Why a New Shelter?

Thirty-five years in a 100+ year old building, in a wetlands

The Eleanor U Kennedy Shelter was progress at its time: rather than displaced people rotating between church floors for a dry place to sleep, a vacant utility building was renovated to add bunk beds and a kitchen. However, the location is far from jobs, needed services, public transportation, and can’t be renovated. It’s also in a lowland wet area, and it smells of sewage. It has been closed due to AC failures. And the spaces are too small for safety during viral pandemics.