Heading Home

Heading Home’s mission is to end homelessness in Greater Boston by providing a supported pathway to self-sufficiency that begins with a home, together with critical services such as life skills, financial literacy, and job training. 

Founded in 1974, Heading Home is a leading provider of housing and support services for families with children and individuals in Greater Boston – a champion of innovative solutions that move people out of homelessness. We have been ending homelessness for thousands of people for nearly 50 years, expanding from a one-room Emergency Shelter program in Cambridge to more than quadrupling in size with programs throughout Greater Boston in response to a growing demand for shelters and services. 

As an agency, our services are diverse; we provide emergency, transitional, and permanent housing, and support services, to extremely low-income individuals and families currently or formerly experiencing homelessness in Greater Boston. 82% of our 1,400+ clients identify as non-white and/or Hispanic/Latinx.

Our programs focus heavily on getting people permanently housed and sustaining that housing using an evidence-based, client-centered model. Essential support services provide the optimal foundation to support clients in achieving their goals. Such services include:

• Housing searches and placement
• Life-skills development
• Career coaching
• Financial education
• Agency-matched savings opportunities
• Assistance in obtaining essential benefits, childcare, and transportation. 

We are proud to share that for 16 years running, Heading Home’s permanent housing retention rates have been 90%+.  Last year, 97% of Heading Home clients remained housed after one year.