‘ Serving those who have nowhere to go Alexis’s commute to work is a short hop to the margins along the train tracks where homeless people huddle, wrapped against the rain. She’s an outreach worker from CASPAR, a rare shelter welcoming clients who are actively drinking or using drugs. Alexis appears in the white van with a sandwich, a blanket, or a ride back to the center on Albany Street. Two men climb in. One stays in the small encampment—temporarily barred for bad behavior. And we roll on. “I love my job,” says Alexis with a grin. A published poet who has been working with homeless people for two years, she fills the 4-to-midnight shift most days. It is clear in every interaction that her empathy and energy make a powerful connection she can leverage to help people who need all the help they can get. She is one public face of an organization fully engaged since 1970 in saving lives and promoting healthier life- styles for as many as 1,500 men, women, adolescents and babies each year. Serving residents of Cambridge and Somerville, as well as anyone who comes to them in need, CASPAR today offers day and residential programs, including services for pregnant women and infants, and residences for men and women. A long-time recipient of grants from Cambridge Com- munity Foundation, CASPAR stands as an essential resource for those with urgent needs, beginning with a warm place to get out of the rain, a meal, and on this day, a friendly and deeply committed ally in the daily battle to get sober, get healthy, get a fresh start in life. Alexis checks out a gathering place set up by homeless people near the MIT campus in Cambridge. Because of the nature of her work, she prefers to use only her first name. Photo by David Trueblood. GRANTEE STORY CASPAR: On a Mission to the Margin 16