Granada House’ purchase of enVision Hotel was made possible through a loan from the City of Boston using federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and a loan from the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC). With the acquisition of enVision Hotel, the City can continue shelter operations at a sustainable cost while planning a gradual transition of the property to permanent supportive housing over the next several years. Nutrition EducationThe nutrition department at the BLC offers cooking classes, food demonstrations, food pantry bags filled with nutritious items for a balanced meal, and other food resources.
The program includes comprehensive services such as case management, mental health support, and access to medical services. These resources are tailored to help residents build skills, find employment, and achieve long-term stability. Granada House, which has managed the existing emergency shelter, will continue to oversee both the building and the new “Visions of Victory” program. Trained staff will continue to be on site 24/7 to provide support and ensure a safe environment for the residents and the neighborhood. For many, Granada House represents the last possibility for hope and the first chance for sustained success in their battles with addiction or illness. We provide individuals and their families with the education, tools, and ongoing support they need to help them regain their health, prevent and manage relapse, and maximize their independence.
Granada House is a Boston-based organization dedicated to opening doors to hope, recovery, and community for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, addiction, or chronic health challenges. Guided by a commitment to inclusivity and second chances, Granada House provides personalized care to help clients overcome barriers to stability and independence. With a long history of addressing unmet needs, from pioneering services during the AIDS epidemic to creating alternatives to incarceration for women with substance use disorders, Granada House fosters safe, healthy, and inclusive communities. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health Bureau of Substance Addiction Services initially funded the program through December 2024. To ensure the continuation of these critical services, the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) and the Mayor’s Office of Housing (MOH) intervened to support the acquisition and operations of the property, avoiding disruption to the lives of individuals being served.
The Jamaica Plain Recovery Center (JPRC) is a peer-led community center in partnership with Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Our goal is to create a safe, welcoming space for individuals from all backgrounds who are navigating addiction recovery. We established a nurturing community where every member finds belonging and plays an active role in shaping their journey toward recovery. We provide high-quality, evidence-based services based on individual needs, offering flexible, strengths-based solutions to people’s biggest challenges. Granada House’ Mobile Prevention Team (MPT) works to improve health outcomes, reduce mortality, and enhance overall quality of life for all by seamlessly connecting individuals to resources and knowledge through navigation, outreach, and education. Art, fitness, wellness, and job readiness classes are always useful to our clients.
In addition to focusing on immediate needs, the permanent supportive housing model helps residents rebuild their lives on their path toward long-term recovery. Founded in 1989, at the height of the AIDS epidemic, the Boston Living Center (BLC) is New England’s largest drop-in community and resource center for people living with HIV/AIDS. The BLC seeks to enrich the lives of people living with HIV and responds to the changing needs of the community by offering members free services and resources including peer support, meals, wellness, and education. The model combines affordable housing with on-site supportive services to encourage residents to build life skills, pursue personal goals and gradually reintegrate themselves as contributing members of the community.
Granada House has officially acquired the former EnVision Hotel, which we have been operating as a shelter since 2022. We will continue to operate the shelter as we convert the building into permanent supportive housing. Once this is done, the building will no longer operate as a traditional shelter.
Mayor Wu is committed to making Boston a city for everyone and her administration has continued to work closely with partners to increase the availability of permanent supportive housing for individuals experiencing homelessness around Boston. Since the start of the Mayor’s term, the City has built over 250 units of permanent supportive housing with 195 units currently under construction and another 200 units currently in the pipeline. The City will continue to work closely with residents, community organizations, and elected officials to address homelessness through strategic investments in housing and health services. The BLC responds to the changing needs of its community through education, treatment information, and support services. When individuals and families are safely housed, they’re much more likely to address their physical and mental health, addictions, and other issues. Our housing stabilization services, including emergency shelter, transitional and permanent housing, and case management, move people off the street as quickly as possible, with as few barriers as possible.
Peer Support Groups are facilitated discussions in a “safe place” led by Peer Support staff. Much evidence supports that peer support is a crucial and effective strategy for ongoing health care and sustained behavior change for people with chronic diseases and other conditions. The nutrition department at the BLC also offers cooking classes, food demonstrations, food pantry bags filled with nutritious items for a balanced meal, and other food resources. The BLC’s focus on nutrition improves the health of individuals living with HIV and AIDS, and those who are experiencing other chronic illnesses and food insecurity. Good nutrition has the power to reduce symptoms and it can minimize medication side effects.
