CHARITY benefit

Founded in 1974 by a small group of concerned individuals, Shelter’s early activities consisted of volunteers providing a bed and a meal for four men each night. Today, Shelter provides emergency shelter, housing and supportive services for over 3,000 homeless and low-income people each year. It is the mission of Shelter to, “End homelessness in the lives of individuals and families by providing housing in conjunction with effective supportive services while promoting policy and practices necessary to change those conditions that create homelessness.”

In recent years we have focused on the creation of affordable housing with intensive support services as our primary strategy for ending homelessness. This simple strategy has been effective in helping people escape homelessness permanently. We currently operate over 100 units of housing for people that had been homeless, and plan to implement almost another 100 units in Fiscal Year ’08. We have consistently maintained or exceeded an 85% retention rate in these housing units meaning that 85% of those housed remain so each year. Moreover, most people who leave our housing programs do so for another permanent housing option.

Eastern Building Services is an active partner with Shelter Inc. in the fight against homelessness.