The Pine Street Inn did its part to honor America’s veterans on Saturday by revamping and reopening a home for service members who have fallen on hard times. The Hartford Street property, formerly operated by the Veterans Benefits Clearinghouse, closed several years ago amid financial difficulties.

The new-and-improved facility will serve as a jumping off point for 16 formerly homeless veterans as they search for employment and more permanent homes. 

Pine Street Inn spokesperson Barbara Trevisan said the home’s current residents will spend the next two years on Hartford St. as they get back on their feet and will receive counseling from Pine Street’s two in-house staff members, both of whom served in the military and are well-versed in the challenges of returning to civilian life.

“These [counselors] have an understanding better than anybody else having served in the military. They know what these guys are facing,” Trevisan said. “There is a definite sense of camraderie there. I’s a sense that they’re all in it together no matter what branch of the military they were in.”

Trevisan said that while former members of the military have always made up a large contingent of Boston’s homeless population - as many as one in four homeless adults have been in the military according to the Department of Veterans Affairs - America’s current recession and ongoing military actions have spurred Pine Street to extend additional services to veterans returning home.

Mark Dotson, a retired Army military policeman and new addition to Hartford St. spoke during the unveiling. Dotson called his new home a “opportunity and blessing” while he pursues an education in cybernetic technology.

“[Moving to Hartford St.] was an opportunity that has changed my life. I don’t have to worry about my next meal or where I am going to stay. I can focus on re-training and re-starting my life,” Dotson said. “We are from different walks of life and different branches of the military, but we all have an understanding of where we are coming from. We look out for one another.”

Mayor Thomas Menino, Sen. Scott Brown and State Representative Carlos Henriquez— along with other elected officials— were present during the opening ceremony and applauded the renewed effort to get struggling veterans back on their feet.

Henriquez, who lives near the Hartford St. property, gave credit to Pine Street and Menino for forming the partnerships needed to renew the program, calling the service members “a presence we always love to have in the neighborhood.”

“It’s sad when we leave our veterans out on the cold,” Henriquez said. “I’m happy to see that there’s a warm and welcoming place for them in our community again.”