Welcome to St. Francis House, the region’s largest day shelter. For 25 years, we have provided services and programs to help the poor and homeless rebuild their lives. More than 800 men and women come to us for care and counsel every day.
Members of our security staff are usually the first to welcome visitors to St. Francis House, a safe, respectful haven where guests can take shelter from the elements 365 days a year. Our first-floor Atrium provides seating for 80 people who once had to wait on the street for meals.
Many guests come to St. Francis House initially because they need a hot, nutritious meal. We serve breakfast and lunch daily.
We also provide sandwiches later in the day for those who miss lunch or need something to eat that night.
Our kitchen volunteers offer service with a smile, nourishing guests in both body and spirit.
Fran McLeod, our beloved Head Chef since 1990, knows more than half of our guests by name. Fran (foreground) and his team serve more than 1,000 meals a day.
The Day Center, on our Mezzanine floor, is like the hub of a bicycle wheel: Guests come here to sign up for the “spoke” or service they need. For some, that means a hot shower, a toothbrush, or clean, warm clothing. Others inquire about making an initial appointment with a counselor or case manager.
The Day Center has ample seating, as well as phones and computers with Internet access that guests can use to stay connected with loved ones or conduct a job search. There is also a television for watching the local news or a movie.
The Margaret Stewart Lindsay Art Studio is located at the far end of the Mezzanine floor. Here, guests can paint, crochet, weave, make masks, write poetry, and more. The popular studio was expanded in 2008; now as many as 25 artists can work at one time, exploring various media.
Linda Dolph (standing) manages the Margaret Stewart Lindsay Art Studio. A licensed art therapist, Linda helps guests deal with troubling issues and reach their artistic potential.
The second floor is home to our everyday clothing program, Fresh Threads, the Carolyn Connors Women’s Center, and the Marie L. Arky Medical Clinic. Fresh Threads provides guests with a clean pair of pants, a shirt, socks, and undergarments. Guests can also receive shoes and a warm winter coat.
Fresh Threads, like many of our departments, is grateful for the help of volunteers, who sort, fold, and arrange clothing, as well as assist guests.
The Marie L. Arky Medical Clinic, operated by Boston Health Care for the Homeless, provides approximately 13,000 appointments per year. The drop-in clinic offers a full range of emergency and preventive health services for men and women. Vision care is also available on a regular basis, and HIV testing and counseling is available two days per month.
The Carolyn Connors Women’s Center is a safe, inviting space for the women who come here, many of whom have experienced physical and emotional abuse.
Gina Dixon (left), who manages the Carolyn Connors Women’s Center, teaches guests how to remain safe and sober.
The Counseling and Mental Health departments are located on our third floor. There, case managers and licensed Master’s level clinicians help guests address a variety of emotional issues that accompany homelessness. Each guest benefits from an individualized treatment plan. Several staff members are bilingual, and one full-time case manager focuses on immigration. Three visiting psychiatrists come to St. Francis House regularly and can prescribe medication. Group therapy, such as building healthy relationships, is also available.
The fourth floor is devoted to our award-winning vocational rehabilitation Moving Ahead Program (MAP), a comprehensive, 14-week course for men and women who have experienced chronic homelessness, unemployment, substance abuse, or incarceration. MAP teaches life skills, business skills, and allows students to participate in a four-week internship in their field of interest. Students receive a small weekly stipend and 16 weeks of housing in a sober house.
MAP students also benefit from Studio Shine, an on-site clothing boutique that was the brainchild of a MAP alumna. Studio Shine provides image consulting, first-impression workshops, and professional clothing to begin a new career, including a suit for interviews. The boutique is run by a full-time image consultant who specializes in working with the homeless.
The MAP model is extremely effective: 68% of our graduates are employed within two months of graduation, and 71% remain employed after six months. In 2000, the program was recognized by the Congressional Black Caucus for excellence, and in 2001 MAP was selected by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Education Development Center (EDC) in Newton, Mass., to conduct symposiums across the country demonstrating the MAP model.
