Heatwaves and Homelessness: How to Help During Extreme Heat

By Justin Carrington

It seems like now the summer will continue getting hotter each year. With temperatures now exiting bearable states and moving into uncomfortable and even dangerous heat, many find themselves negatively affected by the consistent 90 and 100 degree days. One population affected significantly by heatwaves is the population of people experiencing homelessness. Some individuals have apartments or houses with ac to come back to after some time in the sun, but people without places to live are often exposed to dangerous temperatures for a much longer time, increasing the potential for health risks. Still, there are ways to ensure all humans are safe during moments like these, when the climate is especially punishing.

People experiencing homelessness are at higher risk for heat related injuries due to multiple factors including pre-existing conditions being exacerbated by weather, a higher likelihood of being exposed to heat, and an inability to take preventative measures due to social exclusion. All of these problems work together to create tragic situations that were in some cases preventable. Heat stroke and death are very real, scary concerns for people experiencing homelessness who have limited access to cooling centers and other air-conditioned facilities.  According to Jonathan Jay, Assistant Professor of Community Health Sciences at Boston University, “Our estimates are 10 to 100 times greater than the known associations between daily heat and mortality for the general population in LA and Las Vegas”. Statistics like these reveal an obvious and upsetting discrepancy between the safety of people with homes and people without. In addition to physical health concerns, mental health concerns are also present. Worsening mental health and increased suicide rates are seen in hot weather. Truthfully, regardless of the cause, the fact is a lot of innocent people are lost during heat waves.

One long term solution is to continue advocating for affordable and safe housing. There are many ways to help one or a few individuals, but the biggest solution would be for everyone to simply have a place to live that keeps indoor temperatures at a reasonable level. With more livable low-income housing existing, this concern could be nearly wiped out entirely. For short term solutions though, there are small deeply impactful actions you can take. Portland Rescue Mission gives suggestions, including financial support of shelters, handing out frozen water, care kits, and reusable bottles, as well as hats and sunscreen. All of these could result in the immediate reduction of danger posed by the sun. If you wanted, you could mix and match and hand out multiple of these at once. Not only do care packages like these keep people healthy, it allows them to experience some humanity that is often revoked due to their status as a person without a home. 

So, if you are feeling the heat, remember that there are others experiencing the pain too, and some have even less solace as a result of an inability to escape. But there is always something you can do to help, and if you yourself don’t have the time, you can always donate and support organizations like Circle of Hope, who have all the time in the world to help.

Get Ready to Roll with COH!

Circle of Hope is hosting an epic fundraiser at Chez-Vous Roller Rink in Dorchester on Saturday, July 26th from 12:00–3:00 PM — and you’re invited!

Join us for an afternoon of roller skating, arcade games, raffles, and non-stop fun — all while supporting Circle of Hope's mission to provide infants, children, and adults experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity in Boston and Metro West with clothing and hygiene essentials.

Tickets are just $15 at the door and every ticket purchase comes with an automatic entry into our raffle for your chance to win this awesome Ninja Outdoor Oven! Be sure to mention you're with Circle of Hope at the door.

You can also make a donation here. Every dollar makes a difference!

RSVP by July 23rd to let us know if you're in!

Let’s roll together and make an impact. We can’t wait to see you there!

Celebrating Needham Bank's Support

This spring, our generous friends at Needham Bank went above and beyond for Circle of Hope!

In March, the Human Resources and Learning & Development teams from Needham Bank volunteered at Circle of Hope. This wonderful group of energetic volunteers helped us sort a large donation of brand new sneakers for children and teens experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. With their help, we were able to send hundreds of pairs of shoes to our partner shelters and schools this spring!

Needham Bank also supported Hope Blooms in May with an impactful Field of Hope sponsorship. This contribution not only made the event itself possible, but helped fuel our mission for the whole year. Sponsorships like this one help move partners off our waitlist and keep our donation center stocked with the clothing and hygiene essentials our clients need for health and wellbeing. 

To top it all off, Needham Bank allowed Circle of Hope to use meeting space at the bank for a staff retreat in April. We are very grateful to be able to count on Needham Bank. Thank you for supporting our mission in so many different ways!

