10 of the transitional bedrooms.  The organization provides these women with two home-cooked meals a day; referrals for health care, mental health services, and housing; and supportive and educational services.

I was able to sit in on an interview with a young woman who was in the transitional program.  I was shocked to hear that she was only a little bit older than me and had been homeless for several years, meaning she had been without a home when she was younger than I am now. I couldn’t help but imagine where she would be if it were not for the work of MHSA and Catholic Charities.  Thanks to the services provided by both organizations, this woman was not only attending classes at a local community college, but she was also working part-time in order to save money.  What struck me the most about the interview was that somehow, despite her situation, she was able to retain a positive attitude toward life, and I was confident that she would succeed in becoming fully self-sufficient and moving into more independent housing at the end of her two years at St. Patrick’s Shelter.

The site visit at Catholic Charities was such an eye-opening experience for me since it helped me to put all of MHSA’s work into perspective.  Even though I had been working with MHSA for a while at that point, I still hadn’t fully grasped the effect that such a small organization made up of so few people could have on such an enormous issue.  However, after this visit, I realized that all of the work they do is actually so crucial to helping the homeless.  The Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance is committed to ending homelessness altogether rather than simply dealing with it temporarily, and after interning there for several months, I believe that this seemingly impossible goal is actually achievable.

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Sarah Fleming was MHSA’s Fall 2011 Program Department Intern. Sarah is a student at Brookline High School and interned at MHSA as part of a social justice leadership class.

The transitional program Sarah visited at St. Patrick’s Shelter is just one of a variety of housing models for which MHSA provides technical assistance, oversight and program evaluation. To learn more about these various efforts, click here.