Connor Schoen and Tony Shu met at Harvard while volunteering at a student-run overnight shelter where they heard firsthand from peers experiencing homelessness.
“They wanted a job more than they wanted even a home,” Shu says. “A job is that first step in achieving stable housing and it gives you dignity and purpose.”
BIRTH OF AN IDEA
The two students began to explore solutions to the reality right outside the campus gates: In greater Boston alone, an estimated 600 young adults don’t have a place to sleep on a given night.
In 2018, they founded Breaktime, a Boston-based employment program for young adults experiencing homelessness. The initial concept was to build Breaktime Cafe, where associates ages 18 to 24 could learn about the food business and receive meaningful employment.
“Our passion comes from recognizing the very obvious
inequities in a small geographic location and a very close age group,” says Shu. “It's about how we can utilize our privilege in the service of others.”
In March 2020, with support from partners including the City of Boston, Breaktime kicked off construction on its cafe space. And then the pandemic hit.
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