Building Relationships, Rebuilding Lives

By Megan Burgess

Megan Burgess, former Senior Case Manager at Hearth

Most of us have people in our lives who know things. They know now to avoid traffic during rush hour, how to find the best bargains, or how to diagnose car trouble. I get a lot of helpful advice from Henry, Dan, and Bartolo – three of my clients. They are elderly men who needed housing.

Before I joined the Outreach Team and started working with these men, I thought of them – and the other men and women on the streets – as “the homeless.” I see now that homelessness does not define them. Instead, each is a unique individual who experienced homelessness because of a different event in his life. Henry lost his home after he was diagnosed with cancer. He became too ill to work, could not pay his rent, and was evicted. Dan, a veteran, had an undiagnosed mental illness that led to his homelessness. Bartolo became homeless when his mother’s death prompted a relapse after a three-year stretch of sobriety.

I worked with them to find housing while they provided me with guidance and direction. Henry helped me navigate the tricky streets of downtown Boston. Dan noticed my broken watch and told me about a great sale at Macy’s. Bartolo heard my car’s strange noises and instantly identified the problem.

In Outreach, we don’t simply help house the homeless. We develop relationships with individuals. The connection I have with Henry, my helpful guide, led him to find a home. My bond with Dan, the bargain hunter, led him to his own apartment after 15 years of homelessness. Together, Bartolo, my “mechanic,” and I found an apartment where his grandchildren can visit him. In Outreach, we work with our clients to rebuild lives, one person at a time.