As we approach Veterans Day, a day dedicated to thanking the men and women who protected and served our country, there is a special outreach team in Boston offering a helping hand to veterans who are still battling. They are fighting to find a place to call home after selflessly spending years protecting ours.
“Our motto is never, never, never, never give up,” said Amanda Proctor, the Clinical Supervisor for the Veterans Outreach Team at Pine Street Inn.
Every day a member of the Veterans Outreach Program from the Pine Street Inn walks the streets of Boston searching sidewalks and under bridges. Proctor is among a team of five that helps homeless veterans on their uphill battle, trying to open the doors that were once closed on them.
“Oftentimes there’s so much trust that has been lost over the years with service providers and so and then there’s so much internal shame and pain and despair and hopelessness and so the energy and the trust needed to like reach out to services is kind of not there,” said Proctor.
Proctor helps them with anything from filling out housing applications and disability claims to going to appointments and therapy sessions.
“They’re dealing with layers and layers of trauma,” said Proctor. “Trauma from childhood, trauma from their service in the military, trauma from living on the street, and so they’re pretty rough around the edges and pretty, you know, there’s some big emotions that come out.”
“There have been times where I’ve been down like so far that I had to look up to see down,” said Sean Cullen, who served in the Gulf War. “And she’s been there for me.”
Sean Cullen is one of many homeless veterans who has been able to turn his life around with Proctor’s help. She’s also on a journey alongside Steve.
“She’s my therapist, my healthcare proxy,” said Steve, a homeless veteran. “She does everything to keep me alive.”
Steve has been living on the streets of Boston for seven years. But more than ever, he wants to find a place to call home.
“Winter’s coming again, can’t do it for an eighth time,” said Steve.
Proctor wishes her team had more time to help, but that’s where she is calling on the community to offer humanity and compassion for those who took the oath to protect and serve us.
“Having a community around us who choose to see people on the street not as a them but us who choose to not judge how people carry their burdens but stand in awe of the burdens they have to carry,” said Proctor.
Proctor’s team has been making progress. According to the city of Boston’s homeless census, the number of homeless veterans decreased by 34 people, from 228 veterans in 2024 to 191 in 2025. But Proctor says her work is not done.
“We’ll be out there until every last person is safe and fulfilling their purpose in the world and not just surviving but thriving,” said Proctor.
“I have hope, you know, that’s all I need,” said Steve.
Boston has reduced veteran homelessness by 55% since 2011, which is the first year veterans were reported separately in the annual homeless census. The Pine Street Inn credits the progress from years of partnerships and resources.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
