From heat relief to housing: How the Community Day Center of Waltham supports unhoused residents

As Massachusetts faces periods of extreme heat this summer, unhoused residents are among those especially vulnerable to heat-related illnesses and death. Research shows that extreme heat can pose a serious threat to people experiencing homelessness, including increased mortality.

During the summer, the Community Day Center of Waltham provides unhoused residents with access to air conditioning, drinking water and other essential services. The center, at 16 Felton St., is open five days a week and serves hot lunch from 12:30 to 4 p.m. each day.

“We see between 30 and 50 people each day benefiting from this program,” Chloe-Rose Crouch, executive director at the Community Day Center, said.

Crouch said that summer can be as dangerous as winter for unhoused residents. Volunteers from the center walk around Waltham Common and Riverwalk, distributing water bottles to people in need. There is also an air-conditioned community space at the center where guests can cool down.

“There is more danger in the summer in a lot of ways for people that are unhoused, and we should be raising awareness about that. Because when people do have funding, understandably so, they want to get people inside in the winter. But we have had evenings and nights that have been dangerously hot as well,” Crouch said.

Meeting immediate needs

The center also offers showers and laundry services. Its clothing store offers seasonal items priced between $0 and $3 and is designed to function as a thrift store, allowing guests to choose their own clothing.

There are also free healthcare services, with volunteer nurses providing medical care twice a week. During the winter, there is also an overnight program that runs from December through April and accommodates 20 people per night.

Building rapport and trust 

As the Community Day Center of Waltham functions as a drop-in center, building rapport and trust with guests is at the heart of its work.

“What’s really important about our agency is that when guests come in for those emergency services, we learn their names. We know their likes and dislikes, the type of shampoo that they like, their shoe size, literally sometimes, and that builds trust. And using that trust, we are able to get a lot of our guests into our case management program, and that’s the heart of what we do,” Crouch said.

The center does not exclude guests based on their personal backgrounds or histories.

“We don’t turn people away based on what may be their criminal record or their history of substance use or anything. If you come into our doors and you are seeking support with housing or income or just any form of stabilization, we are here to give it a go,” Dev Franklin, the center’s senior case manager, said.

From emergency services to case management

Beyond meeting immediate needs, the center offers a case management program that helps guests achieve greater stability. The center’s team supports people in need with matters such as housing, employment, rehab treatment for drug or alcohol use, psychological and psychiatric care and health insurance.

“Last year, we actually placed 30 people into their own apartments. So 30 people that used to be living on the streets now have their own apartments,” Crouch said.

In 2025, according to Crouch, the center served about 400 people in total. Currently, 130 clients receive some form of regular case-management support. 

Franklin said guests generally fall into three groups: people experiencing chronic homelessness who need basic services, people seeking long-term assistance with affordable housing and employment, and people who are currently housed but at risk of becoming homeless.

A guest at the center, who chose to remain anonymous, shared that the center provides a sense of community and a place to be around others without feeling like an outcast.

“Everyone has their own unique story, and it’s very easy to pass judgment. And sometimes we do, but if you ever chat with someone and get to learn their story, oftentimes, there is a lot of really deep-seated, deep-rooted trauma that people have been through before they became homeless,” Crouch said.

It’s a community effort

The Community Day Center partners with various organizations across Waltham, including Chaplains on the Way, the Waltham Public Library, the Bristol Lodge/the Bristol Lodge Soup Kitchen, Watch CDC and the Senior Center.

“The Waltham community has been amazing in supporting our guests, and we couldn’t do it without them. All of the stuff we have here has been donated by the Waltham community. We are grateful for that,” Crouch said.

As the center has a small team, mainly composed of volunteers, it relies heavily on community donations to operate its programs. During the summer, the center especially welcomes water bottle donations, seasonal clothing and volunteers.

The Community Day Center will hold its fall gala on October 29. People interested in volunteering or donating can contact the center at director@communitydaycenter.org.