St. Francis House is a Boston, Massachusetts nonprofit and the largest day shelter in New England, serving adults experiencing homelessness and poverty since 1984. Within its holistic model, the organization offers a range of recovery and substance use support for guests working to overcome addiction. From its location in downtown Boston, it pairs help with basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter with dedicated recovery programming, clinical support, and a peer-based recovery community.
The Recovery Support Center
At the heart of St. Francis House’s recovery work is its Room to Grow Recovery Support Center, a peer-based, member-driven community launched in 2019 for adults experiencing homelessness who are attempting or maintaining recovery. The center welcomes people at every stage of the journey and supports whatever pathway to recovery each person chooses, offering peer support and educational groups in a non-judgmental setting designed to reduce the stigma around addiction. Open most days of the week, it functions as a sanctuary where guests can build connection, find mentorship, and learn to enjoy life on a new path, with members of the recovery community actively involved in its work.
Behavioral Health and Substance Use Services
St. Francis House complements its peer community with clinical and case management services for guests facing substance use and related challenges. Its Seeds of Change day treatment program is a four-week offering for guests navigating substance use and co-occurring needs, staffed by licensed clinicians who provide individual and group counseling along with ongoing clinical support. A dedicated CARE Team works specifically with guests in active substance use and addiction, offering treatment referrals, crisis intervention, and peer support, while LINK case management helps guests set and pursue goals around housing, income, and recovery. On-demand access to licensed clinicians rounds out these services, giving guests support and referrals when they need them.
A Low-Barrier, Person-Centered Approach
Across its recovery and behavioral health work, St. Francis House emphasizes autonomy and self-determination, meeting people where they are through a low-barrier approach attuned to the realities of homelessness and co-occurring challenges. Rather than treating addiction in isolation, the organization connects recovery support with the housing, employment, and medical services guests need to build stability. This integrated, compassionate model reflects its broader mission of helping people move from crisis toward lasting independence.
