Pine Street Inn Homeless Shelter Exceeds Capacity Amid Record Cold, Demand Up 18%

Shelters at Boston's largest service provider for people experiencing homelessness have been “well over capacity” in recent weeks amid record cold temperatures, a spokesperson told the Boston Globe on Tuesday, Feb. 10.

Pine Street Inn has reported that its shelter occupancy exceeds its 585-bed capacity. Approximately 650 people have been using shelters in Boston nightly due to extreme cold, said Barbara V. Trevisan, a spokesperson for Pine Street, in a statement shared with the Globe.

“Despite increased shelter numbers of around 650 guests a night, Pine Street is accommodating people on mats, cots, and seats in lobbies and dining room warming centers once beds are filled,” Trevisan reported. “We are grateful to the Commonwealth for providing additional funds, allowing us to set up extra beds, as well as to accommodate people in our warming center.” 

Pine Street Inn reported an 18% increase in shelter numbers this year versus the 2024-2025 winter season.

Other shelters in the Boston community are reporting similar demand. A Boston Public Health Commission spokesperson told the Globe that the agency “typically sees an increase in guests at both the 112 Southampton Street Shelter and the Woods Mullen Women's Shelter during the winter months.” According to the spokesperson, both shelters “have been at capacity during recent cold emergencies, which is expected in extreme cold. The week of Jan. 25 through Feb. 1, both shelters combined averaged about 600 guests a night, which is down slightly from the same time last year.”

Extreme cold in January, with subzero days and multiple days with single-digit highs, has continued to drive higher shelter demand. Boston logged an average daily minimum of 15.9 degrees Fahrenheit and a maximum of 24.7 degrees Fahrenheit last month, according to the National Weather Service.

According to the Globe, in January, city officials and community leaders walked the streets and visited shelters for Boston's 46th annual homelessness census. Last year, 5,506 individuals and families were counted in the census, a 4.3% decline from 2024, the city said. This year's data was not immediately available.