Boston, MA – November 23: Mayor Michelle Wu speaks to the media after she signed a measure to divest city funds from the fossil fuel industry on November 23, 2021, at Boston City Hall. (Photo by David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Mayor Michelle Wu announced Thursday that the city of Boston has been awarded $16.5 million in federal funding over three years to address homelessness.
She said the money will be used to build on the city's housing-centered approach to the crises of homelessness, substance abuse disorder and mental health centered in the area of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard.
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“This unprecedented federal grant is a recognition of our coordinated approach to the crisis of unsheltered homelessness and will allow us to work with the Commonwealth and providers to expand on the progress we have made,” Wu said in a a statement. “This funding will allow us to create more stable housing options for those who need it most, and provide wrap-around services to support them in their transition to permanent housing. We are grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration for recognizing the successes we are having and for this commitment to our approach.”
The funding will be distributed among several organizations that provide services and housing to the homeless.
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Eliot Community Services will receive $6,269,520 over three years to house 105 individuals from the Mass. and Cass area or other high-risk settings, either currently or recently unsheltered, who need both respite from the streets, medical stabilization, and a pathway to more permanent housing.
The Boston Housing Authority will receive $5,302,517 to create 45 flexible low-barrier housing vouchers, and 47 new stability vouchers, and leverage 45 mainstream vouchers to provide 137 housing opportunities for individuals or families with severe service needs.
Family Aid Boston will receive $1,846,694 to place 10 families with high service needs in transitional housing for 90 days and work toward permanent housing placement.
Ecumenical Social Action Committee will receive $1,789,110 to house 16 Youth-Young Adult households, with a focus on underserved youth, young parents, and LGBTQ+ youth who are least likely to seek shelter and services due to safety issues in the adult and family shelter system.
Pine Street Inn will receive $1,320,000 over three years to stabilize 75 clients in Boston Housing Authority public housing and provide housing navigation and stabilization services.
The grant also leverages over $18 million to support health care organizations to provide services and address the needs of the homeless.
