Massachusetts Homelessness Prevention Agencies

Homelessness Prevention agencies include:

Local Homelessness Prevention Agencies

Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless

Community Action Agencies

Legal Services Programs

Also see Homelessness Programs

Local Homelessness Prevention Agencies

Many Massachusetts cities and town have local non-government agencies with homelessness prevention services. These agencies offer many services for residents who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

For a list of agencies, see Homelessness Prevention Agencies on the Office of Housing and Economic Development.

Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless

The Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless (MCH) is a statewide advocacy group to help the state's homeless and near-homeless residents. If you need help, you can call the MCH at 781-595-7570. You can also visit the MCH web site Are you experiencing homelessness? for shelter eligibility requirements, types of shelters, FAQs, and what to do if you are denied shelter.

The MCH also maintains a list of Massachusetts emergency shelters:

• Family shelters
• Family shelters with community beds
• Shelters for individuals without children
• Domestic violence shelters

Community Action Agencies

Community Action Agencies are private non-profit organizations that provide a wide range of services for low-income residents. Some Community Action Agencies offer direct homelessness prevention services. Others give referrals to other agencies.

For a list of agencies, see Massachusetts Community Action Agencies on the MASSCAP web site.

Legal Services Programs

Legal Services programs give free legal help to low-income and elderly residents for non-criminal legal problems. Legal Services programs help with housing and homelessness issues such as evictions, tenant/landlord disputes, and housing discrimination. You can get free legal advice, guidance, referrals, and legal representation, depending on your need.

To find your local Legal Services program, call the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation at 617-367-8544, or use the Find Legal Help search tool on the Massachusetts Legal Services web site.