At Y2Y Harvard Square, we employ a youth-to-youth model to provide a safe and affirming environment for young adults ages 18 to 24 experiencing homelessness. Y2Y guests work with service providers, other youth experiencing homelessness, and student volunteers to create sustainable pathways out of homelessness and develop skills for long-term success. Y2Y provides opportunities for both guests and volunteers to become the next generation’s leading advocates for youth-driven solutions to homelessness.

Y2Y Harvard Square opened in December 2015 to address a critical community need, the lack of beds for young adults experiencing homelessness. Before Y2Y’s founding, there were only twelve beds in all of Greater Boston specifically for youth. Y2Y catalyzed the Cambridge and Boston community to develop and build an innovative, student-run model that provides very safe and low-cost shelter to young people.