Breaktime’s core program is a one-year supported transitional employment program that utilizes supported partnerships to empower young adults experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity.  Our 3 unique programs, Launchpad, Liftoff, and Stable Orbit, provide young adults with the skills and support they need to access living wage jobs and stable housing.  We work closely with local non-profits, youth shelters, and short-term housing providers to identify young adults in need of transitional programming and support to enroll them in our Launchpad Program.

Launchpad is a cohort-based professional development training program focused on soft skills and financial empowerment.  As part of Launchpad, young adults receive credit counseling and can enroll in our match savings program.  Upon completion, Breaktime connects associates with local nonprofits or small businesses where they work for three months as part of our Liftoff Program. During this time, they earn a living wage of $16+ per hour for 20-30 hours per week while gaining valuable work experience with continued support from Pathway Coaches.  This process of early intervention enables Breaktime to combat long-term chronic homelessness and support young adults in becoming stably employed and housed.  At the conclusion of Liftoff, young adults are enrolled into our Stable Orbit program which provides 9+ months of continued support towards their career and education goals via Pathway Coaching.  Breaktime’s Pathway Coaches come from Boston’s top Master of Social Work programs and provide intentional  support to young adults throughout the entirety of the model.  They provide one-on-support, facilitate workshops, make community referrals, and collect key outcomes data. 

The Breaktime model is uniquely and intentionally designed to support young adults to access high-quality, in demand job opportunities while providing them with the skills, financial knowledge, and support necessary for them to acquire long-term stable housing. 

Our Values

Young Adult First

Elevating young adults' voices is a core guiding principle behind Breaktime’s work. Young adults experiencing homelessness are often silenced in their communities, but we believe in the power and potential of each young person that walks into our doors. We support young adults experiencing homelessness advocating for themselves to create change and build awareness for young adult homelessness. We use language that puts people before labels, recognizing that individuals are not defined by their experiences with homelessness. By putting people first, we show compassion, cultural acceptance, and gratitude towards each other. 

Radical Inclusion

Breaktime is an anti-racist, anti-homophobic organization constantly striving to build a Team and Board that reflect the diversity of the young adults employed in our program. Radical inclusion is “the intentional inclusion of all persons; especially people who have traditionally lived at the margins of society.” To us, radical inclusion is about creating an equitable and welcoming organization, particularly for those who are typically not included at the table. This permeates into how we make decisions at Breaktime, and we are grateful for the diverse perspectives that allow us to do so. From our Youth Leadership Board to our hiring decisions to the design of our physical space, radical inclusion is front and center in everything Breaktime does.

Collaborative Innovation

At Breaktime, we believe that many of the tools and resources to create transformative social change already exist, but need to be coordinated in the right way. We refrain from 'reinventing the wheel' and, instead, proactively build strong partnerships with other key stakeholders (including other nonprofits, government agencies, and funders) to more efficiently end young adult homelessness. We think boldly and creatively about what is possible then act collaboratively to get it done and are committed to continuous learning and growth. Rather than acting as a group of individuals, we work collectively as a team and elevate the unique perspectives of everyone in order to achieve our goals. We also believe that showing gratitude towards one another is essential in creating a healthy and supportive work environment, and allows us to collaborate with each other more effectively.