There are many studies that link poor health to poverty. Whittier Street Health Center in Roxbury has several ways it’s trying to address health disparities. One way is through its Lower Roxbury Coalition, which is run by Dumas Lafontant. 

Lafontant says his day is never the same.

“I am in charge of a resident-led, community-based organization and we work to address abuse and neglect among children youth and families," Lafontant said.

Lafontant calls it his life’s mission. He’s spent more than a decade as director of the Lower Roxbury Coalition. His office is inside the Whittier Street Health Center, which serves about 30,000 people a year — 91 percent of whom live in poverty.

“We know per research you can’t really get to well-being by ignoring poverty," Lafontant said. "If someone doesn’t have a job, we know that has an impact on the person's development. If someone lacks education, that also negatively impacts health.”

So people who come to see a doctor also see him, for anything from housing to continuing education. Lafontant advocates for them on all levels.

“According to the Boston Redevelopment Authority, Roxbury is the poorest neighborhood in Boston. You can imagine it can be daunting for somebody who's got a host of priorities to come here and access care," Lafontant said.

To better support families, Lafontant also runs a support group for men, with a specific focus on job and parenting skills. Men make up nearly half of all Whittier Street Health Center’s patients.

On this particular morning, Jeffrey Jean-Jacques is Lafontant's first appointment. Jean-Jacques appreciates Lafontant.

“Dumas ... looks like me, he's easy to talk to. A lot of men have a hard time asking for help, and I feel as if this is a great resource center," said Jean-Jacques, the father of twin toddlers. "I came in here to try and see if I can get some subsidized housing — paying market rent is really difficult.”

"It's always a lot harder for single dads who have custody of their children to get housing," Lafontant said. 

Lafontant's work is rooted in his own family life. When he was 10, his mother opened an orphanage inside their home in Haiti. He says watching her passion for children and families sparked his.

“She had gone to the maternity ward of the general hospital in Port-au-Prince and she was concerned about the situation the babies were in, and so when she talked about it — sort of complained ... a nurse said, 'Well, why don’t you take them home?' and she said, 'Well, I’ll do that.'"

The orphanage is still going strong and Lafontant believes his work is just as important. He sees a handful of people daily and says thousands have come to his office during his time at the Lower Roxbury Coalition.

“It’s really what can we do to address our fellow human being," he said. That philosophy is what has pushed Lafontant to keep going.