Housing, Health, Hunger & Help: Teen Resources
Information on shelters, food, medical and legal assistance for the homeless and housing insecure in the Greater Boston area.
NEED HELP RIGHT NOW?
For help 24 hours a day, seven days week, please call 911 immediately in case of an emergency or dial 311 for non-emergency City services and information.
Safe Place
Safe Place is a national youth outreach and prevention program for young people under the age of 18 in need of immediate help and safety. Safe Place designates businesses and organizations as Safe Place locations, including YMCAs, fire stations, public buses, various businesses, and social service facilities. Designated Safe Place locations display the Safe Place sign, the universal symbol of youth safety. Teen Central, Central Library, the Jamaica Plain Branch, South Boston Branch, and the West End Branch are all Safe Place sites.
TXT 4 HELP
-Text the word “safe” and your current location (city/state/zip) to 4HELP (44357) for immediate help.
-Within seconds, you will receive a message with the closest Safe Place site and phone number for the local youth agency.
-For immediate help, reply with “2chat” to text with a trained counselor.
-It’s quick, easy, safe, and confidential. TXT 4 HELP is a free service offered to all youth in crisis.
*Messaging/data rates apply. If there is not a Safe Place in your community, you will receive information on the closest youth service organization.
Reach out for free, confidential support from trained professionals
Call: 1-800-786-2929
Text: 66008
Email: info@1800RUNAWAY.org
Website: 1800runaway.org
Download the free Range app to find out where free meals are served to youth.
Shelter Programs For Teens
- Bridge Over Troubled WatersBridge offers a safe environment for 14- to 24-year-olds who need food, a place to shower and do laundry, and someone to talk to. Bridge's outreach workers offer referrals to medical and dental care and transitional housing. There are also a few units for homeless youth in the building itself.
- Family Independence/Teen Living Program (TLP)Tel: 617-541-0944 or 617-427-9966
Group home living for teen mothers and their children who are unable to live with their families or the fathers of their children due to abuse, neglect, substance abuse or other extenuating circumstances. - Teen Parenting Program (TPP)Provides structured residential living to pregnant and parenting teens between the ages of 13-20 while allowing the teen parent families to remain intact.
- Y2Y Harvard SquareY2Y is a student-run overnight shelter that employs a youth-to-youth model to provide a safe and affirming environment for young adults ages 18-24 experiencing homelessness. This shelter is not open year-round.
- YWCA - Teen Parenting ProgramTPP is designed to support up to eight teen mothers and 16 children in apartment-style settings This program is for pregnant or parenting teens typically between the ages 17 through 21 and their children.
- Youth on FireYouth on Fire (YOF), a program of AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, is a drop-in center for homeless and street-involved youth, ages 14-24, located in Harvard Square, Cambridge.
Service Providers for Youth
Scroll down and navigate the tabbed boxes to learn about services, safe spaces, and health resources just for youth and teens.
- Boston Public Library
Teen Central -Central Library, the Jamaica Plain Branch, South Boston Branch, and the West End Branch are all Safe Place sites. The Boston Public Library is collaborating with Bridge Over Troubled Waters to coordinate efforts to connect young people who may have run away with the help they need. - Bridge Over Troubled Waters
Bridge offers a safe environment for 14- to 24-year-olds who need food, a place to shower and do laundry, and someone to talk to. Bridge's outreach workers offer referrals to medical and dental care and transitional housing. There are also a few units for homeless youth in the building itself.
Location:47 West Street, Boston, MA 02111
Phone: Office: 617-423-9575
TTY: 617-423-9575 x355
Email:bridge@bridgeotw.org - Teen Closet
The Teen Closet is a place for students to stop by during school hours to receive free of cost clothing and hygiene products.
- Boston GLASS (Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services)/Urban Youth Institute at JRI Health
Boston GLASS offers housing case management that can assist you with short-term and long-term housing. We also have some clothes and toiletries available for youth in need. Our drop-in is a safe place to hang out if you are homeless and GLBTQ. We refer homeless people who have HIV or a disability to JRI Health's Housing Options Program (HOP): (857) 399-1915 x 2404
Location:75 Amory Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02119
Contact:(857) 399-1920 x 2322 / mtamanaha@jri.org - BAGLY (Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth)
BAGLY is a youth-led, adult-supported social support organization committed to social justice, and creating, sustaining, and advocating for programs, policies, and services for the GLBT youth community. BAGLY also offers risk counseling and referrals; the clinic at BAGLY offers STD testing and referrals as well. To learn more about the clinic, see the health resources listed below or visit the BAGLY website.
Contact: 617-227-4313 / info@bagly.org
- Children's Hospital Young Parents ProgramThe YPP provides quality medical care (including health screening and immunizations), counseling and health education to teen parents and their children, teaches positive parenting skills, attitudes and behaviors, encourages teen parents to make proactive, smart decisions as they become adults, makes sure teen parents’ children are exposed to healthy development and growth through the critical first years, helps young parents find housing and complete school, and creates healthy social activities and programs to bring teen parents together.
- Massachusetts Pregnant and Parenting Teen Initiative (MPPTI)Program participants receive services tailored to their individual needs, including health and social service assessments, case management, counseling, health education, referrals, and infant/children services.
