CEO Corner: Celebrating Community Through Advocacy and Partnership

At Hearth, we’ve long known that ending elder homelessness takes more than just providing housing—it takes collaboration, visibility, and advocacy. The month of May gave us several powerful reminders of how much we can achieve when we act together as a community.

On May 13th, I had the opportunity to speak at Older Adult Lobby Day at the Massachusetts State House, standing alongside Mass Aging Access and hundreds of advocates. I shared Hearth’s mission and called on legislators to increase funding for prevention programs and remove barriers to affordable housing—because we cannot solve homelessness without systemic change.

The urgency of this issue was underscored just days later by a Boston Globe article that laid bare the deepening housing crisis for older adults in our state. As the piece makes clear, too many are one rent increase, one health scare, or one life event away from losing their homes. At Hearth, we’ve been focused on this crisis since 1991—and now more than ever, our work is resonating beyond the walls of our buildings and into the public conversation.

Earlier in the month, I also had the honor of speaking at the Sailors’ Snug Harbor annual grantee luncheon, where I presented on Hearth’s model of housing, outreach, and prevention. Sharing our story with aligned organizations only strengthens the network of support for older adults in need.

And on May 27th, we proudly received a check for $43,152.15 from Winter Walk, where Hearth was the second-highest fundraising team this year. This generous support is a testament to the passion of our donors and the belief in Hearth’s mission.

This month showed us what happens when people, policy, and purpose align. Whether walking through Boston Common or testifying at the State House, we are making the invisible visible—and driving real momentum to end elder homelessness.

Thank you for standing with us.