Carol lived with her daughter and grandchildren in Field’s Corner. When knee problems made it impossible for Carol to continue climbing the stairs to her second floor apartment, she entered a nursing home for rehabilitation. Two weeks turned into nine months, and Carol lost her housing voucher. In collaboration with the Women’s Lunch Place, MBHP’s Staying Home Program worked with Carol to find her rental assistance and a new place to live – without stairs. “They’ve done more for me than anybody else has,” says Carol. Today, Carol has permanent housing at an apartment in an assisted living community, and her MBHP project-based voucher helps to pay the rent.

Markeithia is a Boston police officer who recently underwent two surgeries for breast cancer. With two children to care for and more than a year of treatment and recuperation, she turned to her family, friends, and police union for help. Although everyone chipped in to keep her afloat, her funds ran out quickly. When Markeithia approached MBHP’s Housing Consumer Education Center (HCEC), she owed three months of back rent with no means of payment until she returned to work. Markeithia’s rental arrearage was paid by the Emergency Assistance Fund thanks to an anonymous donor. Says Markeithia, “Being a survivor of breast cancer allows you to look at life in a different way and to be grateful for life … It is good to know that there are people who care about the plight of others.” Markeithia’s story spurred additional funding for homelessness prevention from the Gillette Foundation.

Alan lived in a shelter for military veterans before receiving his housing voucher. With the help of MBHP’s Family Self-Sufficiency Program (FSS), he was able to obtain his bachelor’s degree, move into an apartment, and find full-time employment. He hopes to one day purchase a home. “The FSS Program supported me while I was completing my commitments to get my B.A., maintain employment, and improve my credit – all of which I have accomplished,” Alan says.

Anita and Bob fled substandard housing and were unable to pay market rent even with their combined salaries. They entered the Scattered Site Family Emergency Shelter Program (SSFES) where they juggled their jobs, their children’s schooling, and their intensive search for affordable housing. “We hope … the children can have some stability with their schools and support services,” Anita said. “Without that stability, life for them becomes chaos.” With help from their MBHP Case Manager and the Boston Housing Authority, the family was able to move into public housing in South Boston.

After coming to the US from Haiti , Pierre found it impossible to find a job that would pay the rent and provide for his wife and children. He found out about MBHP through the rental office and worked with an MBHP Case Manager to find a Scattered Site Family Emergency Shelter (SSFES) apartment. Pierre hopes to get his license to build computers through the Transition to Work Program. In the meantime, the family has moved out of shelter and into permanent housing.

Bernadette has worked with MBHP since 1999 to provide apartments for tenants of the Scattered Site Family Emergency Shelter (SSFES). Out of her own pocket, Bernadette supplies her tenants with towels, linens, curtains, and pots and pans to make their apartments feel like home. She is especially caring with the children in her units, making sure each receives a gift during the holidays. Bernadette feels so strongly about MBHP, she has even encouraged her friends to rent through the agency. “I’ve had a great experience with MBHP,” she says.