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BACHome Council

We're centering the voices of people with lived experience with homelessness in City policies. 

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Boston’s Advisory Council on Ending Homelessness (BACHome Council) is dedicated to uplifting the voices of those with lived experience with homelessness in Boston. The BACHome Council meets the first and third Tuesday of every month in City Hall. The Council discusses issues pertinent to people impacted by homelessness in the City.

History

The Mayor's Office of Housing (formerly DND) asked Reverend Tina Rathbone, the founding priest of MANNA (Many Angels Needed Now and Always), to help form and lead a consumer advisory group for:

  • the Mayor’s initiative to end chronic homelessness, and
  • the City’s efforts to end homelessness among adults.

She formed BACHome with a group of founding council members in 2017. The Mayor’s Office of Housing is a funder of the Council.

Mission

BACHome was established in 2017 as part of former Mayor Walsh’s Boston’s Way Home initiative. It continues under Mayor Michelle Wu. 

The council is a collaboration of peers, all of whom have lived experience of homelessness in Boston. We gather bi-weekly at City Hall. We offer our wisdom to advise the Mayor’s Office to help shape Boston’s system of care for the homeless. We are also willful agents of change. We participate in many advocacy efforts concerning homeless policy and procedures. Our mission is to:

  • be a voice for the voiceless
  • be empathic for those suffering
  • empower the powerless, and
  • build hope for the hopeless.

BACHome Council - May 2022

BACHome's Work

Work
  • Recommended investment in peer support staff in shelters, which became a City-funded program at BPHC
  • Provided feedback on shelter conditions and recommendations for shelter transformation, including the recent multi-stakeholder process
  • Provided guidance on how to assess people experiencing homelessness for housing opportunities 
  • Provided racial equity recommendations and consultations to organizations on the Continuum of Care
  • Represented homeless individuals on housing and stabilization leadership groups and subcommittees 
  • Advised the Shattuck and Long Island Bridge work 

BACHome Council members have actively collaborated with the following entities: 

  • Community Advisory Board (CAB)
  • Mass Housing and Shelter Alliance (MHSA) 
  • Mayor’s Office 
  • Boston’s Continuum of Care Leadership and Stabilization Committee
  • Boston Health Care for the Homeless
  • Homeless Census 
  • Winter Walk 
  • Many Angeles Now and Always
  • New England Center and Home for Veterans
  • Veterans of America 
  • Father Bill’s & Mainspring in Brockton

BACHome Council members have actively participated in:

  • Mass Housing and Shelter Alliance Listening Session
  • Community-Led Design Group as part of the City's Mental Health Pilots
  • Boston Health Care for the Homeless Boards
  • National Healthcare for the Homeless Board
  • Case Management work
  • Outreach work
  • Health and Policy Educator and Advocate for Transgender Health work
  • Camden Coalition in the Amplify Program and as Consumer Scholars
  • Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Transgender Program as a Support Group Leader
  • Pine Street Inn Grant Per Diem Program
  • Developing a Housing Guide for recently housed people

Resources

Housing Guide

A guide prepared by Joanne Guarino on behalf of the Consumer Advisory Board of Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program (BHCHP)

BACHome Council Members

Council Members
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