Help us compile a list of resources to combat homelessness

Tell us

Boston ranks second in the nation for homelessness, according to a recent study. What organizations or resources do you recommend to help the homeless in Massachusetts?

According to a new study by Boston Indicators, the research center of the Boston Foundation, Boston has one of the cities with the highest homelessness rates in the country.

According to their research, Greater Boston has the second-highest per capita homelessness rate of the country’s 45 largest cities, due in part to an affordable housing crisis and the recent influx of migrants.

Boston was second only to New York City, with 801 homeless people per 100,000 residents. (The rate in New York is 1,056 homeless people per 100,000 residents.)

However, the vast majority of Boston’s homeless live in shelters rather than being homeless, the study found. The city has the eighth-lowest rate of homeless people in the region, with only 6% of the region’s homeless living unsheltered. By comparison, the national average for homeless people is 40%.

“In addition, thanks to our robust homeless system and related support services, the number of chronically homeless people in Greater Boston is less than half the national average,” the report said.

The low homelessness rate is also due to Massachusetts’ “right to shelter” status. Massachusetts is the only state in the country with right to shelter, meaning the state is required to provide housing to homeless people under certain circumstances. Massachusetts law traditionally guarantees housing for families with children and pregnant women.

In response to the increased need for shelter caused by the influx of new immigrants, the state has scaled back its emergency shelter system by imposing caps on shelter capacity and length of stay. These new restrictions could lead to a rise in unsheltered homelessness as the housing market continues to fail to provide enough housing, the report said.

Boston.com has compiled a list of resources on how to help immigrant families in Massachusetts. Now we need your help compiling a list of resources to help the homeless.

What organization or resource would you recommend to help the state’s homeless population?

Let us know by filling out the form or sending us an email to (email protected)and your answer may appear in a future article on Boston.com.