Heading Home Partners with Patriots’ DeMario “Pop” Douglas and Terrell Jennings to Put a Face on Invisible Homelessness
The partnership through 98.5 The Sports Hub draws on the teammates’ personal story. As a teenager without a stable place to stay, Jennings found an open door at Douglas’s grandmother’s home
BOSTON – SEPTEMBER 17, 2026 – Heading Home, the largest family shelter provider in Massachusetts, announced a partnership with New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario “Pop” Douglas and running back Terrell Jennings to raise awareness of the side of family homelessness most people never see.
A majority of family homelessness across Massachusetts is invisible. Families are not out on street corners. They are sleeping in cars, doubling up with relatives, and moving from couch to couch. These are our classmates, coworkers, and neighbors. The campaign, anchored by radio spots, long-form video, and social content airing across 98.5 The Sports Hub platforms, is built to change what people picture when they hear the word “homeless.”
Douglas and Jennings know that picture is wrong because they lived it. The two grew up as high school teammates in Jacksonville, Florida. When Jennings did not have a place to stay, he often landed at Douglas’s grandmother’s home, days at a time, no questions asked. Years later, the childhood friends were reunited on the Patriots roster. No one meeting them today would guess the road it took to get here. That is exactly the point.
“Family homelessness in Massachusetts rarely looks the way people expect,” said Danielle Ferrier, CEO of Heading Home. “A kid sleeping on the couch of a friend’s grandmother is one of so many instances that fly under the radar. But it’s real. Pop and Terrell are an example of what happens when a community shows up for a family, and we are grateful they are lending their story to the thousands of families we serve.”
“It takes a village, and I had one,” said Jennings. “Pop’s grandmother opened her door to me without even knowing my situation. Heading Home does that same work every single day for families across Massachusetts, and I want people going through what I went through to know there is help.”
“Terrell is my brother. Back then we were just kids looking out for each other,” said Douglas. “We are partnering with Heading Home to help prevent and end homelessness, because every family deserves the kind of support mine was able to give.”
The campaign will include on-air and streaming radio spots voiced by Douglas and Jennings, a long-form video conversation with Ferrier filmed at a Heading Home family shelter, live reads, and short-form social content. The players will also spend time on site with Heading Home families. Content begins rolling out across 98.5 The Sports Hub this fall.
“Heading Home is doing essential work every day for families across Massachusetts,” said Brett Gilmore, 98.5 The Sports Hub. “Pairing that mission with two NFL players who have lived the exact story makes it one of the most meaningful partnerships we’ve had the opportunity to arrange.”
About Heading Home
Heading Home is one of Massachusetts’ leading providers of housing and services for families and individuals experiencing homelessness and the Commonwealth’s largest provider of family shelter. With a mission to prevent and end homelessness, Heading Home provides a continuum of programs spanning emergency shelter, affordable housing, permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, homelessness prevention, and comprehensive support services. Working across Eastern Massachusetts, Heading Home helps thousands of people each year navigate barriers to housing and move toward safe, stable, affordable homes they can sustain for the long term. To learn more about Heading Home’s impact or ways to get involved, visit headinghomeinc.org.
About 98.5 The Sports Hub
98.5 The Sports Hub (WBZ-FM) is Boston’s home for sports, serving as the flagship radio station of the New England Patriots, Boston Bruins, and Boston Celtics.
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