Company Profile
Heading Home Inc
Company Overview
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 extremely low-income individuals and families currently or formerly experiencing homelessness in Greater Boston. For nearly 50 years, we have successfully helped thousands of people end their homelessness.
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.
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.
Company History
Heading Home (formerly Shelter Inc.) was founded in 1974 in Cambridge as a shelter for individuals. Over the past nearly 50 years, we’ve become one of the area’s go-to solutions providers for families and individuals experiencing homelessness.
In 1981, Shelter Inc. opened the state’s first shelter for homeless families.
In the early 2000s, Shelter Inc. pioneered the Housing First model, recognizing that when people experiencing homelessness get and stay housed – as opposed to cycling in and out of shelters – their lives improve.
In 2008, our agency shifted our work from emphasizing emergency responses to a focus on permanent housing as our strategy for ending homelessness, resulting in a name change from “Shelter Inc.” to “Heading Home.”
In 2015, Heading Home expanded our family congregate shelter footprint, in partnership with DHCD.
In 2019, Heading Home updated our brand – updating our logo, brand colors, website, and more.
In 2022, former Casa Nueva Vida programs, families, and staff became a division of Heading Home, preserving the CNV mission, cultural identity, staff, and families. With this new division, Heading Home is the largest provider of family shelter in the state of Massachusetts.
Notable Accomplishments / Recognition
Heading Home is one of the few Boston-area homeless-serving agencies that help both individuals and families. At times, a client may shift from needing individual support to needing a family program, through reunification as an example. Our ability to offer this smooth transition, and to address the often multitude of complex contributing factors, makes Heading Home a unique and effective homeless service provider.
We will continue to be leaders in the sector until there is a safe, secure, and affordable place for everyone to call home.