Tell us about St. Francis House and the shelter at 39 Boylston, which is undergoing major renovations.

St. Francis House is a day shelter for adults experiencing homelessness and poverty and is open from 6:30 to 3:00 every day of the year. Founded in 1984, St. Francis House quickly grew from a simple bread line to a multi-service provider. Almost 600 individuals each day come to St. Francis House for their most basic and immediate needs such as food, clothing and access to medical care. We also have a number of other programs and services designed to help them reach long-term housing, income, and behavioral health stability.

Our primary service building is the original Boston Edison Electric Illuminating Company constructed in 1906. As a 10-story office tower, it is highly compartmentalized and not conducive to serving the almost 10,000 individuals who come to us each year.

To make our building more welcoming, we are undergoing major renovations of floors 1-4 to improve the experience of our guests. We want our building to reflect the heart and soul of who St. Francis House is, and the dignified life our guests can achieve when they come here. Important to our mission is the trust we develop with our guests. We help them recover their hope, see themselves as valuable, and help them believe that a renewed life of stability is not only possible, but well within their reach.

WHAT IS THE DOE NUTRITION CENTER?

Thanks to the generosity of the Doe Family Foundation, the new Doe Nutrition Center will provide a different model of food service on our second floor. Currently, the food service and dining room are located on the ground level. However, due to space constraints and operational limitations we are only able to serve meals during specific hours: breakfast from 7:30 AM 9:00 AM and lunch from 11:30 AM-1:00 PM. Guests line up, receive cafeteria trays with the pre-set meal, find a seat, and exit the dining room when finished. Meals distributed during these very narrow windows of time can be a trigger to a guest’s former institutional surroundings and serve as a barrier to our efforts to normalize his/her/their life. By creating a larger dining room and self-service meal center, St. Francis House will operate less like an institution and more like a campus/community center, where guests can eat their meals as needed and when they are hungry. Entrée options will still be served hot at traditional mealtimes, but in this new location we will be able to provide pre-made grab-and-go hot and cold options like sandwiches, salads, and hamburgers throughout the day.

Switching gears, tell us about the exciting new housing construction at 41 LaGrange Street.

The apartment building at 41 LaGrange Street was conceived more than a decade ago to help address the lack of affordable housing units in Greater Boston. Located near the intersection of Tremont and Boylston Streets in Boston, 41 LaGrange Street is critically important to the neighborhood. With the extensive revitalization of Boylston Street, Washington Street, and Chinatown, roughly 2,000 new units of market-rate and luxury housing have recently been constructed in what was considered a middle-class neighborhood until the early 2000s. But with a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood, the need to expand workforce housing and permanent supportive housing options in this area is imperative.

41 LaGrange is a 19-story, 126-unit building, offering a mix of studio, one- and two- bedroom units for a wide range of individuals and households. Seventy of the units have been set aside as permanent supportive housing and will serve individuals coming directly from homelessness. The remaining 56 units are targeted to workforce and households earning below 60% of AMI, thereby creating an integrated and diverse community.

With this new housing, St. Francis House will continue to play a large role in providing support services to the residents. St. Francis House case managers will proactively engage residents to assess their needs, identify community resources they can use, and coordinate the referrals to those services. They will also provide direct support to ensure residents maintain their tenancies. In addition, St. Francis House will have an onsite clinical case manager dedicated to addressing any behavioral health needs that may arise, and who will work closely and collaboratively with case management staff. While it is important that individuals experiencing homelessness find housing, it is equally important they receive the help they need to retain that housing.

In addition to property management and case management staff, there will also be two full-time St. Francis House resident life coordinators who will plan and implement social, educational, and recreational programs for all residents. This includes social activities, holiday celebrations, and access to community resources and educational opportunities. Due to its proximity to our main shelter at 39 Boylston, residents will have seamless access to the full range of programs and services provided by St. Francis House. Our staff will play a vital role in the lives of 41 LaGrange residents - acting as supporters, advocates, and guides to ensure that all residents are well integrated into the overall living community.

Residents will begin moving into the building in early 2026.

Importantly, how is the Doe Family Foundation supporting this important housing project?

The Doe Family Foundation is playing a critical role in ensuring the apartment units meet the day-to-day needs of our residents and has provided kitchen appliances in all 126 units as well as in the common areas. While many housed individuals may take this for granted, the ability to cook your own meals when you want restores dignity and supports a pathway to self sufficiency and independence. Further, home cooking presents the opportunity for residents to invite others to gather around the table for camaraderie and fellowship. Homelessness is an inherently isolating experience, but socialization provides a pathway to foster a sense of belonging and connection within a caring community. It creates opportunities for meaningful interaction, helping individuals transition from isolation to inclusion and build supportive relationships.

Further, studies indicate that frequent cooking at home is linked to a healthier diet. This presents the opportunity for St. Francis House staff to work with residents to improve their nutritional habits through cooking workshops that focus on healthy eating, food selection and meal planning. The Doe Family Foundation’s generous contribution toward providing kitchen appliances at 41 LaGrange reflects their dedication to empowering others to improve their lives through wellness provided by healthy eating. St. Francis House is grateful for this partnership that will enhance the lives of so many individuals.