Graduating from a hard past, commencing a new life

Shelter celebrates 125 who complete training programs

Graduates applauded Governor Deval Patrick's speech yesterday as Pine Street Inn held graduation ceremonies for men and women who completed training in food services or building maintenance or a job-readiness program. (PAT GREENHOUSE/GLOBE STAFF)

Leland Calhoun's journey took him through a Roxbury park, where he spent the night after being evicted from his apartment more than two years ago. Then it took him through a recovery program, where he learned to face his addiction to drugs. The journey reached another level yesterday on a stage outside the Pine Street Inn, where Governor Deval Patrick handed him a certificate for completing several job training programs.

Calhoun was valedictorian of a class of 125 graduates, most of whom are residents at the Men's Transitional Housing Program, a substance abuse treatment center on Long Island in Boston Harbor.

"This rekindles childhood dreams and makes me believe I can be anything I want to be," Calhoun, 34, said, speaking before about 400 people. At the end of the 15-minute speech, he caused a few teary eyes when he spoke of how his family inspired him through the tough times. As he walked off the stage, Patrick hugged him, and the crowd stood and cheered.

It was the eighth year the shelter has held graduation ceremonies for men and women who complete training in food services or building maintenance or a job readiness program. Dressed in black caps and gowns, about 80 graduates, ranging from young adults to the elderly, walked in single file to their seats in front of the stage as family members took photos.

Most of the graduates posed next to Patrick for pictures, as the governor handed them their certificates.

Some of the 125 who graduated this year could not attend because they were working or had prior commitments.

While the men who graduated attend the two-year program on Long Island, several women who graduated yesterday were referred to the job training program through other agencies, such as the Women's Lunch Place, said a spokeswoman for the Pine Street Inn, which hosts the food service training program.

Consistent with past years, roughly 45 percent of the graduates have obtained jobs at area businesses and organizations, including The Vitamin Shoppe and Babson College.

Patrick told the audience the program fits "the common sense notion that we should try to address the whole person."

"We need more strategies like these," he said.

Soon after he was elected, Patrick named a commission to study and make recommendations to end homelessness across the state. State Representative Byron Rushing, who attended yesterday's graduation, was appointed cochairman.

The commission of elected officials and community activists crafted a report in January that advocates the creation of a new system focused on housing and moving from shelter beds to housing units.

The commission's recommendations were forwarded to a new entity, the Interagency Council on Homelessness and Housing, chaired by Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray. The commission requested $10 million to implement the proposals, money that has been approved in the preliminary House and Senate budgets.

In closing, Patrick told the graduates, "get up and stay on your feet, because you deserve to be there and somebody loves you."

After the ceremony, Calhoun, who completed all three programs and works as a cook for WBZ-TV, said: "The streets were winning in my life, and . . . I just decided to ask for help. . . . I'm hoping people will view us differently, not to treat someone who is homeless or has substance-abuse issues like they are invisible."