Spring Impact: Helping Families Displaced by Fire and Supporting College and Career Bound Graduates

Spring Impact: Helping Families Displaced by Fire and Supporting College and Career Bound Graduates

This graduation season, Circle of Hope has been busy providing Get Set packages to hundreds of graduating high school seniors embarking on careers or heading off to college in the fall. These packages include new bedding, dorm essentials, and hygiene kits to help young people experiencing housing insecurity get settled in their new dorms or apartments.

Boston Police officers give COH Get Set packages to dozens of high school graduates in Jamaica Plain every spring, including students aging out of DCF custody and preparing for college in the fall. Their annual graduation party took place this past Saturday and Circle of Hope provided Get Set packages to 60 students!

With our partner Rev. Richard Conway's help, we also provided Get Set packages to students at Cristo Rey Boston, a Dorchester high school for students with limited resources. These packages are helping close the opportunity gap for graduating high school seniors experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity by helping them "get set" for college, training programs, or careers.

Earlier this month, we responded to an urgent request from Boston Police Department to help a family displaced by a house fire. The family included young children in Boston Public Schools. Right away, we sent new clothing in the correct sizes for all members of the family, helping them recover and get back on their feet.

We got a Cummings Grant!

We're thrilled to announce that Circle of Hope has received a 3-year grant from Cummings Foundation!! This incredibly generous commitment enables us to scale up our impact, moving partners off our growing waitlist and helping tens of thousands more infants, children, and adults experiencing homelessness access the clothing and essentials they need for health and wellness. We are profoundly grateful to Cummings Foundation for their support!

Circle of Hope Volunteer Bruce Goody receives the 2025 Myra Kraft Community MVP Award

COH Volunteer Bruce Goody and COH Executive Director Ari Barbanell at Gillette Stadium

Longtime Circle of Hope volunteer, donor, and former Board Member Bruce Goody received the 2025 Myra Kraft Community MVP Award on Tuesday, June 3 at Gillette Stadium. The Kraft family and the New England Patriots Foundation recognized 26 volunteers for going above and beyond to give back to their communities.

Bruce has volunteered for Circle of Hope for 12+ years and has personally made nearly 1,000 deliveries of clothing and hygiene essentials to our partner shelters, hospitals, schools, and community programs. Bruce’s generosity with his time and resources has changed the lives of tens of thousands of infants, children, and adults experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. In addition to volunteering at Circle of Hope, Bruce is also a talented flutist and has shared his beautiful music in free concerts at shelters throughout Greater Boston.

In addition to bestowing this well-deserved honor on Bruce, the New England Patriots Foundation also donated $10,000 to Circle of Hope in his honor. We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the Kraft Family and the New England Patriots Foundation for their incredible generosity!

As three Boston College seniors enrolled in the Leading for Social Impact capstone class, we were given a unique opportunity to partner with Circle of Hope and assist in sharing the incredible stories of service and compassion that define this organization. During this partnership, we met Rev. Richard Conway, a man whose decades of community service and pastoral outreach have touched lives from Lowell to Dorchester and beyond. Our goal: gain an intimate understanding of his life’s work and explore the role Circle of Hope plays in supporting his mission. What started as an interview, turned into an encounter with one man’s enduring faith in humanity, the resilience of marginalized communities, and the transformative power of simple acts of love.

From Lowell to Dorchester: A Life of Grounded Service

When we asked Rev. Conway what sparked his journey into community service, his answer was humble but telling. “It probably started when I was assigned to Lowell… The parish got together to help refugees from Cambodia and Vietnam. I began by asking my own family to go through their clothes and donate anything they weren’t using,” he recalled. That simple act of generosity blossomed into larger efforts—delivering mattresses, working with hotels, and even obtaining a tractor-trailer license to move donated goods. “It just kept growing,” he said with a shrug. His story isn’t one of grand plans but rather a continual response to need—a cycle of action driven by the people around him.

Understanding Struggles Through Intimacy and Proximity

Rev. Conway’s approach to homelessness is rooted in intimacy and proximity. He does not see homelessness as a statistic—rather he knows the names, faces, and stories behind each need. He spoke candidly about the challenges many of the people he serves face—single mothers, Haitian refugees, and immigrant families all struggling with poverty. He pointed out that a “two-bedroom apartment in Boston is about $2,700 a month. If you're a single mom making minimum wage, you’re bringing home about $2,400. That’s not enough. That’s why we need food pantries. That’s why we need Circle of Hope.”

