Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program

01/23/2026

The City of Boston has declared a cold emergency this weekend, and the inclement weather poses a particular threat to people experiencing homelessness. Extreme weather events like this can have fatal consequences, especially among our rough sleepers who primarily live on the streets.

Some helpful tips to help those in need:

First, you can encourage them to access warming centers that can be found across the city (see link below), or consider using emergency shelter services at either Southampton Shelter or Woods Mullen Shelter (for men and women respectively).

Second, you can offer essential items like gloves, hats, scarves, or gift cards to buy a warm drink or meal somewhere inside.

Third, if someone is unresponsive and needs medical attention, please call 911. If it’s a non-medical emergency, call 311, which enables the city’s outreach team to respond to the situation.

For more info, please read the City’s guidelines on the cold emergency. A little kindness during this challenging time can go a long way! https://bit.ly/49Q0e5M

01/20/2026

Looking for a fun and hands-on engagement activity with BHCHP? Look no further!

Every Wednesday afternoon, we invite 4-8 employees from Boston-area companies to lead Bingo games with our medical respite patients. Bingo is deeply cherished by our patients and helps boost their morale as they recuperate and heal from their ailments. It’s one of several tangible ways companies can make a difference in the lives of the patients we’re honored to serve every day.

Join us for a program tour to see our work in real life and gain a deeper understanding of the complex health needs of our patients, followed by an uplifting afternoon of Bingo!

To learn more and to sign up for a timeslot, please reach out to Edith Gregory, Corporate Relations Manager, at egregory@bhchp.org

Photos: Vertex, Champion Builders, Asymmetry Group, and Tectonic Therapeutic

01/07/2026

The Winter Walk is taking place this February 8th, and we hope to see you there! Get together with your friends, family, or colleagues and join BHCHP and numerous other organizations serving Boston’s unhoused community for a day of awareness building and community support.

All funds raised by registering with BHCHP will directly support our work, and we’re grateful to each one of you for rallying your support to bring lifesaving health care to our patients. To learn more and register, please click here: https://bit.ly/4jtNG8H

01/01/2026

From all of us at BHCHP, we wish you a happy and healthy new year!

We’re eager to welcome 2026 with you by our side, united in our mission to provide the highest quality health care to anyone experiencing homelessness in Boston.

Your steadfast support has made our lifesaving work possible, and we’re so grateful for your care and commitment to helping others. Here’s to a new year of hope, compassion, and care. Thank you for being part of it.

12/30/2025

About a year ago, our team from BHCHP’s satellite clinic based at Massachusetts General Hospital first met Keith while he was inpatient at the hospital. This MGH-based team cares for the unhoused in and around the hospital and provides consults to MGH physicians who need BHCHP’s expertise.

Keith was in bad shape, suffering from pancreatitis and a longstanding substance use disorder. Right away, we helped Keith sign up for health insurance and food stamps, and once he was discharged, Keith began seeing us regularly for medical care, individual therapy, substance use treatment, and medication management.

Although the commute from his sober house to the clinic is long, Keith says, “I will never go anywhere else for my care. I feel comfortable at the BHCHP clinic. The way they treat and talk to me is like nowhere else.”

Thanks to your generous support, Keith is healing and rebuilding his life. He has stopped using drugs or alcohol, works a full-time job, and started reconnecting with his daughter. Your care and commitment to BHCHP makes lifechanging work like this possible.

Please consider making a year-end gift to help us ensure that compassionate care remains available to our most vulnerable, yet resilient neighbors. https://bit.ly/3Yi5PMY

12/27/2025

Our patient William’s story reminds us that anyone can find themselves homeless after going through a bad set of circumstances. His life took a dramatic turn after his wife passed away from brain cancer, his business collapsed during the pandemic, and he relapsed into substance use after years of sobriety.

No longer able to pay rent anymore, he began sleeping on the streets. Then, he was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer. He started an aggressive course of outpatient chemotherapy and needed a safe place to rest and heal. That’s when BHCHP’s 103-bed 24/7 medical respite facility came in.

For William, Barbara McInnis House has been a lifeline. His team skillfully manages his severe cancer pain alongside his psychiatric illness. He says, “There’s nowhere like McInnis House. The staff is always checking in on me... several nurses have been through the cancer experience themselves and I’ve learned a lot about what to expect.”

Your support has made it possible for patients like William to receive lifesaving treatment when they have nowhere else to turn. Please consider making a year-end donation to BHCHP to help us advance our mission. https://bit.ly/44Lqlcl

12/24/2025

Happy Holidays from all of us at BHCHP!

