Boston Metro

This page includes local event listings and directories for veterans’ services; veteran outreach centers; collaboratives; posts and auxiliaries; VA-accredited representatives, agents, and attorneys; and elder services , as well as veteran homelessness data for the Boston Metro area.

Tag events you submit in the area with #greater-boston and #boston-metro so they show up here and on our Northeast page. Use the listing below to search for events by city or town. Include the name of the city or town in the listing so they show up in the listings below.

Executive Office of Veterans Services

The mission of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans’ Services (EOVS) is to act as the primary advocate on behalf of all the Commonwealth’s veterans. The Office provides outreach and support through various programs. EOVS offers assistance to eligible veterans and their surviving spouses through the MassVets Financial Benefits Program, administered by local veterans’ services.

Veterans may use the Mass Vet Benefit Calculator to see what they may qualify for and contact their local veterans’ services office below to apply.

Boston Metro Veterans’ Services Districts

MGL Chapter 115 requires each town/city have a veterans’ agent to administer these benefits, but two or more contiguous towns can also appoint someone to serve as veterans’ agent and form Veterans’ Services Districts.

HSNHC Veteran Outreach Center

The Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center’s Veterans Outreach Center in Dorchester welcomes veterans with a range of vital services including access to city, state, and federal veteran benefits, primary care and behavioral health services, health insurance navigation, and links to housing support and legal services. Schedule an appointment online or call (617) 825-3400.

New England Center & Home for Veterans

The New England Center and Home for Veterans (NECHV) is located in Downtown Boston and offers supportive services to veterans throughout the region to enable success, meaningful employment, and dignified independent living. NECHV is available to serve veterans of all ages and eras. Veteran seeking services can click here for more information and call (617) 371-1800 anytime.

Greater Boston Veterans Collaborative

  • After our first summit in Boston in January 2015, the group quickly expanded to become the Greater Boston Veterans Collaborative. We hosted dozens of in person summits to centrally gather information and resources and work identify and address key challenges and gaps in services and outreach, developing shared programs including our shared website, calendar, directories, and slack.

    We were able to quickly shift to virtual summits in March 2020, which we continue to host to create space for service providers to connect, share resources and information, identify gaps and emerging issues, gather and share data, and work to ensure services are understood and accessible to those who need them, when they need them. Summits are at 3:30pm on the 1st Wednesdays.

    The Veterans Collaborative incorporated as a nonprofit during the pandemic in June 2020, expanding access to our virtual infrastructure/resource to service providers across the state.

 
 

Boston Metro Veterans’ Posts & Auxiliaries

The Veterans Posts and Auxiliaries directory includes information about the VFW and American Legion Posts, Marine Corps League Detachments, and DAV Chapters in the Boston Metro area.

VA-accredited Representatives, Agents & Attorneys

The directory below includes VA-accredited representatives, agents, and attorneys based in Boston Metro cities and towns as of July 2024 from the VA Office of the General Counsel’s Accreditation Search Tool. The VA provides accreditation to ensure VA claimants receive qualified assistance preparing and presenting their claims in accordance with VA Standards of Conduct.

Boston Metro Elder Services

Aging Services Access Points (ASAPs) are private, non-profit agencies established under MGL Chapter 19A. ASAPs provide direct and protective services, including information and referrals; interdisciplinary case management; intake and assessment; developing, implementing, and monitoring service plans; reassessing needs; and investigating reports of elder abuse and neglect.

MassOptions is a service of the Executive Office of Health & Human Services (EOHHS) that can also help older adults, people with disabilities, and family members or caregivers identify aging and disability services and connect to those that can meet their needs. Call (800) 243-4636 or click here to complete a referral.

Homelessness in the Boston Metro Area

HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) Program is designed to promote community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness. The Massachusetts CoC includes 12 regional CoCs, including five covering cities and towns in the Boston Metro Area:

  • Boston

  • Cambridge

  • Lynn

  • South Shore (includes Quincy and Weymouth)

  • Balance of State (includes Arlington, Belmont, Braintree, Brookline, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Milton, Newton, Revere, Somerville, Saugus, Waltham, Watertown, and Winthrop)

During the last week of January, CoC’s count all of the homeless people reported by service providers and counted by local police and volunteer groups on the streets. In 2023, veterans made up around 3.4% of the overall homeless population, an increase from 2.2% in 2022.

From 2022 to 2023, the number of homeless veterans increased from 534 to 545, including 70 women, who made up 12.8% of homeless veterans counted. Veteran homelessness increased by less than 3% overall, with a 23% increase for women veterans.

Around 51% of homeless veterans in Massachusetts are in the Boston Metro area, including 66% of homeless women veterans.

  • The Boston CoC accounts for almost 35% of homeless veterans in the state, the largest proportion of any CoC, with the number of homeless veterans overall increasing by 5.6% and a 50% increase in homeless women veterans.

  • The Balance of State CoC accounted for only 8.4% of homeless veterans in the state, but over 56% of homeless women veterans in 2023. Women veteran homelessness in this area surged by almost 767%, with some counted as unsheltered.

Housing Advisory Council

Established through Executive Orders filed in conjunction with the Affordable Homes Act, the Housing Advisory Council and Commission on Unlocking Housing Production is bringing together a broad range of stakeholders from across Massachusetts to advise the Healey-Driscoll administration on strategies to address the state’s housing challenges. Regional listening sessions were held between April–June 2024. You can still provide feedback.