Join Havurah on the Hill and co-sponsors ReachOut! for a lay-led, non-denominational Kabbalat Shabbat service in Vilna Shul’s historic sanctuary. Following the service we will hear from 2 guest speakers: Rebecca, a young woman who has experienced homelessness. Rebecca will discuss how she became homeless, what it was like, and what she is doing now. We will also hear from Caitlin Golden, the outreach Coordinator at the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance, about what the state and other organizations are doing to combat homelessness.

Rebecca is a 22-year old self-proclaimed comedian, a writer, and a speaker for the Massachusetts Faces of Homelessness Speakers' Bureau. After being homeless on and off since 2005, Rebecca currently lives in Somerville with her two best friends and a cat named Henry.

Caitlin Golden is the Outreach Coordinator at the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance (MHSA), where she engages communities across the Commonwealth in ending homelessness through Social Action Massachusetts, the MHSA Young Professionals Group and other initiatives. She has a Master in Theological Studies, with a focus in religion, ethics and politics, from Harvard Divinity School, and a background in religious studies, philosophy and the intersection of faith and social justice.