St Francis House

This place needs to close or move, its destroying the entire imagine of downtown Boston. People who come here are not really homeless, and they spend all of their day outside where they attack people, they harass women and lie around drunk all day. Not only that, but they shoot heroine on daily basis. Yes, heroine. There is an alley right in front of it, it was designed for dog walkers from Kensington and regular people traffic but now people are afraid of going into that alley because of St Francis House. On multiple occasions I saw needles and melted spoons lying around. This place is a disgrace for Boston and need to be moved.

St. Francis House is unique in the Boston area in that it offers continued training and education programs as well as transitional facilities for individuals moving ahead from trauma, addiction or homelessness. Because it is a day shelter, most of the guests are day boarders who come in for breakfast/​lunch service, art therapy, to use the walk-​in clinic, clothing center, the woman’s shelter or shower facilities. As a secular establishment, it is partly funded by the state and private donors.
Unlike other shelters in the area and partly due to its day shelter status, St. Francis House does not boast a large patronage. As a regular volunteer, I can’t say enough about the quality of service and dedication that the staff provides and their continued upbeat attitude day-​in and day-​out. There are some genuine characters but you’ll come to love them all like a close knit family.
There are many opportunities for volunteerism at the shelter and only a few key staff managing the process. Fill out the form online, it may take a few weeks but they will get back to you.

if you have to /​want to do community service and dont want to be stuck rakeing soldiers field or sweeping some hospital parking lot, go talk to brother Dan and help feed and clothe the homeless…
I actually had a blast doing this and left with a feeling of gratefullness and accomplishment.
I’m not sure how this place compares to other similar places (shelters /​kitchens) but it wasnt bad.