Ending Homelessness with St. Mary’s Center for Women and Children Boston
Winter Walk is proud to support the work done by our Organizational Partners (OPs), the service providers administering aid to the unhoused people that live in the cities we walk in 365 days a year. Winter Walk gives 100% of the funds raised at our Walk Events to our OPs; with walks in Boston, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and Tallahassee, we’re on a mission to grow our walk program nationally. Learn more about becoming a Winter Walk OP here.
St. Mary's Center for Women and Children
Boston, MA
stmaryscenterma.org
The Winter Walk team recently had the pleasure of interviewing members of the incredible team at St. Mary's Center for Women and Children, located at 90 Cushing Ave in Dorchester, to learn more about their work and commitment to the unhoused communities in our city.
We were so thrilled to welcome St. Mary’s Center as an organizational partner this year! We think the work you do is incredibly inspiring, and so vitally important to our community. For anyone that wasn’t able to visit your tent at this year’s Walk Event, or is reading outside of the Boston area, can you tell us about your organization?
St. Mary’s Center for Women and Children (also St. Mary’s Center or SMC) is a multi-service organization supporting women and families. We believe shelter is not enough to erase the devastation of cyclical poverty and homelessness. Our work is grounded in social justice; we empower families to achieve emotional stability and economic independence through four pillars of support: life skills, education and workforce development, behavioral health and family medicine, and permanent housing.
Who does St. Mary’s Center serve?
Since its founding in 1993, St. Mary’s Center has strategically adapted to meet community needs. Today, we serve more than 500 of Boston’s most vulnerable women, children, and families each year, working to address the root causes of family homelessness. The growing demand for our services is no surprise. Women and children make up 70% of all people living in poverty in the United States, and Boston’s housing market remains one of the most expensive in the country.
Families who arrive at St. Mary’s Center often come from communities without access to the Social Determinants of Health, including economic stability, education, healthcare, safe housing, and essential community resources and services.Ninety-five percent of our residents are women and children of color, ranging in age from newborns to sixty years old. Every family we serve has a history of trauma. Many women share experiences involving substance use or neglect, mental health challenges, immigration challenges, and fleeing domestic violence. Our integrated model of care is designed to meet these complex needs by building trust through our culturally responsive support.
SMC staff and guests at their booth during the 2025 Boston Winter Walk
We talk about this often with people, as part of our mission to end stigmas associated with homelessness - many of the unhoused people that need help are children, or families with children. Not everyone knows that families with children are the fastest growing segment of people experiencing homelessness in the US - and that was based on 2024 data. We were so honored to present you with a check for $12,423 - how will you use those funds?
Funds raised during Winter Walk 2025 will directly support St. Mary’s Center’s critical wraparound services for families experiencing homelessness, including comprehensive behavioral health care through our in-house Clinical Department.
Behavioral health clinicians and case managers are embedded across all residential programs, building trust with families by providing culturally responsive support, to ensure equitable access to services. Using a trauma-informed, resiliency-based approach, the SMC’s Clinical Department works closely with each family to provide individualized care and improve outcomes on their path to long-term stability.
What are the greatest needs St. Mary’s Center has in 2025?
In 2025, St. Mary’s Center’s greatest needs remain twofold: continued advocacy and funding. We need strong voices pushing for state and federal interventions that support women, children and families experiencing homelessness. At our center, we rely on funding to sustain and grow our comprehensive wraparound services, which include temporary shelter and assistance finding permanent housing, education and workforce development, family medicine, and trauma-informed behavioral health care. With continued support, we can break the cycle of poverty and homelessness and ensure that every family we serve can thrive on their own.
Staff and volunteers outside SMC’s location in Dorchester
What is something you wish everyone understood about homelessness?
One important thing to understand about homelessness is how quickly it is increasing, particularly among families with children. Between 2023 and 2024, the number of people in families with children experiencing homelessness rose by 39%, the largest single-year increase for any group. Overall, homelessness increased by 18% nationwide, highlighting the growing scope of the crisis and the need for solutions that support entire families.
What is something you wish everyone knew about unhoused people?
Family homelessness in Massachusetts has become increasingly visible over the past year, with a 21.5% rise in Boston alone. However, this is not a new trend, family homelessness has been steadily increasing year over year. Nationally, the crisis is just as urgent. Women and children make up 70% of all people living in poverty in the U.S., and research shows strong, systemic links between race, poverty, homelessness, and family fracturing. Each year, more than 1.2 million women and 2.5 million children experience homelessness nationwide. At least 1 in every 30 children will face homelessness, with the majority being under the age of six.
How can people help St. Mary's Center?
Outside of walk season, joining forces – with individuals or other organizations - for advocacy is hugely important to us. We appreciate the opportunity to work with the Winter Walk community on our shared mission to end homelessness. Find more ways to get involved, here.
Winter Walk is a nonprofit on a mission to end homelessness in America. Winter Walk hosts walk events in major cities across the United States designed to raise funds for local service organizations while building community between housed and unhoused people, and offers educational services to the public designed to eliminate the stigma associated with homelessness. At a time when homelessness is increasing across America, Winter Walk believes that ending homelessness is within our reach – and it starts with ending stigma. Winter Walk uplifts the voices of those who have experienced homelessness, breaking down negative images and stereotypes through storytelling, education, and community building. Learn more about our mission.
