Today we’d like to introduce you to Sam Greenberg and Sarah Rosenkrantz.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Sam and Sarah. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
We met while we were both volunteering at the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter, a student-run homeless shelter for adults that has been serving people experiencing homelessness in Greater Boston since 1983. We loved the work, but always felt frustrated by how much more need there was than we were able to serve. At the same time, we started seeing more young adults come through our doors, and started talking to partner organizations and experts across Greater Boston to find out why.
We learned that young adults (ages 18-24) experience homelessness for a variety of reasons, but some of the most common reasons include leaving unsafe or abusive homes, being kicked out of their homes for identifying as LGBTQ (20-40% of youth experiencing homelessness identify as LGBTQ), and aging out of foster care (about 1/3 of homeless youth were previously I foster care). While youth experiencing homelessness are in very vulnerable situations, we also learned that many of these youths will resort to the street, or to couch surfing rather than stay in adult shelters, which are not built to meet their needs. Making this even worse, there were only 12 shelter beds specifically for young adults in the entire Greater Boston area.
However, we learned one really hopeful thing from youth experiencing homelessness and youth service providers: The Harvard Square Homeless Shelter was regarded as one of the only adult shelters in Greater Boston where young adults felt safe, in part because it is run by people of their same age. With this, we knew that we had the capacity to open a critically needed program, and we were lucky to have the help of dozens of community partners, advisors, experts, and young adults who helped us make this happen. We opened Y2Y Harvard Square on December 22, 2015.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has definitely not always been smooth! Before opening, we had to raise $1.25 million to renovate and open Y2Y, design and implement the first student-run shelter for young adults in the country, and support and train approximately 200 students to run the shelter. Since opening, we have had any number of growing pains, from a flood due to a burst pipe in late 2016 to some incredibly cold, life threatening weather this past winter. However, the students who run Y2Y are tremendously dedicated, flexible, and brilliant and our guests have been deeply bought in to working with our students to continuously improve. We also have been able to rely on so many different members of the Greater Boston community for support, from the local businesses in Harvard Square who donate food and supplies, to our community partners and mentors who work tirelessly to ensure that we have the expertise and support we need to succeed.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
At Y2Y, we prevent young adults experiencing homelessness from falling into cycles of chronic homelessness by offering a safe environment to escape the street, while providing them with the support to quickly identify and pursue pathways out of homelessness.
At a baseline, Y2Y’s sanctuary services meet our guests’ basic needs, providing 22 30-night alcove-style sleeping pods and five one-night emergency cots in a gender-inclusive, and trauma-informed shelter space, in addition to meals, showers, laundry, toiletries, clothing, and storage. Y2Y’s opt-in pathways programming includes nightly resource navigators, referrals to Y2Y’s partner network, and a robust array of in-house workshops including legal aid, medical and mental health care, culinary, and yoga. Y2Y’s advocacy workshops provide guests the opportunity to provide user feedback on shelter policies and grow as leaders.
We’re most proud of the fact that we’re known for different things in different communities. Among Harvard and other Boston area students, we’re known as a rewarding and really hands on place to volunteer and help your local community. Our partners know us as a collaborative organization that wants to be additive to the community. We have heard from the young adults who stay with us that they feel safer at Y2Y than any other place they can go, and that our shelter looks like “a spaceship” or “a hostel.” We’re also well known for our grilled cheeses!
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Absolutely – we can’t say enough about the kind of community that Cambridge, and Harvard Square are specifically.
The Harvard Square Business Association and its member businesses have been close partners to us from the very beginning, and have welcomed us into the fabric of the neighborhood. City officials, employees, and the City Council have been deeply supportive of our work. Across Greater Boston, we are lucky to have a vibrant network of students and community members who keep Y2Y going.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1 Church Street
Cambridge, MA 02138 - Website: y2yharvardsquare.org
- Phone: 617-202-0834
- Email: info@y2yharvardsquare.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Y2Ynetwork/
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/y2yNetwork
Image Credit:
Laurie Kahn (Blueberry Hill Productions)
Jon Chase (Harvard Gazette)
Liberty Mutual
Cynthia Guo (The Harvard Crimson)
Studio G Architects
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
