Stay With Us
We offer two-week, one-night, and extended stay work contract beds throughout the duration of our season – that is, from the evening of November 1st through the morning of April 15th. Click here for more information on staying with us.
Volunteer With Us
Join hundreds of college students who are making a difference and working at the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter. Click here to find all the tools you need to get informed and involved.
Support Us
The Harvard Square Homeless Shelter relies on the generosity of individual donors, alumni, and other friends of HSHS who understand the value of our programming and services. Please click here to donate.
Though HSHS is fundamentally an emergency shelter, we also offer other programs to help as many as we can, as best we can.
Resource Advocacy
The Resource Advocacy program provides case-management to our guests to help them connect with social services in the Boston/Cambridge area. We help guests with employment, housing, transport, education, health services and more.
Street Team
The Street Team is a fully incorporated program of the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter, consisting of 28 trained volunteers, that runs from November 1st to April 15th.
Each night, a group of 4 volunteers arrives at the Shelter around 7:45 to prepare sandwiches and pack up other food before going out into Harvard Square to provide individuals with basic amenities such as food, blankets, and socks; distribute information about available resources (i.e. healthcare, job searches, food during the day, etc.); refer individuals to local shelters; and build relationships with people sleeping outside.
Work Contract
The Work Contract program enables guests who currently have steady employment to maintain stability and generate savings they otherwise would not be able to by offering extended-stays at the shelter. The program offers a 10-week bed, as well as many management resources. The Work Contract program was created in 1991.
In order to apply, guests must have a 14-night bed at HSHS throughout the entire application process. Every applicant must be working a minimum of 20 hours per week and saving at least $200 each week.