Overview

The Somerville Homeless Coalition (SHC) has been based in Davis Square for over 30 years, and we are excited to announce an upcoming change. Currently, our agency is split between two office spaces in Davis Square, just a few blocks apart on Elm Street. To improve coordination and efficiency across our programs, SHC will be consolidating these locations into a single office at 362-366 Summer Street. This move will reunite our staff under one roof for the first time in three years, strengthening our ability to serve the community.

This move will bring together our administrative offices – including finance, fundraising, human resources, and leadership – with our client programming including intake, housing search, permanent supportive housing, eviction prevention and street outreach teams. Consolidating our offices will allow us to collaborate more efficiently, strengthen our services, and ensure a sustainable future for the organization.

Our two other programs, the emergency food pantry and the overnight adult shelter, are not part of this consolidation and will remain at separate locations.

We do not anticipate any disruptions to the neighborhood or local businesses as a result of this move within Davis Square. Our goal is to continue providing critical services to individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness while remaining a responsible and considerate community partner.

Community Meeting

SHC held a community meeting on September, 24th at the Somerville Community Baptist Church to provide a forum for open dialogue and to answer abutters’ questions. All abutting residents and businesses were mailed information on the Summer Street relocation plans and invited to attend this meeting. If you would like to review the presentation from the community meeting, please click here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Somerville Homeless Coalition Office Consolidation

This FAQ is designed to provide clear and transparent information about the Somerville Homeless Coalition's upcoming consolidation of its offices to 362-366 Summer Street. It addresses common questions and concerns, highlights SHC's mission and services, and explains how the move supports our shared community goals.  

What happens at the Somerville Homeless Coalition offices?

  • The offices of SHC are the administrative and leadership center as well as where SHC staff coordinate and deliver services such as street outreach, supportive housing case management, eviction prevention, and housing search.
  • It is not a shelter or overnight facility.

  • Currently located at 1 Davis Square and 255 Elm Street.
  • Moving to 362-366 Summer Street.

For over 30 years SHC's offices were centrally located at 1 Davis Square. As we grew, both in size and scope of our services, we found that we needed to expand into a larger space. Given the limitations of the local real estate market we were forced to split our team into two locations (1 Davis and 255 Elm Street) in 2022. This was never meant to be a long-term solution. Bringing our team together again in one space will strengthen collaboration, improve coordination of services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and ensure a more sustainable future for the organization. 

The office location we are moving into is currently zoned for the type of work we conduct, and no zoning variances are required at this time. The upcoming community forum is not related to zoning; rather, it is being held as an opportunity to answer questions, share information, and listen to any concerns from our abutters.

SHC is planning to move into the new space in the Spring of 2026. We will be doing a phased transition with our administrative staff, permanent supportive housing team, eviction prevention team, benefits specialist and domestic violence specialist moving into the space first. Then, at a later date, our intake team, housing search program and street outreach team will join us.  

SHC will be completing some basic interior improvements prior to occupying the space. The planned work includes adding a couple of walls, adding a waiting room and making an entrance and bathroom ADA accessible. 

  • This new location will house our eviction prevention program, emergency displacement assistance, permanent supportive housing team, intake team, housing search assistance, street outreach services, our public benefits specialist and our domestic violence specialist.
  • Additionally, this location will house our administrative staff including our leadership, human resources, finance and fundraising teams.

SHC's emergency food pantry and adult shelter are NOT part of this consolidation and will not be moving to this new location. 

No, the move will not disrupt services. SHC remains committed to supporting the community with the full range of its programs. 

  • The space will primarily be used during normal business hours, Monday – Friday from 9am – 5pm.
  • Many of our services are appointment based. Clients coordinate with our team to schedule a time to come in for assistance, arrive at that time, complete their meeting and head out.
  • Some of our services accommodate walk in assistance. Clients can come during business hours to request support and depending on their situation, we connect them with the appropriate team for assistance.

We anticipate having roughly 30 staff members based out of this new space. Many of our teams go out to engage with clients in the community throughout the day. Not all our work is completed in our office space. 

  • SHC has many employees that walk or take public transportation to work. For those who drive, most staff have business permits issued by the Somerville Parking Department. These permits designate a specific street for parking and the Parking Department assigns streets based on availability.
  • The vast majority of clients seeking services from SHC do not drive and instead use public transportation. For those who will be driving, SHC will encourage use of metered parking in the surrounding areas.

We understand that many community members have had growing concerns about homelessness in Davis Square – we share those concerns. While our relocation does not change the services we provide, bringing our staff together in one space will allow us to work more efficiently and effectively.

Last year alone, our team helped more than 65 individuals experiencing homelessness move into permanent housing. We continue to work closely with the City of Somerville and the Somerville Police Department on coordinated efforts to address challenges such as encampments, mental health crises, belongings and public drug use.

It’s important to note that our organization is not responsible for homelessness or the problematic behaviors that have been more prevalent recently. Instead, we are part of the solution – providing support, housing navigation, and case management to individuals who are open and willing to engage with us. This includes making connections to mental, behavioral and physical healthcare providers as well as addiction treatment services. By consolidating our offices, we will be better positioned to meet the needs of our clients and, in turn, support the health and safety of the broader community.

  • SHC invites community members to a public meeting about the move held on Wednesday, September 24th at 6pm at the Somerville Community Baptist Church at 31 College Ave.
  • Questions can also be directed to [email protected]. 
  • More information and updates will be available on the SHC website at www.shcinc.org/shc-office-relocation.