Boston ZBA Approves Jamaica Plain Homeless Shelter Over Neighbor Opposition

BOSTON -- May 6, 2025, Boston's Zoning Board of Appeal voted 5-1 to formally approve a homeless shelter at 81 South Huntington Avenue in Jamaica Plain, where Victory Programs Inc. has operated its 55-bed Visions of Victory program since 2021. Attorney Joe Hanley represented Victory Programs, with CEO Sarah Porter detailing 24-7 staffing, locked-entry protocols, and outcomes including 65 residents placed in permanent housing since the program opened. State Rep. Sam Montano and City Councilor Ben Weber testified in support, while residents of Jamaica Way and South Huntington Avenue filled public comment with accounts of needles, loitering, and rising crime, citing 311 data showing needle reports within a quarter mile jumping from four in 2019 to 44 in 2024. Board member Lydia Pinato cast the sole dissenting vote on the Jamaica Plain case, and board member Liz Breadon Langham voted no. In other actions the board unanimously approved a 12-unit Welcome Home Boston affordable homeownership project at 34 Whale Street in Roxbury and a 48-unit affordable condominium complex with a new public park at 77 Terrace Street in Mission Hill, and approved a conditional use permit for El Punto restaurant at 879 Blue Hill Avenue in Mattapan as a live entertainment venue capped at 240 occupants with an 1 a.m. weekend closing time.