His stories, though filled with hardship, offered a glimpse into people’s daily realities. He recalled the frustration of one particular woman who “got a frozen turkey for Thanksgiving but didn’t have any pans. She said, ‘I’ll share it with my friends, but we’ll have to find the pans somewhere in the building.’” Conway's response? He reached out to a vocational culinary school and asked if they would be willing to open their kitchen to prepare Thanksgiving meals for these families. “You just find a way,” he shared. “People pass your name around. They call you, and you do what you can.” 

The Power of Small Things: Circle of Hope’s Impact

Though modest about his own role, Rev. Conway spoke with warmth about his long-standing relationship with Circle of Hope. “You all come and collect the donations, and I make sure they get where they need to go,” he shared.

But his efforts are far more than logistical. He is a bridge between people and the resources that can change their lives. One story that stuck with us was when a nurse working with new mothers mentioned to Rev. Conway that her clients were in desperate need of diapers. He placed a request in his parish bulletin, and quickly thereafter the donations came pouring in. “We filled a box. Then another. And another. People just responded.” 

These material gifts do more than fill a gap—they restore dignity, provide relief, and affirm individuals’ self-worth. “The people receiving them—sometimes they’re embarrassed, but they’re grateful,” Conway added. They say, “Someone cares.”

Stories That Stick: Moments of Pain, Resilience, and Hope

During our conversation, we asked Rev. Conway about the most powerful moments from his work. Two stories stood out to him.

The first was of a boy under house arrest, caught in the cycle of gun violence and poverty. Conway had helped find a school that would take him and arranged transportation, but on the first day, the boy did not answer the door. Later, the family disappeared. 

“I don’t know where the kid is now,” Conway said quietly. “He could be in jail. He could be doing okay. I just don’t know.”

And yet, amid these stories of loss, Rev. Conway shared moments of hope. There was King, a charismatic boy from Dorchester who dreamed of attending Boston College High. After Conway made a call, King got in, excelled in school, and eventually graduated from college. Today, King works at BlackRock and volunteers his time teaching middle schoolers about financial literacy.

“Everybody loved the kid,” Rev. Conway beamed. “And he never lost that smile.”

What Keeps Him Going: Faith, Community, and a Deep Well of Hope

For all the challenges Rev. Conway faces, his faith in the community remains steadfast.  “There’s always someone who needs help. And somehow, the word gets around,” he said. His work with Circle of Hope is a testament to the power of community action and awareness. “When people hear about a need, they show up,” he explained. “You just have to tell the story.”

This story-driven approach is, in many ways, the crux of Rev. Conway’s mission. He does not just serve the immediate needs of individuals; he provides a bridge connecting them to larger networks of care—spiritual, emotional, and material. Through his work with Circle of Hope, Rev. Conway is not only delivering goods but also creating connections that bridge gaps between those who have and those who need.

A Call to Action for the Next Generation

Rev. Conway is quick to point out that the future lies in the hands of today’s youth. His work with students from Boston College High and young adults at Boston College is designed to expose them to the realities many Boston residents face. “Let them see it for themselves,” he said. “Let them meet the people. Let them hear the stories. That’s how change starts.” He encourages us all—especially the next generation—to be involved, not just through donations but through education, advocacy, and a consistent, compassionate presence. 

Final Reflections: The Heart of Community

As we wrapped up our conversation with Rev. Conway, we took a moment to reflect on what we had learned. Layla was inspired by how faith and action were inseparable, seamlessly interwoven into Rev. Conway’s life especially. Her most significant takeaway was that Rev. Conway emphasized that to live a life of faith, we must take action toward helping those who need it. In order to be faithful, you must give hope to others. 

Kateri noted the paradox of our time: Despite being more connected than ever through digital platforms, we remain emotionally and socially disconnected. As a marketing major, she was surprised to realize that the tools and resources at our fingertips—social media, digital networks, and vast data access—can either deepen these divides or be harnessed to foster connection and awareness. 

In today’s technological age, the opportunity to bridge gaps is immense. We no longer have the excuse of distance or lack of information to prevent us from reaching out to marginalized communities. The idea of connecting resources, people, and stories to mobilize support felt more urgent than ever. Kateri left the interview feeling empowered by the potential for positive change and motivated to use her knowledge of communication to amplify these voices and reach wider audiences in meaningful ways.

And Emma was struck by how much good could be done through listening, consistency, love, and empathy for all circumstances.

