A local nonprofit social enterprise tackling youth homelessness has only grown during the pandemic and plans to expand its services statewide this year.
Boston-based Breaktime was founded in 2018 by Tony Shu and Connor Schoen. The organization uses transitional employment opportunities to help homeless youth find living-wage jobs and stable housing.
“We help young adults experiencing homelessness train for and get that first job where they’re earning $15 an hour, getting to save up, learning financial literacy and eventually moving into stable housing,” Shu said.
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The 22-year-old co-founder is a graduate of Harvard University, where he built a major in housing and urban innovation. Shu said much of the inspiration for his work, including Breaktime, comes from his mother’s experience finding housing.
Shu and his mother, who raised him as a single mom, lived outside of Boston. He said his mother was an immigrant who told him stories about living in her rental car when she first arrived in the U.S.
“She raised me knowing that housing is not guaranteed, but it’s something that affects every single layer of human need,” Shu said.
Last year, Shu was named a BostInno 25 under 25 honoree. He and Schoen, who met while working at the Y2Y Shelter as Harvard undergraduates, have also been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for social impact.
Homelessness policy advocacy
In 2021, Breaktime employed nearly 70 young adults experiencing homelessness, Shu said. That brings their total amount of young people served to around 125.
Breaktime employs young adults at community-serving organizations like Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) and food pantries, as well as at local small businesses.
About 83% of their participants have moved on to stable employment or education, Shu said, and 77% now have stable housing.
Shu said his team has also focused on policy advocacy. Breaktime worked with the city of Boston to secure $500,000 in ARPA funds to support out-of-school youth. The organization also helped support a line item in the FY22 budget that provides $24 million dollars in funding for the state’s Youthworks initiative, which helps LGBTQ+ young adults and young adults of color.
“We believe that will impact hundreds and thousands of young adults in the coming years,” Shu said.
Breaktime brought in more than $1.6 million in donations, grants and earned income last year, setting the stage for a year of growth. Shu said the social enterprise plans to expand statewide this year and is eyeing cities like Worcester, Lowell or Brockton for its expansion. Shu said they have not yet decided on the next city Breaktime will serve, but they know their services are needed outside of Boston.
“Young adult homelessness isn’t isolated to just Boston, and Boston actually has a lot of really great resources for young people,” Shu said. “But there are so many other cities in Massachusetts and beyond that don’t have the same resources…And so Breaktime is hoping to expand to those other communities.”
