6-10-26 — An Address by Lori Stewart, Housing Stability Coordinator, City of Salem
At the Samaritan Charitable Society’s Community Partners Gathering on June 10, 2026, at the Hawthorne Hotel, attendees heard a powerful reflection on the realities of housing insecurity, the importance of timely intervention, and the remarkable partnership between the City of Salem and the Samaritan Charitable Society.
Drawing on both her professional experience and her own personal story, Lori Stewart demonstrated how timely, flexible support can remove the final barrier between a person in crisis and lasting stability.
Lori’s remarks remind us that preventing homelessness is not solely the work of government or nonprofit organizations—it is a community responsibility, strengthened by partnerships that ensure help reaches people when it matters most.
“Good evening,
My name is Lori Stewart, and I’m the Housing Stability Coordinator for the City of Salem. I want to thank the Samaritan Society for inviting me to speak about my work and the partnership that has evolved between the City and the Samaritan Society, especially surrounding the work that I do with housing stability.
What exactly does my job entail? I work to keep people happily housed. I fight involuntary displacement by helping Salem residents access resources, navigate systems, and stabilize their situation. I work to find housing for those without it or those who need to relocate, while also working on policy and partnerships that prevent housing instability in the first place. Direct services include housing searches, resource identification, and basic legal guidance to help them navigate legal issues in a system with limited access to attorneys. Each year, I serve more than 600 unique Salem residents experiencing some form of housing insecurity.
I have personal experience with the Samaritans as well. I grew up here in Salem and experienced housing instability myself. While I was living in public housing, a friend from my church helped me to get assistance from the Samaritans for my son and me when we needed it. I use that lived experience to guide the housing stability work I now lead—helping other Salem residents stay housed and supported. So, when I say that small, timely help can change everything—I know that firsthand.
Today, I want to share how a partnership in Salem is helping us respond to those moments quickly, compassionately, and effectively. In Massachusetts, we are lucky to have strong systems to support housing stability. We have a program that provides rent assistance; first, last, and security deposits; and moving expenses. We have many affordable housing programs and good legal protections. But those systems aren’t always built for immediacy. The systems are complicated, as most systems are, with income limits and often rigorous requirements that eliminate many people.
And the reality is that the need in Salem is significant. More than half of renters in Salem are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing, and 4 out of 10 households, including property owners, are cost-burdened. So, when we talk about people on the edge, this isn’t a small group. It’s a large part of our community.
What I often see are situations like these:
- Someone who is just a little over the income limit;
- Someone who needs help this week, not in a month;
- Someone who can solve the problem if they just get over one hurdle.
Without help at that moment, things can unravel quickly. Sometimes, the difference between staying housed and becoming homeless comes down to something very small. When we look at those numbers, it’s clear: this is not something any one program or department can solve alone. The City of Salem is doing everything it can to respond to this level of need.
Over the past few years:
- We established my position as a permanent role to ensure ongoing, dedicated housing stability support.
- We launched a one-year, guaranteed basic income pilot, providing $500 a month to 100 Salem residents.
- We continue to fund programs like our housing legal drop-in clinic, connecting residents with free legal support.
- We also prop up many non-profits that serve Salem residents through our Community Development Block Grant funds.
These are meaningful, important investments. But even with all of that, there are still moments when the system and programs can’t move fast enough. And that’s where partnership becomes essential.
In Salem, we’re incredibly fortunate to work alongside local groups like the Samaritan Society, which can step in at exactly the moment when people need help—when a bill can’t be paid, when a crisis hits, when there are no other options left. The Samaritans provide support that government programs often can’t, whether it’s helping cover rent in a crisis, keeping utilities on, or stabilizing a household before things spiral into homelessness. They are not a separate system—they are a critical part of how our housing stability system works. And, in many cases, they are the reason people can keep their lives on track.
This is where the Samaritan Society of Salem comes in. For nearly 200 years, this private group, made up of people in this community, has quietly—and generously—stepped in to help neighbors in crisis.
- The Samaritans provide one-time grants of up to $1,000.
- Requests for funding come from their community partners.
- They can meet unusual needs and have no restrictions.
- The funds are available immediately, when timing matters most.
- And the support is delivered with trust, dignity, and care.
From the City’s perspective, I help identify residents who would benefit from this support and request assistance for them. But what makes this partnership so powerful is the trust behind it: The Samaritans trust the city staff to identify real, urgent needs. And we trust them to respond with flexibility and compassion.
The generosity of the Samaritan Society is real, immediate, and life changing. What’s remarkable is how much impact a relatively small amount of money can have. A grant of $1,000 can:
- Cover a rent shortfall and prevent a painful and destructive eviction;
- Prevent a utility shutoff;
- Or remove a barrier that stands between someone and stable housing.
I’ve seen this happen again and again—too many examples to count in the past three and a half years. But one story really stands out. It’s about a woman I’ll call Francine.
Francine is a 65-year-old woman living with a disability. She was homeless for more than three years after the home she was living in was sold. Living without a fixed address for years means never having a place to fully call your own. It means moving constantly, adjusting to new spaces, new people, new expectations. And even when you have somewhere to stay, you know it’s temporary. That sense of instability, of always being in-between, is incredibly hard to carry.
During those years, she moved from place to place—staying with friends, sleeping wherever she could—I worked with her to fill out every income-based housing application we could find. Then she received life-changing news: She was approved for a senior housing unit through the Salem Housing Authority. After years of instability, she finally had a permanent place to call home. But there was one final barrier. She was told she needed to provide her own refrigerator. She had already used all of her RAFT benefits for other expenses such as moving and rent. There were no other immediate resources available. And without that refrigerator, she couldn’t move in. So, something very small stood in the way of something very significant.
Through this partnership, I was able to submit a request to the Samaritan Society and identify a refrigerator through one of their local vendors. Within days, it was purchased and delivered. And because of that, Francine moved into her home. That moment—that refrigerator, delivered at exactly the right time—only happened because of the Samaritans. And this is what your support makes possible.
It’s not just financial assistance. It’s removing the last obstacle between someone and stability. And when we do that, we’re not just helping in the moment—we’re changing the trajectory:
- From homelessness to housing;
- From uncertainty to stability;
- From surviving… to living.
Again and again, we see that small, timely support prevents much larger crises. To those of you here who support the Samaritan Society, this impact is because of you. Your willingness to step in at critical moments keeps people in their homes, reduces strain on public systems, and strengthens the entire community.
You make it possible for help to reach people when it matters most—not eventually, but immediately. And for someone on the edge, that timing makes all the difference. This partnership works because it combines the best of both worlds:
- The City sees the need in real time.
- The Samaritans provide fast, flexible support.
- And, together, we meet people exactly where they are.
It’s simple, but incredibly effective. At the end of the day, housing stability isn’t always about large programs or long-term solutions. Sometimes, it’s about showing up at just the right moment.
I’m in front of you today as someone who has needed that support—and now has the privilege of helping connect others to it. And this partnership shows what’s possible when a community does exactly that.
So, thank you—to the Samaritans, and to everyone who believes that a small act of support can change the course of someone’s life.
If you’re already part of this work, thank you. If you are interested in joining the work, please know your support makes a real and immediate difference. Because in Salem, we’re proving that it can.