Our Work

For over a century, the South Boston Neighborhood House has been in step with evolving needs and proactive in its outreach, emphases and programs. During the past decade as the composition and complexion of the community has changed, the South Boston Neighborhood House has emerged as a leader, building the only full time senior center in South Boston, stepping forward to shepherd our teens and their families through the darkest days of an adolescent suicide cluster, and establishing one of the first local non-profit partnerships with a Boston Public School and most recently, entered into a partnership with the Old Colony Tenant Association to bring Neighborhood House programs to the Old Colony Housing Development.

Through the years, the South Boston Neighborhood House has played an important role in the context of this neighborhood with its share of strengths and difficulties, fulfilling its mission of supporting family and neighborhood life in South Boston through seven different program areas. The program areas are: Senior Services, Adolescent Services, Early Education and Care, After School Program, Early Books Family Literacy, Community Outreach and the Old Colony Initiative – all of which share a strategic focus on education and community building.

While programs are located in five locations, the Neighborhood House currently owns two facilities. The main building on East Seventh Street holds the administrative offices and early education and care, school age and adolescent programming. The John T. “Doc” and Mary Tynan Senior Center on H Street houses activities for seniors and the Early Books family literacy program. There are three other satellite locations. The Neighborhood House has a preschool program located at Moakley Park, a school age program (Community Learning Center) at the Perry School, a K-8 Boston Public School, and a Mom & Me literacy focused program and an after-school program at the Old Colony Housing Development. With the renovation of the Gate of Heaven Parish Hall, the Neighborhood House will consolidate the majority of its programs into one high-quality facility.

As a multi-service agency, the Neighborhood House seeks to offer a continuum of care for youth aimed at engagement and intervention through each developmental stage and a menu of services that meet the many needs of our youth and their families. As a community based organization, the Neighborhood House maintains long term connections with youth and their families over many years and even decades. Because we are “a home away from home” and a large number of our staff reside in the community, staff get to know participants and engage in intentional mentoring of youth and their families over an extended period of time. High levels of engagement often transcend “program hours” and last years, decades or a lifetime.

There are many attributes that make the Neighborhood House unique in how it fills its mission:

Community Development

The Neighborhood House approaches community problems by seeking stakeholder participation in developing collaborative local solutions. Participants are involved in the design of programs and there is a strong feedback mechanism in place.

Independence

The Neighborhood House is the only independent multi-service agency in South Boston. This leads to its ability to be flexible, rapid in its response and at the forefront of issues.

Length and Reach of Service

South Boston Neighborhood House is the oldest continually operating independent human service organization in the community. It has prospered so long because it is an organization that is deep-rooted in South Boston and has been able to adapt to changing needs time and time again over the last century. South Boston Neighborhood House staff members maintain supportive relationships with the people who come through their doors even when they are no longer formally involved with the Neighborhood House. The Neighborhood House’s full array of services extends from preschoolers to seniors and is open to all residents independent of their income level.

Responsibility and Accountability

The South Boston Neighborhood House assumes responsibility for its participants and their family, providing referrals as necessary. If a young person does not show up for a program at which they are expected, staff follows through with parents and extended family members to ensure the child’s safety. Staff members take for granted that they serve as mentors to participants of all ages.