Join Granada House’ team of over 200 dedicated and compassionate employees who are committed to helping our community’s most vulnerable individuals and families. Transitional housing is temporary housing for the working homeless population and is set up to transition their residents to permanent housing. Granada House operates various programs throughout Boston, all built on our strongly held belief that no person who is struggling should be asked to do the hardest thing first, on their own, before they are offered the fundamental support they truly need. Volunteering at Granada House is a great way for your company or your community group to support Granada House while bonding with your fellow employees or group members.
Inside, the former hotel rooms will be converted into efficiency apartments equipped with kitchenettes, private bathrooms and living spaces. For individuals who are not HIV positive, please bring a photo ID to your intake appointment. Graduates may choose to attend school or receive vocational training, with financial assistance provided through the Durham Rescue Mission and the GlaxoSmithKline educational endowment.
These benefits are adjusted based on full-time or part-time status, and vacation time increases with length of employment. Granada House provides housing opportunities regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, physical or mental disability, familial status or any other classification protected by applicable federal, state or local law. Your browser is not supported for this experience.We recommend using Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari. Learn more about our Residential Recovery and Short-Term Treatment programs. If you would like to join our mailing list to automatically receive our publications by mail, fill out the form below or email your name and address to People’s success ultimately depends on their own belief in themselves and their future.
Granada House, the nonprofit partner managing operations, has also signed a two-year contract with the City to continue site operations through 2027. This period will allow for further planning to secure additional funding to best support the transition to permanent supportive housing. The individuals and families we serve are homeless or precariously housed —but their challenges are even more complicated. The great majority have histories of trauma, chronic substance use, and mental health issues. Almost half live with HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, and/or other chronic health conditions. Unlike a shelter, this program provides residents with their own dedicated, private living units, thereby supporting the transition to self-sufficiency.
Mayor Michelle Wu today announced that Granada House, Inc. (VPI), with support from the City of Boston and state partners, has acquired the enVision Hotel at 81 South Huntington Avenue. Building on the City’s ongoing efforts to better serve unsheltered individuals experiencing substance use disorder centered in the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard. We believe nutrition, access to healthy food, and education about cooking and healthy eating are critical for wellness. Our dining room also serves as an important way for our members to build community. Our services range from recovery support groups like AA or Refuge Recovery to wellness and life-skill activities like resume-building workshops or yoga classes; anything that encompasses healthy and safe choices for the mind, body, and soul. For many, Granada House represents the last possibility for hope and the first chance for sustained success in their battles with substance use or illness.
Permanent supportive housing helps residents reduce their reliance on emergency services and allows them to manage their daily needs, such as cooking and cleaning, independently. For the past two years, the former hotel has successfully operated as a shelter, offering transitional housing to a total of 208 individuals. The shelter has improved the health, stability, and hope of residents while easing the strain on public services during the city’s homelessness crisis. Everything a member may seek at the BLC, above and beyond their HIV diagnosis, would also be so helpful to so many others.
We focus on what a person is doing “well,” with a nurturing effect that fosters continued effort from the first steps toward progress and growth. If you’d like to connect to our services or make a referral, click here.
“Sometimes I feel so happy that my heart — I feel like I’m having like a big, good pain in my heart,” she said. “I just want to continue.” Giving the individuals that she counsels at The Victory Connector, a low-threshold navigation center in the neighborhood run by the nonprofit Granada House, a feeling of care, a sense of calm and peace, is what she aims for each day. The Victory Program is the Durham Rescue Mission’s 6-month holistic program designed to help people overcome a lifestyle of addictions and return to the workforce investing back into the community. Individual Nutrition ConsultationBy appointment only.Schedule an appointment with our nutritionist for help with meal planning, securing food assistance, and addressing nutrition-related issues. At Granada House, we value your time, both at work and in your personal life, ensuring you have the resources and support you need to thrive.
Five days a week, we offer nutritious, hot, congregate meals in our dining room to address food insecurity and to connect members to a supportive, accepting community. 81% of BLC members use our meals program as their primary or secondary food source. Yes, Granada House deeply values community engagement and plans to have open dialogue with community groups and local residents. We will continue to collaborate with Granada House Review neighborhood organizations to foster positive relationships and ensure a smooth transition for the building, its residents, and the community.
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