Pamela Furr's story is one of resilience, transformation, and advocacy. It encompasses her personal journey through homelessness, her remarkable weight loss and health recovery, and her dedication to supporting neurodiversity. This article weaves together these threads, highlighting Furr's experiences and her work to uplift others facing similar challenges.
Overcoming Adversity: A Story of Homelessness and Hope
Three years ago, Pamela Furr found herself fleeing an abusive marriage with only a suitcase in hand. This traumatic experience took a significant toll on her health and well-being. Her weight and blood pressure soared, her knees gave out, and her ability to work diminished. With limited financial resources, she experienced the instability of alternately renting a room from a friend and couch surfing at her daughter's home in Boston.
"A lot of people didn’t know I was homeless; they thought I was back just chillin’ with my daughter," Furr recalled. "Just having that secret, I felt embarrassed because I was in my 50s, and I just couldn’t understand how I ended up here."
After enduring months of uncertainty, Furr found a stable home in October through Hearth, a Boston nonprofit that provides affordable housing for older adults. Furr's experience sheds light on the growing crisis of homelessness among older adults, exacerbated by factors such as high housing costs and an aging population.
The Rising Tide of Senior Homelessness
Hefty housing prices, lack of affordable homes, and an aging population have proved a potent mix. Adults 50 and older are the fastest-growing age group experiencing homelessness, comprising nearly half of the country’s homeless population, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. Federal data show a 17 percent jump in the number of Massachusetts adults ages 55 and older counted as homeless from 2023 to 2024, the most recent numbers available. Nationally, that increase was 6 percent.
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Sometimes, just a relatively small amount of money to help pay a late utility or tax bill, or basic house repairs, can prevent or delay homelessness, said Rhonda Pieroni, Hearth’s chief executive. “We found that out of 119 people we helped last year, we provided an average of $1,640 to each person to prevent them from becoming homeless,” she said.
The urgency of the situation has prompted Massachusetts lawmakers to propose various solutions to address senior homelessness. Sheri Miller-Bedau, a city health inspector in Attleboro, noted the increasing number of seniors living in their cars and the lack of available shelter space. Pamela Schwartz, the network director, said “In January alone in Hampden County, 45 people over 65 were identified as homeless, five of whom were sleeping outside,”.
Senator Patricia Jehlen is advocating for the expansion of the Bridge Housing Pilot Program, which provides temporary financial assistance to low-income adults aged 60 and older who are at risk of eviction or homelessness. Senator Julian Cyr is proposing an expansion of the state’s Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit to help residents aged 65 and older manage housing costs.
A Health and Wellness Transformation
Since securing stable housing, Furr has experienced a remarkable turnaround in her health. She has lost 30 pounds, her blood pressure is under control, and her energy has returned. This transformation underscores the profound impact of stable housing on overall well-being.
Research indicates people who are homeless age prematurely, often 10 to 20 years beyond their chronological age, as the stress of finding shelter, often while also managing chronic illnesses of aging, such as heart disease and diabetes, takes a severe toll.
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Furr's personal experience has fueled her desire to help other women facing similar challenges. "I’ve seen women sit at the bus stop and their whole life is in their backpack," she said. "I know their pain." Furr is collaborating with Hearth to explore the possibility of opening a health center that would provide meals, friendship, education, counseling, and housing assistance to prevent homelessness.
“I appreciate the help that I got,” Furr said. “I don’t want to just say, ‘I appreciate it.’ I want to do something.”
Championing Neurodiversity: Pam and the Purple Couch
Beyond her advocacy for the homeless, Pamela Furr is also a passionate advocate for neurodiversity. She is the founder of Pam and the Purple Couch, a platform dedicated to supporting neurodivergent individuals and their families, educators, and leaders.
Welcome to Pam and the Purple Couch, a space where transformation, acceptance, and empowerment meet for families, educators, and leaders navigating the world of neurodiversity. Pamela Furr is founder and Chief Financial Officer of Puzzle Box Academy and Kaleidoscope Interventions.
Furr's journey as a mother of an autistic child and the founder of Puzzle Box Academy has shaped her understanding of the unique challenges and strengths of neurodivergent individuals. Her approach combines empathy with actionable strategies to address these challenges in education, personal growth, and community integration.
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On the Purple Couch, Pamela provides a safe, judgment-free environment to help you gain clarity, find support, and develop skills to advocate effectively for yourself or your loved ones.
Pamela Furr, alongside co-hosts Dr. Manuel "Manny" Rodriguez, DBA, BCBA, IBA, Missy Owen, and Loki DePristo, lead a candid discussion on how food preferences develop and why some foods, like green beans or orange juice with pulp, can trigger strong reactions-both sensory and emotional. This episode dives into the core question: What truly makes someone a picky eater?
Creating Inclusive Workplaces
Furr emphasizes the importance of creating inclusive workplaces that value the contributions of neurodivergent individuals. She believes that businesses should reflect the diversity of society and that neurodiversity can be a significant asset in the workplace.
We now know that neurodivergence-a broad term that describes individuals whose brains develop or operate differently than neurotypical individuals, including those with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD-does not fit into just one box.
Greater access to information and improved diagnostic practices have helped doctors, as well as parents and educators, better recognize the signs of neurodivergence when it previously went under-diagnosed. An estimated 15% to 20% of the world’s population is neurodivergent. adults and 30% of adults under 30 identified as neurodivergent. According to 2020 CDC data, “About 1 in 36 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder.” In 2010, that number was 1 in 68; in 2000, it was 1 in 150. Neurodiversity is simply part of the fabric of our lives. Neurodivergent people are our friends, family, neighbors, customers, colleagues and employees, even if we aren’t aware of it.
For over a decade, I’ve built a school system tailored to neurodiverse students' needs. We're expanding our program to include a job creation program in the next year because neurodivergent individuals are often overlooked for career opportunities. They can be the most dedicated, hardworking, caring individuals but not make it past the interview stage because they think and operate a little differently than others.
Furr offers practical strategies for creating more inclusive hiring and onboarding processes:
- Review Résumés For Job Fit: Focus on how a person's education, training, and experience align with the job requirements. Be open to nontraditional career paths and transferable skills.
- Start With A Phone Call: Conduct an initial phone screening to assess the applicant's communication skills and enthusiasm for the job.
- Notice The Details In The Interview: Pay attention to details that are important for job performance, but adapt the interview style to create a comfortable environment.
- Set Clear Expectations: Clearly outline role responsibilities, workplace culture, and performance expectations from the beginning.
- Implement Job Shadowing: Allow promising candidates to shadow current employees to experience the company culture and assess if the role is a good fit.
- Create A Robust Onboarding System: Provide comprehensive training and assign a mentor to support new hires and help them feel part of the team.
Overcoming Picky Eating
The team at Pam and the Purple Couch Podcast unpacks the fascinating world of picky eaters. The conversation extends to how neurodivergent children may process sensory experiences differently and why it’s essential to avoid negative reinforcement at mealtime. Instead, the hosts explore methods to introduce new foods with minimal pressure, modeling peer behavior, and emphasizing family dinners as a time for connection rather than conflict. They also debunk myths about the "food pyramid" and discuss the importance of individualized nutrition tailored to each child's unique needs.