FRIENDS OF BOSTON’S HOMELESS CELEBRATES 27th ANNUAL BEYOND SHELTER GALA, RAISING FUNDS TO SUPPORT “HOUSING FIRST” INITIATIVE

WHAT:     
Friends of Boston’s Homeless, in celebration of decades of success in providing solutions to homelessness in Boston, announces the 27th annual Beyond Shelter benefit gala. Hosted by John Rosenthal, founder of Friends of Boston’s Homeless, alongside emcees Jonathan Soroff of The Improper Bostonian and Rita Cary of 92.5 The River, the event will feature gourmet tastings by the Boston area’s top chefs with live music by Los 4 and the Berklee Bob Marley Ensemble.

Named one of BizBash magazine’s top 100 events in Boston for three years running, over 25 restaurants will participate this year, including Ashmont Grill, Eastern Standard, Flour Bakery + Café, The Fireplace, Hamersley’s Bistro, Gather, Fenmore Grill, Legal Sea Foods, Steel & Rye, Sweet Basil, Tavolo, Tresca, and Union Bar & Grille. Woodstock Inn Brewery and J. Lohr will serve as the evening’s beer and wine sponsors. The annual gala will also feature a raffle and live auction with items including Red Sox and New England Patriots autographed sports memorabilia, VIP concert tickets, fine art, jewelry, and luxury city weekend getaway packages.

Event proceeds will directly benefit Friends of Boston’s Homeless programs to end homelessness by helping individuals gain independence through Housing First, adult education, employment, life skills development, and access to permanent affordable housing.

Focusing this year on Friends’ “Housing First” Start-Up Fund, this fund provides long-term homeless individuals with permanent supportive housing, so they are no longer living on the streets or in shelters. Not just a humane solution to street homelessness, “Housing First” saves our Commonwealth significantly in emergency, medical, and public safety costs, roughly $10,000/person, in fact. In just three years, this initiative has helped to place over 350 chronically homeless individuals in dignified, permanent housing, over 90% of whom have maintained their housing and have not returned to the streets or shelters.

WHO:    
John Rosenthal, Friends of Boston’s Homeless
Jonathan Soroff, The Improper Bostonian
Rita Cary, 92.5 The River
Gordon Hamersley, Hamersley’s Bistro
Joanne Chang, Flour Bakery, Myers + Chang
Chris Douglass, Ashmont Grill
and more!

WHEN:  
Thursday, April 10th, 2014

7:00pm – 10:00pm

WHERE:   
House of Blues Boston, 15 Lansdowne Street

TICKETS:   
$125 // General Admission

For further information and to purchase tickets, visit www.fobh.org, or call:
(617) 899-7844 / (617) 942-8671 / (617) 942-8683

ABOUT FRIENDS OF BOSTON’S HOMELESS:
Founded in 1987 by Boston developer, John Rosenthal, Friends of Boston’s Homeless is a 501(C)(3) non-profit corporation working in a unique public/private partnership with Boston Health Commission Homeless Services to develop and support innovative, solution-oriented programs to help the  homeless move beyond shelter to lead independent lives in our community. Additionally, through advocacy and education, Friends seeks to increase the public’s awareness and understanding of the realities of homelessness.