Next Step Housing
and Housing Services

When we ask our guests what they want, the number one answer is always “a place to live.”  At St. Francis House, we believe that everyone has the right to decent housing.  Secure housing is essential to maintaining good mental health, sobriety, and self-sufficiency.  But a lack of safe and affordable residential space in and around Boston makes the housing search incredibly difficult, particularly for those with mental health or substance abuse issues or criminal records.  We strive to help all our guests, regardless of their circumstances, obtain appropriate housing so that they have a stable base from which to rebuild their lives.

Did you know?

• According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Massachusetts is one of the least affordable states for apartment rentals.
• There are nearly two low-income renters for every available low-cost housing unit.
• Government support for affordable rental housing has decreased by 80% in the last 15 years, while there has been a 60% increase in poor renter households.
• In Massachusetts, a renter earning minimum wage would have to work 115 hours a week to afford an average two-bedroom apartment.

Read more about our on-site housing program, Next Step and our housing services.

Housing Services

Our full-time housing counselor provides information on housing resources and assists guests in finding decent, affordable housing.  We offer services including:

• Outlining the requirements of landlords and housing authorities
• Helping guests complete applications for Section 8 housing and other programs
• Assisting with basic budgeting skills
• Helping guests coordinate their moves into transitional and permanent housing, including arranging for furniture and housewares
• Helping guests address issues that may have led to their homelessness, so that they do not recur

Through a special grant, we are also able to provide direct financial support to guests who need assistance with housing start-up costs, or to those guests with housing who are at risk of homelessness because of financial hardship.

Next Step Housing

St. Francis House is also incredibly fortunate to have supportive housing right in our building.  The Next Step Housing Program, on floors seven, eight, nine, and ten, provides single-occupancy rooms for 52 single, low-income men and women who have experienced chronic homelessness, unemployment, and substance abuse.  Upon admission, all residents must be employed at least ten hours a week, pay 30% (Karen says 35%) of their income for rent, and be living drug- and alcohol-free.

Next Step is a single room occupancy (SRO) supportive housing community.  Residents share a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, and bathrooms.  They also participate in programs such as relapse prevention groups, and benefit from the assistance of professional Case Managers and the Peer Resident Managers who live on each floor and, together with the Case Managers, provide individual support, foster community, and lead discussions around maintaining sobriety, integrating into society, and other issues of concern to our guests. 

The average stay in Next Step is 2-1/2 to 3 years, after which residents generally move into more permanent housing.