- MSPCC Pregnancy & Parenting SupportHealthy Families is a voluntary and free home-based family coaching program that supports young, first-time parents and helps them create stable, nurturing environments for their children. The program matches parents with trained professionals who visit families’ homes to provide support during pregnancy and the child’s first three years of life.
- Roca: Young Mothers ProgramServes mothers 16-24. Outreach, tailored programming and collaboration with community partners, this program helps young mothers transform their lives and create better future for their children
- Teen Living and Young Parent Support programsTeen Parenting Program (TPP) and the Young Parent Support Program (YPS) are DCF-run programs available to mothers and fathers and may include, but are not limited to outreach, case management, transportation, independent living skills training, parenting skills training, domestic violence education and counseling, substance abuse counseling, and child development education.
- Teen Parents: Your Rights Under Welfare ReformMassachusetts legal aid programs put together this website to help you find practical information about your legal rights in Massachusetts. If you are under age 20 and pregnant or a parent, follow the link to learn about your legal rights.
- Programs for Teen ParentsMass Alliance on Teen Pregnancy's resource list for teen parents in Boston and nearby.
- Boston Area Rape Crisis CenterThe Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC) offers support to survivors of sexual assault.
24-Hour Hotline: 1-800-841-8371
Telephone: 617-492-8306
TTY number: 617-492-6434 - Casa Myrna VazquezCasa Myrna provides shelter and support services to survivors of domestic violence.
Hotline: 1-877-785-2020
TTY number: 877-521-2601
Email: support@casamyrna.org
If you are seeking immediate help for an abusive situation, please contact the 24-hour SafeLink Hotline at 1-877-785-2020 (toll-free)
SafeLink TTY: 1-877-521-2601 - Crisis Text LineText REASON to 741741.
Free 24-hour, confidential text line which connects you to a trained counselor at the nearest suicide crisis center. - HopelineIf you are in crisis or considering suicide, you can chat with a trained and certified volunteer. If you or someone you know is currently in danger, please dial 911 immediately.
Hotline: 1-800-442-HOPE (1-800-442-4673)
Email: support@imalive.org
Chat: https://www.imalive.org - The Trevor Project 24/7 Hotline866-4-U-TREVOR
The Trevor Project operates the only nationwide, around-the-clock crisis and suicide prevention helpline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. The Trevor Helpline is available as a resource to parents, family members and friends of young people as well.
Health Resources for Youth
- MGH Roca Adolescent Health CenterThe MGH Roca Adolescent Clinic introduces high-risk young people to the health care system with an age-appropriate and culturally sensitive approach to care. Provides comprehensive health risk assessments, STD testing and treatment, HIV testing, and counseling and contraceptive services to young men ages 18-24.
Phone: 617 887-3789
Email: lbetancourt@partners.org
Location: Chelsea, Revere, Charlestown - Peer Health Exchange - BostonClinic locations in Boston and hotlines and websites for tough topics like pregnancy, eating disorders, sexual assault, STDs/HIV, LGBTQ, and more.
Phone: 857-239-0658
Location: 745 Atlantic Ave, 8th Floor, Boston, MA 02111
- Boston GLASSOffers Behavioral Health Services, HIV/STI Counseling & Testing, and other services to LGBTQIA youth.
Hours: Mon, Tues, Thurs 1:00 - 8:00 p.m., Wed 1:00 - 7:00 p.m., Fri 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Phone: 857-399-1920 x2322
Email: outreach@jri.org
Location: 75 Amory Street, Garden Level, Boston, MA 02119 - Children's Hospital Disorders of Sex Development and Gender Management ServiceSupport and treatment for infants, children, adolescents and young adults with disorders of sexual differentiation (DSDs) as well as transgender youth.
Phone: 617-355-4367 - The Clinic @ 620 (part of BAGLY)The Clinic at BAGLY is a free clinic offering HIV/STI testing and treatment for LGBTQ youth up to age 29. They also provide referrals to primary and mental health care as well as health insurance enrollment assistance.
Hours: Mon-Thurs 4-7 p.m.
Phone: 617-227-TEST (8378)
Email: testing@bagly.org
Location: Community Church of Boston, 565 Boylston St #2, Boston, MA 02116 - The Meeting PointThe Meeting Point is a collective of mental health practitioners committed to meeting the needs of underserved populations, including GLBTQ identified individuals, youth, and families.
Hours: Vary depending on provider or group.
Phone: 1-877-207-8479
Location: 3464 Washington Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 - Peer Health Exchange - BostonClinic locations in Boston and hotlines and websites for tough topics like pregnancy, eating disorders, sexual assault, STDs/HIV, LGBTQ, and more.
Phone: 857-239-0658
Location: 745 Atlantic Ave, 8th Floor, Boston, MA 02111 - Sidney Borum Health CenterClinic serving LGBTQ youth ages 12-28 1/2. Offshoot of Fenway Health.
Hours: Mon-Thurs 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Fri 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ; Behavioral Health 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Phone: 617-457-8140
Location: 75 Kneeland St., Boston, MA 02111