Homelessness & shelter
Shelter, transitional housing and basic services for people experiencing homelessness.
Residents consistently ask for more shelter beds, day centers with hygiene and food, and housing with support for youth and people with addiction.
Theme grouped and summary written with AI from this theme's resident ideas.
117 ideas across three cycles
| Cycle | Ideas | Share of all ideas | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | 48 | 3.9% | 14 of 20 |
| 2025–26 | 36 | 3.0% | 15 of 20 |
| 2026–27 | 33 | 2.5% | 17 of 20 |
Needs that keep coming back
More shelters and shelter beds
Residents in every cycle ask for more places to sleep indoors, including overnight, winter and neighborhood-based shelters.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Day centers and hygiene services
Residents ask for walk-in spaces with showers, restrooms, laundry, health services and links to other help, including in Allston/Brighton and near Mass and Cass.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Food and meals
Residents repeatedly ask for meals, food banks or food programs for people experiencing homelessness, alone or alongside shelter.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Housing with addiction support
Residents ask for housing, transitional housing or rehab-linked shelter for people who are homeless and struggling with addiction.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26
Housing for homeless youth
Residents ask for supportive or transitional housing and shelter beds for youth and young adults who are homeless or aging out of care.
Raised in 2024–25, 2026–27
2024–25
Youth and family housing dominated, often paired with calls to spend the full $5 million, alongside ideas for converting vacant buildings and building tiny homes.
2025–26
Residents emphasized overnight shelters with food and hygiene supplies, and several raised safety concerns about street homelessness and addiction, with some proposing day centers instead of enforcement.
2026–27
Ideas were fewer and shorter, centered on more shelter beds, meals, outreach and service centers, with some specific asks for young adult beds and shelter grants.
New in 2026–27
New or more specific asks include funding existing shelters' daily needs, grants for shelter beds and renovations, heating and cooling centers, mobile outreach workers, a permanent soup kitchen in East Boston and bank accounts for people who are homeless.
Funding so far
The funded Bridging the Gap housing assistance pool addresses housing stability, but no winning project yet covers recurring asks for more shelter beds, day centers with hygiene services, meals, addiction-linked housing or youth-specific housing.
Projects are linked to themes by matching each project's description to the themes; this is not an official City classification.
Bridging the Gap: Assistance for Housing Stability
2025–26 · $200,000
This proposal establishes a flexible funding pool to help Boston residents at risk of or experiencing homelessness to secure or maintain housing.
Departments that often lead this work
- Mayor's Office of Housing
- Boston Public Health Commission
Suggested with AI; not an official assignment of responsibility.
Ideas in Homelessness & shelter
117 ideas
2024–25: 48 · 2025–26: 36 · 2026–27: 33
- Hygiene facilities and supplies near Mass and CassResident asks for toilets, sinks, showers and basic supplies like soap, towels and menstrual products near Mass and Cass for unhoused people, as a harm-reduction measure.2026–27South Boston
- Use public buildings as overnight sheltersThe resident asks the City to use public buildings to provide overnight shelter for unhoused people so they can better participate in the community.2026–27City-wideSubmitted in Korean
- Portable home village for people experiencing homelessnessBuy about 1,000 portable homes to form a small village for homeless residents, with social workers on hand to help them regain independence.2026–27City-wide
- Heating and cooling centers for those without A/C or heatResident asks for heating and cooling centers for people lacking A/C or heat, or installing heating and cooling systems in buildings that lack them.2026–27City-wideSubmitted in Korean
- Meals for people experiencing homelessnessResident asks for meals to be provided to homeless people so everyone has food and can maintain well-being.2026–27City-wideSubmitted in Korean
- City funding for shelters' health and daily needsResident asks for city funding to the roughly 40 Boston shelters to support residents' health, hygiene, meals and daily activities so they do not fall further into hardship.2026–27City-wide
- Credit union bank account for people experiencing homelessnessResident proposes creating a 'Rough Patch Credit Union' offering bank accounts for people who are homeless.2026–27City-wideSubmitted in Korean
- Services and restroom for homeless youth at park siteResident suggests this transit-accessible open site for support services for homeless youth and asks for a public restroom, noting the park lacks one.2026–27Brighton
- Grants for shelter beds and shelter renovationsThe resident asks for grants so shelters can add beds and renovate existing facilities, keeping homeless people safe in winter and making parks safer.2026–27City-wide
- Better housing for homeless residents and fix housing lotteryThe resident asks for funding for better housing for homeless people and residents, and for improvements to the housing lottery system, so people can live safely off the streets.2026–27City-wide
- Makeshift housing for people without homesThe resident asks the city to find or provide temporary housing for people who have no place to live, so nobody has to live outside.2026–27City-wide
- More young adult shelter beds, away from one siteAsks the city to add shelter beds specifically for young adults, preferably not located near a particular Southampton Street facility.2026–27City-wide
- More shelter beds for people who are homelessAsks for more shelter beds for homeless residents.2026–27City-wide
- More shelter bedsAsks for more shelter beds.2026–27City-wide
- Place to help people living on the streetAsks for a place created to help people who live on the street.2026–27AllstonSubmitted in Portuguese
- Support for people without housing, clothes or foodGroup chose housing as its issue, noting many people lack a place to live, clothing and food, and wants to gather resources to support them.2026–27City-wideSubmitted in Spanish
- Permanent home for East Boston Community Soup KitchenResident asks for $2 million to secure a permanent year-round East Boston Community Soup Kitchen center offering meals, groceries, housing support, healthcare connections, and refuge for people experiencing homelessness.2026–27East Boston
- Homeless service center with mobile outreach workersThe resident asks for a homeless service center with mobile workers who meet people where they are.2026–27City-wide
- Community center providing food to homeless peopleResident asks for a community center that provides food to people experiencing homelessness.2026–27DowntownSubmitted in Korean
- Housing for homeless people near Melnea CassResident asks for help getting homeless people housed near Melnea Cass Boulevard.2026–27South End