Pine Street Inn holds voter registration drive

Pine Street Inn, New England's largest homeless services organization, together with Beacon Communities, hosted a voter registration drive at its newest housing location at 140 Clarendon Street to encourage voting among individuals experiencing homelessness on Monday, September 30. Massachusetts Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll delivered keynote remarks at the event, presented in collaboration with MassVote and the Mass League of Women Voters. State Representative John Moran also offered remarks.

Stressing the importance of voting in the high-stakes presidential election on November 5, the registration drive addressed misconceptions about voting rights. Many homeless individuals believe that if you do not have a home, you have lost your right to vote. Encouraging this population to register and go to the polls is especially important because they have a key perspective on housing and employment issues.

Pine Street staff and representatives from MassVote and the Mass League of Women Voters provided shelter guests and housing tenants from Pine Street and other homeless services providers with the necessary resources to ensure they are registered to vote, as well as information on 2024 ballot initiatives. Representatives from the Boston Public Library also attended the event at the Lyric Stage theater on the second floor of 140 Clarendon, providing opportunities to obtain library cards and learn about library programming.