Breaktime

Harvard Cafe Seeks to Help Young Adults Who Are Homeless | Eater Boston

"Founded by two Harvard undergraduates, this planned cafe and doughnut shop near Harvard aims to provide vocational training, career-based education, and pathways to stable employment for young adults experiencing homelessness. The concept grew out of the founders' work at a student-run shelter and was supported by awards from Harvard innovation competitions and a GoFundMe campaign; the team has pursued partnerships with campus organizations and local businesses to make the model viable. A wholesale arrangement with a well-known doughnut maker lets the operation avoid building its own production facility, and the founders emphasize serving a mostly student clientele that prefers businesses with strong ethical values. Initially targeting a September 2018 opening, the project later signed a lease for a location in Boston's West End to house a coffee shop, community space, and an on-site career center in collaboration with a nonprofit service provider." - Terrence Doyle