Justice through
Education
Fall 2025
Annual 4Boston
Teach-In
Bringing Homelessness in Contact with Boston College
What is the 4Boston
Teach-In?
Every year, 4Boston, the largest regular service organization at Boston College, hosts its Annual Teach-In. The event features guest speakers who help contextualize the conditions of the service of the 400+ student volunteers who are part of 4Boston.
In alignment with the theme of the event, “Boston,” our breakout sessions provided a wide-ranging view of homelessness in Boston and background for the service of the attendees. From the discussion of healthcare delivery design to the analysis of the impact of policy changes, we brought Boston College back in contact with the issue of homelessness.
Our Breakout
Sessions
We were honored to deliver four presentations on the following topics:
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The Foot Clinic Model and Homeless Healthcare
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The Value of Narrative in Service and Clinical Research Processes
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Federal Funding Patterns for Homeless Services in Boston
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Food Insecurity and Homelessness in Boston
SPRING 2025
Stories from the Shelter Launch
Interviewing Youth Experiencing Homelessness
Providing a New Narrative
At the Stories from the Shelter Launch, BC Coalition for the Homeless officially published the “Stories from the Shelter” pamphlet, a collection of interviews with unhoused youth in Boston. “Stories from the Shelter” provides a critical narrative insight into the experience of youth homelessness and features unmistakable calls to action to do more for one’s community. We were also delighted to host Nancy Armstrong, Chief Program Officer at Women’s Lunch Place, who discussed the vital role of homeless healthcare and the necessity of community support in homelessness.
Stories
from
the
shelter
Beyond the data, there are the voices. Hear the compelling, raw, and hopeful narratives of individuals navigating homelessness
PROJECT
"I JUST FEEL A STRENGTH FROM HARDSHIP."
Jance, a classically trained artist, describes the shock and immediate needs of her first few nights unhoused. Her story highlights the immediate need for security and dignity.
FALL 2024
ROUGH SLEEPERS:
A PANEL EVENT ON HEALTHCARE FOR UNHOUSED INDIVIDUALS
Preparing Professionals
For the Future
Featuring Dr. Jim O’Connell, Melissa Hector, and Katie Hayward, the Rough Sleepers Panel provided critical insight about homeless healthcare for aspiring healthcare professionals. By focusing on housing as a social determinant of health, the effective delivery of healthcare to homeless populations, and career pathways to homeless healthcare, the panelists both situated homeless healthcare in the policy environment of housing and provided thoughtful guidance for what it means to be a provider for unhoused individuals.
Dr. Jim O’Connell
President
Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program
Melissa Hector
Director of Equitable and Strategic Initiatives
Boston Public Health Commission
Katie Hayward
AmeriCorps Program Director at Boston Healthcare for the Homeless