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
- Addiction programs for people experiencing homelessnessThe resident asks for programs to help homeless people with their addictions.2024–25Roxbury
- Help for people sleeping and using drugs outdoorsThe resident notes many people sleeping on the street and using drugs and asks that the city help them.2024–25City-wideSubmitted in Spanish
- Shelter and transitional housing for homeless families and youthResident asks for funding for shelter and transitional housing for homeless families and youth until permanent housing is found.2024–25Hyde Park
- Mother and child shelter for immigrant familiesCreate a mother and child family shelter for immigrants arriving in Boston to help them get settled in the city.2024–25Mattapan
- Fund housing nonprofits instead of policing unhoused peopleResident asks the city to invest in nonprofits that provide housing access and care for people on the street without forcing recovery, rather than relying on police presence.2024–25Back Bay
- Allow Women's Lunch Place shelter to be builtResident supports allowing the Women's Lunch Place shelter to be built, arguing homelessness and addiction services should be spread across neighborhoods rather than concentrated in Black and Brown ones.2024–25Beacon Hill
- Homeless housing with addiction support programsBuild more housing for unhoused people with support programs for those struggling with drug addiction.2024–25City-wide
- Job application help for homeless residentsHelp people experiencing homelessness apply for jobs so they can become stable.2024–25City-wide
- Housing and rehab for homeless peopleFund permanent or pop-up housing and rehab/therapy for people experiencing homelessness to help them get off the streets.2024–25City-wide
- Convert vacant buildings into sheltersSpend $2 million renovating old or defunct buildings into shelters or housing projects to meet basic needs of unhoused families.2024–25City-wide
- Rehabilitation help for people experiencing homelessnessProvide rehabilitation support to people experiencing homelessness to help prevent more homelessness.2024–25City-wide
- Help homeless people get off the streetsHelp people experiencing homelessness get off the streets so everyone has a place to live.2024–25City-wide
- Donation event for people experiencing homelessnessHost an event to collect donations for people experiencing homelessness to advance social equity.2024–25City-wide
- Program providing homes and jobsCreate a program that gives people access to housing and jobs to break down systemic barriers.2024–25City-wide
- Humane solution for Mass & CassResident asks the city to address conditions at Mass & Cass humanely, noting that people there are affected by economic hardship and the opioid crisis.2024–25South End
- Support for unhoused youth, mental health, jobsResident asks for resources for unhoused youth, youth mental health support and youth jobs to help those without systemic advantages.2024–25City-wide
- Program for youth facing homelessnessResident asks for a program to support youth who are experiencing homelessness.2024–25City-wide
- Hygiene and resource spaces for unhoused peopleResident asks for spaces with showers, bathrooms, kitchen and lockers for unhoused people, even without beds, serving also as a central place for resources.2024–25City-wide
- Supports for homeless youth and familiesProvide more supports and resources for homeless youth and families to ensure stable housing, and raise participatory budgeting funding to $5 million.2024–25City-wide
- Accessory dwelling units for unhoused residentsResident asks for citywide accessory dwelling units to be used by unhoused residents so they have a bathroom and warm shelter, rather than as short-term rentals.2024–25City-wide