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Boston’s Pine Street Inn uses $15 million gift to keep pace with demand during housing crisis

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Boston’s Pine Street Inn uses  million gift to keep pace with demand during housing crisis


Pine Street Inn has used some money from a $15 million donation gifted by the Yawkey Foundation in December 2021 to improve its women’s shelter in the South End, upgrading windows, expanding the lobby and giving the home a new name.

The Yawkey Foundation’s $15 million gift is the large single commitment in Pine Street’s 55-year history.

“We have been working on housing for a long time, adding 20 to 30 units every year – it’s just not enough to keep pace,” Pine Street President Lyndia Downie said Wednesday, moments after the Women’s Inn was renamed the Yawkey House. “This gift allows us to really scale up. … This is a real scale, and you start to have an impact on people who have the lowest incomes.”

Downie has her eyes set on achieving a “big milestone” this spring, when Pine Street is expected to reach 1,100 units of permanent housing.

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Since receiving the donation, Pine Street has been in the process of creating 400 to 500 new units of permanent housing over five years, a roughly 40% increase in its total units. The expansion of its housing units is coming at a dire time as Boston continues to grapple with a flood of migrants and skyrocketing housing prices.

Pine Street’s housing programs come with highly-skilled, trained support staff who work with tenants in accessing medical and behavioral healthcare, job training and jobs, volunteer opportunities and more to help them remain safe, stable and housed.

Agency officials allocated a bulk of the $15 million gift toward 111 units in Back Bay, 140 in Jamaica Plain and 99 in Dorchester.

The JP project is replacing a Pine Street Inn warehouse/building, and the Dorchester effort is converting a Comfort Inn into affordable housing. The Back Bay endeavor came to fruition last year, with tenants taking up space at 140 Clarendon St.

Demand is high on the units, with many of them attached with rental assistance, meaning thousands of house-seekers are on waiting lists either through the city or state, Downie said.

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“Even this isn’t enough,” she said, “but it’s a beginning.”

Officials from Pine Street and the Yawkey Foundation gathered at the women’s shelter Wednesday to celebrate Jean Yawkey’s 115th birthday by renaming the facility in her honor.

Yawkey, who owned the Red Sox for over 40 years with her husband Tom Yawkey, “began personally funding Pine Street Inn in 1988, with a special commitment to supporting the critical needs of women facing major life challenges,” officials highlighted in a release.

More than 1,300 women receive support each year through Pine Street’s street outreach, shelter, workforce development and permanent supportive housing.

“We understood after the years that we’ve worked with them that there really needed to be flexibility in their ability to go out and find housing,” said Maureen Bleday, CEO of the Yawkey Foundation. “No two situations are really the same … so far it’s worked, we are in the midst of this.”

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Mayra DeJesus has been a guest at the women’s shelter since November 2022 after her grandmother died in 2022 and she became nervous about the impact staying with her daughter would have on her grandson.

DeJesus has completed Pine Street’s housekeeping training program, and she said she plans on moving into the organization’s new housing complex in Jamaica Plain this spring.

“I am so excited by the idea of starting fresh in a new place,” she said. “I would also like to give back. I think about returning here one day to share my story to give hope to others.”

Pine Street Inn’s women’s shelter has been renamed as the ‘Yawkey House’ in homage of Jean Yawkey. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)



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Boston, MA

Red Sox at Reds preview: Sonny Gray makes his first start for Boston – The Boston Globe

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Red Sox at Reds preview: Sonny Gray makes his first start for Boston – The Boston Globe


Gray, acquired in a November trade from the St. Louis Cardinals, was one of Boston’s key rotation additions, along with Ranger Suarez, in the offseason. He was 14-8 with a 4.28 ERA in 2025.

“He’s very specific about his work. Every day has a purpose,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Gray. “Two hundred strikeouts, that’s something that we were looking for. The competitor. Every five days, this guy is going to give you everything.”

In his five career appearances against the Reds, Gray is 1-3 with a 4.18 ERA.

“It’s pretty much one of the only things that is continuing to push me, is to get to a World Series, to win a World Series, to pitch in big games,” said Gray. “I love the moment, and I am chasing that moment.”

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Here’s the preview:

RED SOX (1-0): TBA

Pitching: RHP Sonny Gray

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REDS (0-1): TBA

Pitching: RHP Brady Singer

Time: 4:10 p.m.

TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7

Red Sox vs. Singer: Wilyer Abreu 2-5, Roman Anthony 1-2, Willson Contreras 2-7, Jarren Duran 3-10, Caleb Durbin 0-1, Isiah Kiner-Falefa 6-16, Marcelo Mayer 0-1, Andruw Monasterio 1-4, Carlos Narváez 1-1, Ceddanne Rafaela 1-5, Trevor Story 0-4, Connor Wong 2-8, Masataka Yoshida 2-7

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Reds vs. Gray: Will Benson 0-5, Elly De La Cruz 5-11, TJ Friedl 1-8, Ke’Bryan Hayes 4-17, Nathaniel Lowe 2-10, Noelvi Marte 0-5, Matt McLain 2-2, Spencer Steer 4-9, Tyler Stephenson 0-8, Eugenio Suárez 7-13, Jose Trevino 0-2

Stat of the day: Sal Stewart become the first Cincinnati rookie since 1958 to record three hits on Opening Day.

