The members of the Newton Houses Book Club have been meeting on weekend afternoons in the spacious and homey living room of one of the houses, books and guided questions in hand.
We’re excited to welcome Ibrahim Jabir to the Specialized Housing community as a new live-in staff member. In this interview, Ibrahim shares what drew him to Specialized Housing, what a typical day in the house looks like, and what inspires him most about supporting residents in their daily lives. From building meaningful connections to sharing his love of soccer, get to know Ibrahim and the energy he brings to our homes.
Do you like to cook? It seems like such a simple question. Yet it’s one with nuanced answers—and for our housing community, it’s one of the most important questions we ask applicants during the interview process. Cooking and food are essential ingredients to our success as a community (pun intended).
We were visiting one of our Brookline houses recently when one house member, Mike Natale, shared that he had won an award for his poetry at his job, Gateway Arts.
Meet Kathy Amaral, a loving mom, proud grandma, talented singer, dedicated SHI staff member, and a truly radiant soul. We recently had the pleasure of checking in with Kathy to hear about her incredible life, the unique path that brought her to our team, and her inspiring perspective on working with house members throughout our community.
We couldn’t be prouder of Ian McKay, one of Specialized Housing’s house members from South Portland, Maine. This past July, Ian took on his biggest swim yet—a 15-mile open-water challenge at Lake Memphremagog in Vermont.
Our house communities are shaped by the routines and habits of our members, creating unique cultures within each home. During a recent tour of our Brookline house, program manager Alexae Connor shared a story that captures this well—she mentioned the “News Crew.”
“We realized that living alone was not going to be an option for her — she was always going to want some kind of support. So we were very fortunate to find Specialized Housing very early on. As she grows older and I grow older, it’s nice to know that she is really secure in where she lives and that her life has a pattern of its own, independent of me and the rest of her family.”
“The community of this house is the way I feel the community in the world should be. Everybody gets along and takes care of each other. That’s what you’ve formed — a wonderful community.”