Each MAP graduation is inspiring and unique, a celebration of personal and collective achievements. Each year 100 students participate in this life-changing experience. There are more than 1,000 MAP alums.
On the fifth floor of St. Francis House, a volunteer (left) and a staff member take a break from sorting clothes. The floor is currently being used as storage space but will be built out to allow MAP to expand and double its capacity. This is a key initiative of Under One Roof, the Campaign for St. Francis House.
Administration is located on the sixth floor of St. Francis House. Our large conference room serves as a gallery of guest art. It also provides a meeting space for AA, the Food Stamp Coalition, and other organizations that help our guests.
Next Step Housing is on the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth floors of our building. Each floor features a great room (above), a common kitchen, and artwork that beautifies the space and makes it feel homey and inviting.
Next Step provides more than housing for residents. For many, it is their first real home in years. Communal dinners (both planned and impromptu) add to the family-like atmosphere.
Each resident has a beautiful room complete with a bed, desk, dresser, and nightstand. There are several bathrooms on each floor, and residents are welcome to use the fitness room on 7, the craft room on 8, the library on 9, and the computer room on 10. Residents may also use any of the services provided on lower floors of the building.
The average stay in Next Step is 2-1/2 to 3 years. Residents must attend a weekly floor meeting, work a minimum of 10 hours each week, pay 35% of their income in rent, and maintain their sobriety.
Every year, a group of young professionals called the Friends of Frank holds a holiday gift drive for Next Step residents.
The Friends of Frank also host the annual Shooze Cruise around Boston Harbor, the group’s signature event. In addition to buying a ticket, each attendee brings a pair of men’s shoes to donate. More than a thousand pairs of shoes have been collected since the cruise debuted in 2003.
St. Francis House is fortunate to have a wide variety of friends and supporters, including Joe Kennedy of Citizens Energy and his wife, Beth, who served lunch to our guests on Ash Wednesday 2009.
On Thanksgiving morning 2009, hockey fans at St. Francis House were delighted by a visit from Dennis Wideman, who plays defense for the Boston Bruins. Dennis donated 25 pies and posed for pictures with some of our staff members and residents. Here, Dennis jokes with Head Chef Fran McLeod.
Many community groups organize events to benefit St. Francis House, including the North End Friends, who hold a bake sale and flea market each spring. Last year, the sale raised more than $16,000.
Another valued partner is the Irish Committee, which has held a winter dance since 1989. In the past 10 years alone, the group has raised more than $500,000 for St. Francis House programs.
Every year, Mayor Thomas M. Menino greets and serves guests on Thanksgiving. Here, he and his grandson stand with Karen LaFrazia, our Executive Director.
Cardinal Sean O’Malley spends much of Christmas morning with our guests and offers a special blessing before dinner.
In these tough economic times, St. Francis House is especially grateful for corporate and foundation support. Bank of America, Citizens Bank, Liberty Mutual, the Boston Foundation, the Highland Street Foundation, Jane’s Trust, Margaret Stewart Lindsay Foundation, Oak Foundation, and the State Street Foundation, Inc., have all invested in our work recently. Above, Karen LaFrazia, our Executive Director (far right), accepts the 2008 Neighborhood Builder Award. Bob Gallery, the Massachusetts president of Bank of America, is at left.
All the Way Home is our largest annual fundraising event. In 2009, the year of our 25th anniversary, the dinner raised $500,000 – the most ever.
All the Way Home 2009 honored Jim Sullivan, Chairman of our Board and President of Sullivan Properties, which developed the Mercantile Wharf Building and Marketplace Center/200 State Street.
The highlight of All the Way Home is always the guest video, which tells the story of a former guest (or guests) who has reclaimed his or her life and is now independent and successful, thanks to the help of St. Francis House.
