Our First Step Street Outreach program offers life-saving alternatives to unsheltered homeless men and women who are affected by substance use disorders, mental illness and medical complications associated with life on the streets. First Step staff engage homeless people where they are in the community, and build trusting relationships. The goal is to promote human dignity and connect people with the services they need and save a life today so that recovery is possible tomorrow.

To contact a member of the First Step team, please call 617-592-6895.

The CASPAR Emergency Services Center (ESC) is a shelter that accepts homeless men and women who are actively using drugs and alcohol. At the ESC, guests receive medical and mental health care, nutritious meals, personal hygiene supplies, clean clothes, counseling and case management, as well as access to employment, housing, and treatment referrals in an environment that is welcoming and safe.

In 2020, following the advent of the COVID-19 crisis, CASPAR teamed up with the City of Cambridge to establish a second, temporary shelter, which allowed us to decongregate the Emergency Services Center—preserving our capacity to serve people experiencing homelessness while reducing overcrowding at the ESC shelter on Albany Street in Cambridge. This second site, now known as the Transition Wellness Center (TWC), is now located at Cambridge’s Spaulding Hospital. The new city-funded facility features 58 beds on two floors, and has been renovated to serve the needs of of homeless guests.

ESC Shelter Location: 240 Albany St., Cambridge. Phone: 617-661-0600.

Transitional Wellness Center Location: Spaulding Hospital, 1575 Cambridge St, Cambridge. Phone: (617) 401-4444.

The Boston Night Center is an overnight drop-in shelter for men and women experiencing homelessness. This shelter is open every night of the week and has a capacity of 60 individuals.

Unlike traditional shelters, those admitted may leave and come back throughout the night. There are no beds at the Night Center, so couples who use the shelter may stay together throughout the night. Access to the center is on a first come, first served basis until capacity is reached.

Location: 31 Bowker St.
Hours: 8:30pm - 6:30am
Phone: 857-296-0322

The Warming Center is a welcoming and safe drop-in center where unsheltered adults can come and spend the night and be safe from the environmental hazards of the street during the winter months. The Center is open 11 hours each night, from November to mid-April. Access to the shelter is on a first come first serve basis until capacity is reached.

The Center offers a safe space, with beverages and a hot meal, access to bathrooms and shower, and the ability to rest on a yoga mat on the floor.

Each night, guests may talk with expert staff to get a referral to physical and mental health care, addiction treatment services and housing services. When the Center closes in the morning, all guests are offered a ride to a local daytime shelter.

Location:

The Warming Center is in the basement of the Cambridge Senior Center, 806 Massachusetts Ave. (Access is solely through the rear parking lot on Green Street)

Phone: 857-292-1870

The Medeiros Center is a day shelter specifically for adults experiencing homelessness. At the Center, individuals can spend the day participating in recreational and therapeutic activities, facilitated by skilled case managers who can refer participants to housing, medical and mental health care resources, as well as addiction treatment.

Location: 1960 Washington St. in Roxbury
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8am - 3pm
Phone: 617-619-6960

The Boston Tenancy Preservation Project (TPP) assists people with disabilities who are at risk for eviction. TPP services are offered to those Boston residents who come to the attention of the Boston Housing Court due to serious lease violations which jeopardize their tenancy. The diverse TPP team of experienced clinicians works with participants, court staff, and housing management staff to address the specific lease violations and to develop individualized plans that address the underlying cause of the lease violation.

For more information about the Tenancy Preservation Project, please call 617-788-6211

Bay Cove helps connect seniors and/or disabled adults with subsidized housing for individuals and couples in six locations throughout Boston. For information about the various buildings (including eligibility requirements and application processes) please contact us.

Contact: Anne Jarvis, Director of Congregate Housing for Seniors
Phone: 617-830-5202
Email: ajarvis@baycove.org

Bay Cove operates time-limited, subsidized housing for homeless men. The goal is to place residents into safe and affordable permanent housing. We provide case management, housing search, and stabilization services to the individuals in this program.

Location: 360 Huntington Ave (5th floor), Boston
Referrals: All program participants must be directly referred to our program from a Boston shelter. Phone: 617-247-8956

Bay Cove operates three Permanent Supportive Housing Programs for formerly homeless individuals in Metro Boston. We do not take referrals for these programs directly, however--persons wishing to apply for these programs must go through the referral pool for the funding agency. These agencies are:

● The Massachusetts Department of Mental Health

● The Boston Department of Neighborhood Development Coordinated Access System

● Massachusetts DHCD Coordinated Entry

● HomeStart's Vacancy Clearinghouse