Women’s Lunch Place

Healthy meals, essentials, and one-on-one assistance from a daytime shelter and advocacy center in Boston dedicated to helping women experiencing homelessness, hunger and poverty. Monday – Saturday 7:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.. A nutritious breakfast and lunch, seasonal gear, toiletries, undergarments, feminine hygiene products, and other basic necessities are always available at our 67 Newbury St. location. Advocates provide individualized services to guests, Wellness programs offer substance use recovery and mental health supports, and free medical services are available on-site from our partners at Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program.

SERVICES:

Whether it’s providing a woman with toiletries, a mask and sanitizing wipes, a change of clothes and up-to-date health information, or checking in with her emotional wellbeing, our team welcomes all with dignity and respect.

We strive to restore a sense of dignity to our guests by greeting them with unconditional love, offering immediate support, and providing them with:

a delicious meal

a hot shower

laundry services

mail services

We provide personal care items that are difficult to obtain and store such as:

sunscreen

water bottles

lotion

sanitary napkins and tampons

soap and shampoo

toothpaste and toothbrushes

We offer emergency seasonal clothing, ponchos, new winter coats, hats, gloves, and scarves, as well as a variety of other useful items and household appliances that are donated to the shelter.

As new guests arrive, WLP’s Direct Care staff build trusting relationships and collaborate with Advocacy and Wellness teams to meet their urgent needs and facilitate goal-oriented involvement in our programming.

Our community area already a hub of Healthy Meals actionis surrounded by rooms filled with Wellness initiatives (e.g., SNAP workshops, Meditation, Smoking Cessation Group meetings). Skilled Direct Care staff oversee this plethora of activities and connect guests to opportunities, avoiding long waits and increasing optimism with each small success.

Through it all, we have remained committed to serving each guest without requiring the often-intimidating disclosure of personal information. While our work is done through a clinical lens, we always meet women where they are and treat them with dignity and respect.