Homeless Shelters
From MTROLwiki
Massachusetts Resources for People without Homes
Statewide listings of homeless services including shelter, case management, health care, food, job training, substance abuse services, and transportation. The agencies listed on the site are not necessarily transgender friendly or have had transgender training, but the site does give a list of resources across the state. I would suggest calling programs and asking about their policies on serving transgender people before accessing or referring someone to them.
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[edit] Shelters: Boston/Cambridge
[edit] Rosie's Place
Update: Rosie's Place will work with Transgender women IF one is fully presenting and LIVING as a woman. In other words, if you do not have the 'look' of a woman, or are at a stage in the transition process that requires you to partially live as a man, then Rosie's Place will not accept you.
Rosie’s Place, a sanctuary for poor and homeless women 18 and over, offers both emergency and long-term assistance to women who have nowhere else to turn. Rosie's receives ongoing training on transgender issues and will work with Transgender women (MTF) with no post SRS surgery requirement.
Rosie's Place is located in Boston's South End at 889 Harrison Avenue, between Harrison Avenue's intersections with Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard. Situated near the border of Boston and Roxbury and are 1.5 blocks from Boston Medical Center.
[edit] Shattuck Shelter Jamaica Plain
170 Morton Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Emergency shelter, food, clothing, shelter and counseling is offered to 110 people each night—more than 1,000 people a year. The Shattuck Shelter also provides storage, medical care and laundry facilities and showers every night. Receives training on transgender issues. Single men's and single women's emergency shelter.
[edit] Father Bill's (Quincy)
The emergency shelter is located at 38 Broad Street. Beds are assigned on a first come, first served basis. Guests must line up outside the shelter each afternoon; intake begins each day at 4:30 pm and ends at 5:00 pm. Guests will not be allowed to check in after 5:30.
Father Bill's runs several other programs, like Shelter Plus Care, and Housing for Victims of Domestic Violence. One of the first shelters to receive training on transgender issues.
[edit] NE Shelter for Homeless Veterans
Friendliness varies; check with MTPC for current status of service.
[edit] Shelters run by the City of Boston
The following shelters are run by the city of Boston and are required to follow the "Boston Public Health Commission Protocol for Serving Transgender Guests and Health Services Guidelines for Serving Transgender Guests" Updated Protocols 2006 Updated Protocols for Serving Transgender Guests These shelters receive training on transgender issues approx. every year to year and half.
Edit on Long Island Shelter: 'Long Island' is a terrible place to be as a homeless person. It is filthy, the place smells like urine. The staff are not respectful. There are many residents living there that are fresh out of prison (rape, drugs, theft, perhaps even murder). The place is isolated and is only accessible by coach, which I hear is going to be taken away soon, causing 'guests' to have to arrive and leave by cab. Pine Street Inn guests that don't win the 'lottery' (name drawn out of a jar for a bed at PSI) are told to either sleep on a mat with the rest of the drunks, or to board a coach that will take them to Long Island.
Long Island Shelter
Boston Harbor
617-534-7101 Intake
617-534-2526 Shelter Administration
Woods Mullen Shelter
784 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, MA 02118
617-534-7101
WARNING: Pine Street Inn, 444 Harrison Avenue, Boston has a long history of placing transgender women on the men's side, staff and other guests being homophobic/transphobic and not providing safe space for younger people. They will NOT accept training on transgender issues.
[edit] Day Programs: Boston/Cambridge
[edit] On The Rise
Cambridge, MA- Day program only, accepts transgender women (MTF) with no post SRS surgery requirement.
On The Rise focuses on women who cannot get their needs met elsewhere. Most of the women who use On The Rise are homeless, but a woman who is in crisis and at risk of homelessness can use us, too. We do not have geographic restrictions, and we do not have a formal intake of any kind. You decide how much you want to tell us about you.
On The Rise's Safe Haven is a safe space where outreach workers are available to give you one-on-one support, help you connect with other resources, and provide a sounding board when that's what you need. If what you need is just a place to catch your breath, you can do that, too. If you're using our Safe Haven, we also have snacks, a shower, a nap room, and clothing available.
On The Rise is not a drop-in program. Please call (617) 497-7968 and ask to speak to an outreach worker who will assist you.
[edit] The Women's Lunch Place
67 Newbury St, Boston MA 02116, 617-267-1722
Women’s Lunch Place is a daytime shelter where homeless and poor women and their children find support, friendship, a nutritious home-cooked meal and a safe haven from the streets. There are some computers available and small library.
Boston- Drop in day program only, accepts transgender women (MTF) with no post SRS surgery requirement and will also work with *transgender men (FTM)(*reminder that it is women focused).
[edit] Cambridge Women's Center
46 Pleasant Street Cambridge, MA 02139 tel. 617.354.6394 helpline. 617.354.8807 info@cambridgewomenscenter.org
The Women's Center is an anti-racist community center for women - fighting for women's rights and against all forms of oppression.
The center offers support and safe space to women in crisis and provide a small kitchen facility containing donated food products, so that women may prepare a light meal or snack for themselves, while at the Center. There are also multiple meeting rooms with couches and chairs for women to relax, nap and rest in as needed.
Crisis intervention and peer support counseling for women are provided though our Helpline and in person at the Center.
The Women's Center also provides assistance to women in finding the programs and resources that they need locally. They offer extensive information, resources, and referral system, as well as one on one assistance. Free internet, computer access and training are available whenever the center is open, and volunteers are trained to help with job searches, finding transitional housing, etc.
The center is a women-only space, however, they are very receptive to self-identified women in all stages of transition. For details see their community guidelines. Also, they gladly offer referrals to all individuals.
Summer Hours (July through August):
Mon-Thurs 10am-8pm
Friday 10am-6pm
Saturday 10am-3pm
== Unsafe Shelters ==
Update on Pine Stree Inn: Pine Street Inn staff, for the most part, are not trans-friendly. They will purposely identify a trans person by the pronoun, call a trans person by his or her legal name just to embarass them. There are a few staff members at Pine Street Inn that LOVE to harass trans people.
Pine Street Inn, 444 Harrison Avenue, Boston has a long history of placing transgender women on the men's side, staff and other guests being homophobic/transphobic and not providing safe space for younger people. They will not accept training on transgender issues.
[edit] Helpful publications:
" Invisible Men: FTMs and Homelessness in Toronto"
The FTM Safer Shelter Project Research Team June 2008
"Transitioning our shelters: a guide to making homeless shelters safe for transgender people" by the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force
"Making Women's Shelters Accessible to Transgendered Women" Allison Cope & Julie Darke October 1999 On-line manual for domestic violence shelters, some specific to Canada, but a good guideline.
"Boston Public Health Commission Protocol for Serving Transgender Guests and Health Services Guidelines for Serving Transgender Guests" (2006, January)
"Basic Tips for Health Care and Social Service Providers for Working With Transgendered People" Gender Education & Advocacy, Inc. (2001).
"Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual And Transgender Youth: An Epidemic of Homelessness" by Nicholas Ray, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute and National Coalition for the Homeless, 2006
"NYC's Department of Homeless Services Issues a Trans-Affirmative Housing Policy" (January 31, 2006)
"Central Arizona's Transgender Policy" Uploaded to Central Arizona Gender Alliance (14 December 2008)
"Shelter Resource Listing" Massachusetts Housing and Economic Development.
