Pine Street Inn

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Exterior of Pine Street Inn's main shelter in Boston's South End

Pine Street Inn is a nonprofit organization that aims to end homelessness by moving individuals from the street into homes.[1] Based in Boston, it was founded in Chinatown in 1969[1] and relocated to its current location in 1980.[2][3]

Pine Street Inn is the largest provider of homeless services in the New England area, serving over 2,000 people per day[4] across its emergency shelter, outreach, permanent supportive housing, and workforce development initiatives.[5]

History

In 1916, Charles G. Dawes opened the Rufus F. Dawes Hotel for Men at 8 Pine Street, Boston, as a low-cost option for housing 200 homeless men. It was named for his son Rufus, who had drowned four years earlier.[6][7][8] The shelter was slated for demolition during the South Cove Urban Renewal Project in 1969,[8] however, the Association of Boston Urban Priests took over the shelter instead.[9][10] Paul Sullivan served as the shelter's first executive director from 1969 until his death in 1983.[11]

Pine Street Inn was formally named after its original Chinatown address in 1973.[8] In 1980, Pine Street Inn moved from 8 Pine Street to the Boston Fire Department's old headquarters in the South End, where the current location remains.[12]

Pine Street Inn's street outreach team was founded in 1986 when a homeless man seeking shelter died in a storm approximately two blocks from the shelter.[13]

Though shelter and outreach are prominent aspects of Pine Street Inn's service model, its ultimate goal is to end homelessness by moving individuals into homes.[3] This goal led Pine Street Inn to focus on housing sites, the first of which was developed in 1984 in Brookline and housed 26 formerly homeless individuals.[10] Pine Street continued expanding its services, and in 1993 began its food service training program.[14] The method for moving individuals out of homelessness was to provide them with assistance in job training, job placement, and finding permanent housing.[10]

The most recent addition to Pine Street's network of permanent supportive housing sites is The Lyndia, located at 3368 Washington Street. For this project, Pine Street Inn partnered with the Community Builders to transform an old administrative/warehouse building (belonging to the former). Completed in 2025, the development included 202 apartment units: 140 units going to Pine Street's housing program, and 62 units set aside as affordable housing for families.[15][16]

Pine Street Inn's upcoming housing project involves another collaboration with the Community Builders, where the two organizations plan to redevelop a hotel in Dorchester into over 100 studio apartments.[17]

Services

Emergency shelters

Pine Street Inn operates four emergency shelters, three of which are open continuously year-round, the other of which is an overnight shelter only.[18][13] Its men's and women's facilities are located in the South End of Boston.

The men's inn is the main shelter facility founded in 1969 and moved to the South End in 1980. Beside it stands the women's shelter, which was opened in 1980 in the building it currently occupies. The Women's Inn—or Yawkey House—provides shelter for approximately 120 women each night.[19]

Pine Street Inn also operates two other shelters: Shattuck Shelter, a low barrier facility at the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital in Jamaica Plain[18] and the Holy Family Inn, a sober, overnight facility.[18]

Outreach

Aside from shelter, Pine Street also has an outreach team that provides services to those on the street where they are. From 5:00 am to 9:00 pm, they are available for daytime assistance,[18] which can include providing supplies (e.g., water bottles, snacks, hygiene products, clothing) or assistance (i.e., with medical care, housing applications, benefits claims, information on staying at the shelter).[20][21] From 9:00 pm to 5:00 am, teams in vans canvass the city, where they're able to inform people that they can stay at a shelter and they can provide warm meals, drinks, and other supplies (such as blankets and warm clothes) depending on the weather.[22] Pine Street Inn also has a specific Veterans Outreach team, which provides the same support for homeless veterans.[21]

Permanent supportive housing

Pine Street Inn develops and operates permanent supportive housing for individuals transitioning out of homelessness.[16] These housing units are offered at subsidized rates to lower-income residents.[23][24] Permanent supportive housing includes on-site staff and services to assist residents with maintaining stable housing.[25] In March 2025, the completion of a new housing development brought Pine Street Inn's total to more than 1,100 units of housing for individuals moving out of homelessness.[16][26]

