Chapter 4: The Fragment of a Boston Home: A Wealthy Metropolis in the Throes of Unaffordable Housing

Homelessness in Greater Boston has been a recurring issue since the 1980s. Massachusetts is the only right to shelter state in the nation, which theoretically guarantees that families with children under the age of 21 must be offered a place to sleep every night. However, research shows that among the various obstacles case managers encounter when trying to assist the homeless, the fragmentation of services and initiatives is one of the most persistent limitations to their actions. At the state and local levels, coordination between service providers has repeatedly proved uncertain. These providers point to an ongoing, unhealthy competition to get funding for their shelters or service centers, which has devastating repercussions on the people they serve. Boston officials hold a difficult position, as the state capital city draws many homeless families and individuals hoping for better support, thus putting pressure on local shelters to provide more beds every night. Unsurprisingly, the onset of the pandemic worsened an already strained homeless assistance network, by forcing clients to seek shelter elsewhere due to reduced capacity and creating a new type of fragmentation. In the context of limited space, where zoning laws have relentlessly favored single-family homes in wealthy neighborhoods, Greater Boston is now facing a dire shortage of housing, while migrants from abroad continue to be drawn to its progressive social policies, hoping to find shelter from poverty and war.