What unified our reflections was the realization that Rev. Conway’s work is driven by a deep well of hope, a hope rooted in community and relationships and the belief that change, though often slow and difficult, is always possible. “We don’t need to be perfect to belong,” he said as we wrapped up the interview. We just need to show up.” These words echoed in our minds long after the conversation ended.

Rev. Conway’s message is clear: the act of showing up, of being present for others, is powerful in its simplicity. It is not about having all the answers or solving every problem; it is about the willingness to engage, listen, and offer a compassionate hand when it is needed most.

The true heart of a community lies not in grand gestures or monumental efforts but in the collective, consistent acts of love and service that weave people together. These small acts—whether providing a meal, offering a ride, or simply being there to listen—create the fabric of connection that binds us. At the center of that fabric is the belief that we are all worthy of love, dignity, and care, regardless of our circumstances.

In that spirit, we hope this blog shows up for you, reminding you that small acts of kindness, like those offered through Circle of Hope, are anything but small.

They are the threads that hold communities together.
They are how love finds a way.

Circle of Hope adds three new partners

We are thrilled to share that Circle of Hope has launched three new partnerships!

In September, we partnered with FamilyAid, Boston’s largest nonprofit organization solely dedicated to serving children and parents facing homelessness by providing prevention services, emergency shelter, housing placement and support and comprehensive case management. We make regular deliveries of clothing and hygiene supplies for children and parents with a particular emphasis on ages 0-6. This exciting new partnership was made possible with the generous support of The Collective Change Fund. 

We also began a partnership with Nativity Preparatory School in Boston this past fall. Nativity Prep provides a transformative, tuition-free Jesuit education to boys from underserved families in Boston, empowering young men of color to break the cycle of poverty. Circle of Hope provides the students with new school- and work-appropriate clothing and hygiene essentials so they can attend school in good health and feeling their best. 

In February, we made our first delivery to Breaktime, an organization working to break the cycle of homelessness by equipping young adults with the job and financial security they need to establish housing security. We provide Breaktime's young adult associates with hygiene supplies and clothing, supporting their physical and mental health on their paths to greater stability. 

Your donation enables us to accept new partnerships and help thousands more people access everyday essentials. Please give a gift today to help move more partners off our waitlist.

Join Us for Our Holiday Open House Celebration

We’re excited to invite you to a special Holiday Open House on Wednesday, December 11th from 3:00 to 6:00 PM at Circle of Hope. This festive gathering is a wonderful opportunity to connect with our staff, celebrate the incredible volunteers and community that make our work possible, and learn more about our services. Enjoy holiday treats and beverages, tour our space, and see firsthand how your support is helping those in need. We hope you can join us! Clothing and hygiene donations will be gratefully accepted throughout the event.

Help COH provide inclusive support to everyone in need across the lifespan.

Dear Friends of Circle of Hope,

Personal dignity is the most essential building block to good health. Your partnership is critical as we work to preserve this fundamental human right. Working throughout our region, Circle of Hope provides monthly deliveries of clothing, bedding, and hygiene items to thousands of people experiencing homelessness. New clothes, a warm coat, and basic necessities can provide not only immediate health and comfort but also the first glimmer of hope necessary to begin a journey toward a stable future.

From infants to elders, Circle of Hope is the only nonprofit in Greater Boston that provides this type of inclusive, individualized support to everyone in need across the lifespan.

Unfortunately, the humanitarian crisis in our state continues to grow, and many more families in our community are being pushed to the brink. In 2024, Circle of Hope rose to meet the need— ensuring shelter shelves were stocked, new mothers and babies were supplied, and students had the items they needed to feel confident.

Your generosity is the driving force behind this work, allowing Circle of Hope to bring care and comfort to more than 26,000 children and adults each year—people like the women and children seeking shelter at Voices Against Violence, our nonprofit partner featured in this letter.

Crisis also provides clarity. Circle of Hope’s work is the critical backbone for so many nonprofits serving our community. The monthly supplies we provide are the foundation of good health and equity. As we look to the future, our team is embarking on a strategic plan to evolve our services for even greater reach.

Quite simply, we cannot do this work without you. Please give a gift to our annual campaign by December 31, 2024. Each dollar you provide enables us to purchase more clothing and supplies and say yes to the many nonprofits on our waitlist.

Thank you for your continued generosity, compassion, and support. Your partnership is critical as we expand our impact to help more people in need.

With my deepest gratitude,

Ari Barbanell, Executive Director