Y2Y: it's a Vibe

Y2Y!

Weekly Schedule

Studio

I've only spent 4 total nights at Y2Y, as an overnight volunteer, but the place already feels homey. It's no wonder: founders Sam Greenberg and Sarah Rosenkratz wanted Y2Y to be a sanctuary for Boston's homeless 18-24 year-olds who felt unsafe in Boston's adult homeless shelters. Since its opening in 2012, Y2Y has been run entirely by Harvard students (although now they have full time administrative staff) with help from outside volunteers. Because this is Y2Ys first summer in operation, it's operating at decreased capacity with 16 instead of the usual 32 guests. Instead of cots, residents sleep in ultra-cozy "pods," or on couches if they want to. Most pods are occupied by youth who have applied in advance for a 6-week stay, and the remaining few are auctioned off (for free) in the nightly housing lottery.

Why it works

On any given night Y2Y feels like a giant slumber party, fully equipped with desktop macs and made-to-order food service. The casual vibe is partially thanks to its status as a "wet shelter" (resident can come in drunk or high as long as they are below a certain threshold and don't bring in substances) and partially thanks to its youth-to-youth model. Most residents come in for dinner, however if they arrive late they can order anything they want to be prepared by overnight volunteers. Note: this is how I learned to make tuna melts and even a Bacon-egg-and-Mac N' Cheese breakfast sandwich! After fulfilling orders, the overnight volunteers will often talk to residents late into the night, and finally, wash dishes and clean up.

In addition to working as shelter supervisors and volunteering in the kitchen, Harvard students work as case managers on Y2Y residents' housing and employment-related needs. Y2Y's ultimate goal is to get its residents housed and facilitate their transition into the community. In a sense, the purpose of ultra-plush beds, food service, and other luxuries is the create a low-barrier environment where homeless youth want to walk in on any given night, and come back the next day to meet with case managers about employment and housing. While a Bacon-egg-and-Mac N' Cheese might not be helping a homeless 21-year-old in the long-term, it's keeping him/her coming back. And that's what matters.

What can we learn?

Y2Y creates a homey vibe not only for its resident, but also for volunteers. During my overnight shift, I'm allowed to eat whatever I want and actually got to sleep 4-5 hours. In the morning cleanup volunteers have to do gross tasks (I got to clean flies and hair out of shower drains, yum!), but the work feels very necessary. Something I've noticed even as a summer volunteer is the incredible commitment of both volunteers and staff. According to founder Sam Greenberg, volunteers remain committed during "term-time" because if they don't show up, the shelter doesn't run. Another staff member told me that Harvard students' commitment to the shelter stems from the fact that all involved are designated specific roles within Y2Y that they want to advance (one student direct finances, one students direct food services, etc.).

Looking forward

Thinking about changes to HAT for the upcoming year, my hope is that we can give everyone within the group a more specific role that he/she cares about, and that we can enhance what we're doing for Pomona's homeless community. Obviously we're not trying to run a Y2Y-esque shelter in the City of Pomona, however I'm currently working with the leaders of the Missions St. Shelter project and with Tri-City Mental Health (serves much of Pomona's homeless population) to find ways that HAT students could play some consistent volunteering role in the community. One way might be by facilitating a support group at one of these sites. I've already spoken with Ron Williams, who provided a lot of the brains behind the Mission St. Shelter, however the project is now in the hands of the city. The shelter is set to open in November, and I will post updates as I hear them!

Please comment your thoughts below! Also, please reach out if you would be interested in writing a post about homelessness-related issues wherever you are! Hope you are all having fantastic summers and looking forward to ice cream party reunion in fall :).

PS. give this article a read, especially if you like Malcolm Gladwell (featuring Philip Mangano!).