Workforce development

Pine Street Inn's workforce development programs include job training initiatives for individuals experiencing homelessness.[27] These programs train participants for careers in areas such as food preparation, building maintenance, and hospitality. Training includes both classroom instruction and hands-on work experience, including apprenticeships in areas such as food service and housekeeping.[28] Participants also receive instruction in skills such as financial literacy and workplace readiness.[29] The organization's food service training program began in 1993 and has continued to the present day.[14]

References

  1. "Recognizing Pine Street Inn's mission to end homelessness | Boston.gov". www.boston.gov. 2019-11-22. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  2. Johnston, Katie (May 10, 2015). "At the intersection of have and have not: New high-end development all but surrounds the Pine Street Inn". Boston Globe. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  3. "Home". Pine Street Inn. Retrieved 2026-03-31.
  4. Kavanaugh, Kerry (2025-11-07). "As temperatures drop, Pine Street Inn faces growing demand for homeless services". Boston 25 News. Retrieved 2026-03-29.
  5. "Our Programs". Pine Street Inn. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  6. Times, Special to The New York (1913-04-21). ""DOWN-AND-OUT" HOTEL.; Will Be Charles G. Dawes's Memorial to Son, and Cost $100,000". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  7. "Rufus Dawes Hotel". The Boston Globe. 1951-04-24. p. 44. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  8. Flynn, Dorothy Anne (May 1983). "Sheltering our homeless : individual and institutional responses to the moral imperative". MIT Libraries.
  9. Reporter, Special to the (2026-02-18). "RIP, Rev. Msgr. Francis Kelley, the Pine Street Inn's North Star". Dorchester Reporter. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  10. Haywoode, Alyssa (2014-12-03). "Pine Street Inn shifts from beds to housing". CommonWealth Beacon. Retrieved 2026-04-13.
  11. Tolman, Lynne (July 11, 1983). "Paul D. Sullivan, 48, director of Pine Street Inn for homeless". Boston Globe.
  12. "South End gentrification makes for variety of residents - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2026-03-29.
  13. Farrar, Molly (2026-02-24). "Dozens of volunteers canvas Boston for homeless people outside as blizzard bears down on the city". Boston.com. Retrieved 2026-03-29.
  14. Doten, Patti (February 9, 1994). "Recipe for a new life: Pine Street Inn program helps some homeless people find their niche in the kitchen". Boston Globe. pp. 73 & 80. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  15. Gavin, Christopher (2019-04-03). "Boston's largest homeless housing complex could come to Jamaica Plain". Boston.com. Retrieved 2026-04-08.
  16. "Celebrating the Completion of Boston's Largest Permanent Supportive Housing Project | Boston.gov". www.boston.gov. 2025-03-12. Retrieved 2026-03-29.
  17. Dwyer, Dialynn (2023-05-12). "City approves proposal to convert Dorchester Comfort Inn into housing for formerly homeless individuals". Boston.com. Retrieved 2026-04-08.
  18. "Emergency Shelter". Pine Street Inn. Retrieved 2026-03-29.
  19. "Jamaica Plain homeless shelter moves female residents to Pine Street Inn site - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
  20. "Outreach teams race to protect Boston's vulnerable in heatwave - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2026-04-08.
  21. Borghi, Brianna (2025-11-11). "At work with a Boston veterans outreach team: 'I do therapy sessions on the street'". NBC Boston. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
  22. "Pine Street Inn 'well over capacity' in recent weeks during blast of subfreezing cold, officials say - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2026-04-08.
  23. "Corporate Boston played a key role in opening new Pine Street Inn building - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
  24. "Back Bay now home to state's largest supportive housing community". Mass.gov. March 7, 2024.
  25. "Fighting homelessness, and 'not in my backyard' - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
  26. DeCosta-Klipa, Nik (2025-03-12). "New England's largest supportive housing project officially opens in Jamaica Plain". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
  27. Teehan, Sean (June 25, 2010). "Job trainees graduate, hopeful pain is in the past". Boston Globe.
  28. Valencia, Milton (June 9, 2022). "Once homeless, graduates learn job, social skills: Thursday's graduation ceremony will be the first that the Pine Street Inn has hosted in three years, since the COVID-19 pandemic began, giving participants a sense of accomplishment". Boston Globe.
  29. Fonseca, Camilo (June 15, 2024). "Pine Street Inn graduates 75 from job training program". Boston Globe.