Hearth

Hearth (formerly The Committee to End Elder Homelessness) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the elimination of homelessness among the elderly.

Description:
Hearth's mission is accomplished through a unique blend of prevention, placement, and housing programs all designed to help elders find and succeed in homes of their own. To this end, all housing operated by Hearth provides a creative array of supportive services that assist residents to age with dignity. All Hearth residences have social workers, nurses, and professional homemakers to help elderly residents remain as independent as possible.

Hearth's Outreach Team assists homeless elders find permanent housing and offers support for up to one year after placement to ensure success.

The vision of the agency is to ultimately resolve the problem of elder homelessness in Greater Boston and beyond.

History:
The year was 1990. "Mary", an 84-year-old woman, was living in a South End apartment with her pets. Gentrification of the South End was well underway and Mary, in denial, ignored the eviction notices from her landlord. A doctor from Boston Medical Center's Home Health Services was visiting Mary when the police arrived to take her to jail for contempt of court. In desperation, the doctor contacted a colleague at Boston Medical Center, Anna Bissonnette, who knew that the only alternative was to admit Mary to the Emergency Room. However, because Mary's "illness" was solely one of desperation, she could not remain in the hospital.

After being transferred to a nursing home, she lived her last two months without her closest companions, her beloved pets. This unsettling reality served as the impetus for Anna Bissonnette and other colleagues to devote their time to ensuring that such an occurrence never happened again.

As a result, Hearth was established in 1991 by a group of seven experienced professional women committed to eliminating elder homelessness in Boston. The agency works in collaboration with other agencies and Boston's homeless shelters to provide outreach, permanent housing options, and social services to homeless elders or those at risk for homelessness. We now have seven houses in the Boston area and an Outreach Team.

Contact person: Jennifer Hartwell, Volunteer Manager, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: 617-369-1566

Address:

1640 Washington Street Boston, MA 02118 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.hearth-home.org

Directions:

Located in the South End at the corner of Washington Street and East Concord Street. If taking CT1 bus from Hynes Convention Center stop, get off at Mass. Avenue and Washington Street, and walk two blocks to E. Concord Street.. . . (more)   Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: Orange Line (Mass. Ave. stop), Silver Line (Newton stop),   Walk distance (in minutes): 15, 1   Nearest Bus Stop: #49 Dudley, 1 minute walk For maps or information, please see http://www.mbta.com

Last updated on March 24, 2009