What truly makes Boston such a wonderful place to live is that
there is never any single individual, no matter how small or
seemingly insignificant in society, left behind. Despite our strong
Real Estate market, our growing economy, and everything else that
sets us apart from the rest of the country, the fact that with such
great optimism we are still able to provide help where help is due
is fantastic. From the blog about the recent merging of Pine Street
Inn and hopeFound, to the blog covering the event showcasing
the old Project Place
facility, there is much to celebrate for all of the efforts put
towards our many non-profits.
Since 1987, Friends of Bostons Homeless have raised upwards of
$20 Million for local individuals in need. Working together with
the non-profit known as Hub Homeless, there have been thousands of
homeless people who have been supported by life skills and
education development programs as well as having the most important
aspect of life being permanent shelter. At the end of April, there
was the 25th annual Beyond Shelter Gala at the House of Blues. A
lovely occasion, it showed how far these organizations have come
throughout the years and the plethora of lives that they have touch
and in many cases, saved.
The founder of Friends of Bostons Homeless, John Rosenthal, who
is also the President of Meredith Management Corporation in Newton,
expressed his sheer desire and imbedded need to share some of his
good fortune throughout his life by giving back to the community
that he so deeply cares for. After understanding that 30-35% of all
6,000 homeless people in Boston were working at respectable jobs
but were still seriously struggling in their attempts to afford
housing, Rosenthal knew something had to be done. He told the
Boston Herald, Im just a firm believer that the more you have, the
more you have to give or you go crazy. His organization provides
265,000 total bed nights in the shelter per year, in addition to 90
transitional housing units for individuals enrolled in Serving
Ourselves through Project SOAR. They are also closely connected
with the organizations known as Safe Harbour which for women with
addiction, HIV or AIDS is a short-term housing solution, as well as
One Wise Street, the Jamaica Plain shelter.
There is also an organic farm at the Long Island Shelter that
allows for these homeless people to live and work while producing
some 30,000 pounds of produce for the various kitchens spread
throughout the organization. Those enrolled can experience job
training in ServSafe skills, driving laundry trucks, working in the
farm and prep cooking. The article, which can be read in greater
detail below, focused on the story of a homeless man, Franklyn
McLaughlin. McLaughlin was incarcerated for eighteen years but
through this program and the aid and support of Rosenthal and his
team, he has found a true purpose in his life for the first time. I
had never been trusted with anything in my life, McLaughlin said.
Now people call on me and rely on me and it feels so wonderful.
This is just one of the many success stories coming out of a
non-profit and it is yet another inkling that we should all get
involved in any way we can with one of the countless organizations
that support a cause that interests us.
More Information: Boston Herald