Notes: Cincinnati sends righthander Brady Singer (14-12, 4.03 in 2025) to the mound … With Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo already on the injured list to start the season, Singer is considered one of Cincinnati’s most durable pitchers, leading the Reds with 32 starts last season … Singer has made five career starts against Boston, posting a 2-2 record with a 4.88 ERA over 24 innings … His last appearance against the Red Sox, on July 1 in Boston, ended after just three innings when he allowed two earned runs on three hits.


Cam Kerry can be reached at cam.kerry@globe.com.





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Boston, MA

Mayor Robert Van Campen talks about priorities in Everett

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Mayor Robert Van Campen talks about priorities in Everett


Nearly three months since assuming office as mayor of Everett, Massachusetts, Mayor Robert Van Campen isn’t wasting any time.

The former city councilor ousted 18-year incumbent Carlo DeMaria in decisive fashion last November, but even so, issues surrounding his predecessor still linger at City Hall.

A state-led salary audit of DeMaria found $180,000 in overpayment, a finding the former mayor disputes. Van Campen says the city is monitoring ongoing investigations.

“What I’ve conveyed to my partners in government here, locally, is to allow that state process to play itself out, and then we, as a community, will make a decision,” the mayor said. “In addition to that, I recently met with Inspector General Jeff Shapiro, who visited me at City Hall. We had a great conversation about transparency in government, best practices, putting in the right systems to ensure that that type of financial oversight doesn’t happen in the future.”

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Beyond the audit, Van Campen is placing emphasis on school overcrowding.

“My objective is to try to implement solutions as quickly as I can,” he said. “Our high school today, which was built for I think 1,650 students, now houses around 2,200.”

The World Cup is creating buzz across Massachusetts, including in Everett, where the Kraft Group is looking to build a soccer stadium.

To alleviate that problem, the mayor is using federal ARPA funds to repair the old Everett High School and seeking out other spaces that could be used in the future.

“Would I like to build out new classroom space for the students of Everett in the next one to two years? Yes, that’s my ideal,” Van Campen said. “But I want to make sure that if we do it on a quick timeline, it’s done in a correct and proper fashion.”

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Also in focus for the mayor is a new soccer stadium for the New England Revolution on the shores of the Mystic River.

The Kraft Group, Boston, Everett and the state Legislature have all taken steps to make the project a reality, but Van Campen says there’s still more work to do.

“It’s a transformative project, it’s a breathtaking project,” said Van Campen. “But I’ve been clear with all the stakeholders around that project, and the other larger developments going on down there, that we have to make sure that transit issues are comprehensively addressed, that pedestrian access issues are comprehensively addressed, that all those issues have to be addressed to perfection in order for these projects to succeed.”

Tune in on Sunday, March 29 at 9:30 a.m. for our extended @Issue Sit Down with Van Campen.

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Boston ‘No Kings’ rally expected to draw 100,000; others planned across Mass.

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Boston ‘No Kings’ rally expected to draw 100,000; others planned across Mass.


“No Kings” rallies are scheduled in Boston and across Massachusetts on Saturday and are expected to draw large crowds, organizers said.

Organized by the ACLU of Massachusetts, Indivisible Mass Coalition, and Mass 50501, the event is a mass mobilization in protest of the Trump administration.

The No Kings theme was created by the 50501 Movement, a national movement made up of Americans who stand for democracy and against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration. The name 50501 stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement.

“The Trump administration is trying to shred the Constitution; the No Kings movement is an unequivocal statement that we, the people, will not let that happen. This will be the third global No Kings Day, and it’s not just about protesting what’s wrong—it’s about building something better. We intend to show our power, build our power, and power a democracy that advances freedom, equality, justice, and dignity for all,” organizers wrote.

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The rally, one of thousands scheduled across the country this weekend, is planned for the Boston Common from 2 to 4 p.m. More than 100,000 people are expected to attend Boston’s rally. Other events are scheduled in Pittsfield, Northampton, Lancaster, Worcester, Framingham, Methuen, Lexington, and towns in southeastern Massachusetts and the Cape. For a map of No Kings events near you, click here.

Speakers include elected officials Attorney General Andrea Campbell, Gov. Maura Healey, Sen. Ed Markey and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, and civic leaders Hessann Farooqi Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, Darlene Lombos, president of the Greater Boston Labor Council, Carol Rose, executive director of ACLU of Massachusetts, Jessica Tang, president of the American Federation of Teachers of Massachusetts, and others. It will be moderated by Rahsaan Hall, president and CEO of Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts.

There will also be performances by the Dropkick Murphys, Boston Area Brigade of Activist Musicians, BVOCAL Chorus, and Jimmy Tingle.

A previous No Kings rally in October drew massive crowds estimated in the tens of thousands.

NBC10 Boston

NBC10 Boston

An aerial view of the crowd at Boston’s “No Kings” rally on the Common on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025.

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