Although the YMCA itself receives its funding from a number of companies, including the United Way, the housing center is funded by the state of Massachusetts.

Some residents pay market value, $307 a month, for their rooms, but most pay 30 percent of their income in a government subsidy program, Lahti says.

Several programs are coordinated through the residence, providing both temporary and permanent housing for the homeless. Temporary housing is provided for one to six months under an emergency transitional shelter program run by the city of Cambridge.

People in need of transitional housing can find help through the Cambridge Cares About AIDS program.

Permanent housing is aided by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health for those who qualify, while the Cambridge Cares for AIDS program donates 15 additional beds.

All resident have access to counseling services and the YMCA facilities.

Most residents stay in the housing for an average of two years--although Lahti says one man has inhabited the YMCA building for 30 years.

While Lahti says the programs have suffered from recent cuts in state funding, the center has found alternative ways to renovate and improve their services.

"We came close to closing seven-and-a-half years ago," Lahti says. "In a last ditch effort they hired a human service professional and I turned them around."

The leader of the program says the center, at any one time, houses about 70 percent whites, 25 percent "people of color" and five percent Asians and Hispanics.

"[The people here] are a microcosm of what you find in Central Square," Lahti says.

Many residents credit Lahti for sustaining the program and giving them a second chance at life.

Varied Backgrounds

Tony, a recovering drug addict from Dorchester, has resided in the center for the past six months--yet he has not told his mother where he lives.

"It's okay here," said the 31-year-old former tractor-trailer driver. "I've adjusted to it a bit because I have no choice."