Barbara McInnis House was alive with the holiday spirit yesterday, thanks to generous donors, staff, and volunteers! As has become tradition, at our annual holiday celebration, each patient received specially-donated gifts of sturdy backpacks and warm hoodies, and our dining services team also had plenty of cookies and eggnog ready!

It’s always heartwarming to see our patients’ faces light up with smiles during this event, and you make it possible for us to spread the holiday cheer around.

Our most sincere gratitude to the communities of St. Cecelia Church (Boston), St. Eulalia Church (Wi******er) and St. Ignatius Church (Chestnut Hill) for their longstanding support with these gifts over the years as well as their additional presents for children cared for by our Family Team and the adults in shelter or on the street.

With the new year almost upon us, we share our warm regards to all of you who continue to give to BHCHP, in whatever capacity you can, because you make a difference in our patients’ lives. Thank you, truly, for being there for us 💙

12/21/2025

Today is National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day and we stand together in remembrance of those we have lost this past year. This past Thursday, our staff and patients gathered for a candlelight vigil in the lobby of our main facility located in the South End. Poignant remarks were shared, followed by a moment of silence.

As you may know, homelessness is a traumatic experience that leads to detrimental impacts on one’s physical and mental wellbeing. When compared to the general population who are stably housed, those who are unhoused suffer from worse health outcomes and higher mortality rates.

We are grateful to all our partners in this work, from shelters to hospitals to other community programs. And we are deeply grateful to our donors whose commitment to our patients truly makes our work possible.

12/20/2025

Youth homelessness is often an overshadowed topic, but the need for high quality health care for unhoused young people remains high.

A little over two years ago, we met Jess at our shelter-based clinic within Bridge Over Troubled Waters (BOTW), one of our partner organizations serving this unique population. She grew up in Brockton and became homeless after experiencing family issues. Once connected with our clinic, staff helped her obtain health insurance, and she’s been receiving routine medical and behavioral health care with us ever since.

Dr. Aura Obando, medical director of the Family Team and Jess’ primary care provider, shares, “If we’re able to bolster a young person’s self-sufficiency, address the physical and mental health needs that may be causing challenges in their lives, then we reduce the chance that they progress to chronic adult homelessness. This time is a critical intervention point as we see this as prevention work. It’s truly joyful, hope-filled work, and that’s why we love working with this population!”

With your continued commitment, we can play a meaningful role in the lives of our youth patients so they have someone they can rely on and have hope for a brighter future. Please consider making a gift to BHCHP today! https://bit.ly/4qjh17J

12/17/2025

Esther’s care journey with BHCHP spans over ten years, after relocating to Boston to seek medical help for unmanaged hypertension, enduring leg pain, and poor eyesight. She has come a long way since then and is currently housed through Home Start with the instrumental help from our case manager.

She shares, “This clinic stood by me when I was just falling. It opened a new door to my life and every time I come here, I feel like I’m going to my place. It’s a blessing in my life.”

Recently, she underwent back surgery and is now receiving follow up care with our team. She is grateful to have our staff’s listening ears, warm smiles, and constant reassurances of safety and confidence. She finds dignity, hope, and healing through our services.

We need your ongoing support to continue providing vital services to patients like Esther. Your generosity during this giving season makes a big difference – you have our deepest thanks! https://bit.ly/4oXAv0A

12/11/2025

Check out this video that highlights the important work done by the BHCHP Emerging Leaders Board. https://bit.ly/3MvsP8z

As Dr. Jim O’Connell puts it, “I can’t tell you how much we have grown to love, appreciate, and really cherish all of you on our Emerging Leaders Board. Thank you for bringing such energy, care, and new life to us!”

If you’re a young professional who’s hoping to get more involved with BHCHP in the new year via a sustained leadership role, consider applying to the Emerging Leaders Board.

Applications are due December 15, and all the details can be found on our website. https://bit.ly/3v7KTg4

For over ten years, the Emerging Leaders Board (ELB) has faithfully served thousands of BHCHP's patients, through their service, fundraising, and advocacy. I...

12/04/2025

Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to our Giving Tuesday campaign – you helped us unlock the generous $50k matching gift from the Biogen Foundation!

We’re so inspired by your care and dedication to BHCHP and the people we serve every single day, be it in our shelter clinics, on the streets, or in our 24/7 medical respite facility. For forty years, we’ve withstood numerous challenges and remained strong and vibrant because of your continued support.

Thank you, truly, for being there for us and the people we serve!