The Boston Living Center

07/21/2026

07/21/2026

Important Elevator Maintenance & Service Updates at 29 Stanhope Street 🛗

Beginning Monday, July 27, Victory Programs and Museum Properties will begin a major, necessary elevator upgrade at 29 Stanhope Street—home to the Boston Living Center and the community-based housing program Keys to Home. The project will take approximately 4 weeks.

Our doors, care, and services remain fully open and active! We have adapted our services across the Boston Living Center (BLC) and Keys to Home to ensure everyone continues to receive support and care.

Key Elevator Access Details:
• Week 1 (July 27 – July 31): Complete closure while major equipment is replaced.
• Weeks 2–4 (August 3 – August 21): Limited, planned operation at designated times while final upgrades are completed.

UPDATES TO HOW SERVICES WILL WORK

🍲 Daily Meals To-Go:
Daily breakfast and lunch will be served as to-go meals for pickup in the ground-floor lobby. The receptionist will coordinate with 2nd-floor kitchen staff to bring your meal directly down. Members without an appropriate place to eat nearby are welcome to eat inside the designated lobby area.

🛍️ Pantry Distributions:
Staff will bring grocery bags directly down to the ground-floor lobby on our regular schedule (the 2nd and 4th Thursday and Friday of the month).

🤝 1-on-1 Services & Appointments:
♥️ BLC case managers can meet with you in the ground-floor lobby or arrange meetings at an accessible VPI site or community location.
🔑 Keys to Home clients will be contacted individually to schedule virtual meetings or in-person appointments at 434 Mass Ave.

🧑🏾‍🦽‍➡️Stair & Mobility Assistance:
If you are comfortable taking the stairs but use a walker, staff can assist by carrying your device upstairs for you. Members who cannot safely navigate stairs will receive alternative, fully accessible ground-floor or off-site accommodations. (Note: For physical safety, staff are strictly not permitted to carry individuals or wheelchairs up the stairs).

🩺 Clinical Services & Referrals: If you need HIV/HCV/STI testing, PrEP/PEP navigation, or STI treatment during these four weeks, call 617-236-1012 to coordinate appropriate services.

🎨 Group Activities: Some wellness and educational groups are temporarily postponed or rescheduled to match the elevator's limited operating hours. Check with BLC staff for specific group schedule updates!

❓Questions? We’re here to help!
Our receptionist is stationed in the ground-floor lobby to coordinate services, take intake requests, assist with medical transportation, distribute harm reduction supplies, and help you on the spot. You can also call us at 617-236-1012 for phone support.

Thank you for your patience as we keep 29 Stanhope safe for the long haul! ❤️🚪

07/14/2026

During our final Monday Night Dinner of the summer season, our community was treated to an incredibly moving live performance by special guest and talented violinist, Samuel Lee.

Samuel’s performance was driven by a deep personal mission of musical philanthropy. He recently founded Music in Return, an organization dedicated to bringing live music to communities with minimal access to the arts. Guided by his core belief that music is a gift bestowed upon us to be shared with others, Samuel reached out to Victory Programs to find new ways to give back.

Samuel brought that exact philosophy into our dining room, creating an atmosphere of peace, connection, and comfort that resonated deeply with our members and staff. At Victory Programs, we know that true healing involves nurturing the whole person—and the power of live music has a unique way of feeding the soul.

Turn your sound up 🔊 and take a moment to enjoy this beautiful snippet of Samuel’s performance.

Thank you, Samuel, for sharing your extraordinary gift with our The Boston Living Center family!

07/14/2026

Important Update for our BLC Community!

Starting next week on Monday, July 20, the Boston Living Center will be transitioning to a new summer schedule.

Moving forward, our temporary summer hours will be:
Monday through Friday: 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Please note: Our Monday Night Dinner program is temporarily on hold and is planned to return in the Fall of 2026.

Victory Programs and The Boston Living Center want to ensure all of our members have plenty of time to plan their visits around these new hours. If you have any questions or need assistance during this transition, please reach out to our team at the front desk or call us directly at 📞 617-236-1012!

07/07/2026

We were honored to host the launch of The Women Who Stayed podcast right here at the Boston Living Center. It was the perfect setting—the BLC began in 1989 when a small group of people living with HIV/AIDS organized a dinner to combat isolation, growing from living rooms into New England’s largest community resource center.

Episode 5 is available now, and it hits close to home. It honors Cheryl Schaffer, who worked behind the scenes to build the infrastructure and heart of the AIDS Action Committee with fierce compassion during those same critical early years.

Cheryl's dedication reflects the exact spirit of dignity, care, and family we have provided at the BLC every day since 1989, and continue to champion as a proud program of Victory Programs.

🎙️ Episode 5 is available now! 🎙️

As the AIDS epidemic unfolded, the AIDS Action Committee grew from a small grassroots organization into one of the nation's leading AIDS service organizations. While Larry Kessler became the public face and visionary of the organization, Cheryl Schaffer was building it from the inside—creating the infrastructure, supporting its staff, and leading with compassion and unwavering commitment.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7j7uRmO8Mh0MzELAWuQ7SA?si=erBUOrAESryMaU_LT60upA

12/01/2025

As we remember those we’ve lost, uplift those living and thriving with HIV, and stand united against stigma, we invite our community to join us in solidarity.

We’ll be walking over from the BLC to the Boston Public Library steps in Copley Square in about 1 hour (3:30 PM) for our candlelight vigil. All are welcome to join us.

Dinner for BLC members will follow at 5 PM.

11/28/2025

Join the Boston Living Center for World AIDS Day on Monday, December 1 as we honor and remember our community. We’ll walk from the BLC to Copley Square around 3:30 PM for a candlelight vigil on the steps of the Boston Public Library (between 3:30–4:30 PM).

All current BLC members are invited back for Monday Night Dinner at 5 PM.

11/26/2025

Happy Thanksgiving from the Boston Living Center! We hope everyone has a warm, safe, and nourishing holiday surrounded by care and community.

Please note that the BLC will be closed all day on Thursday 11/27, and will reopen for services on Friday 11/28 at 7:30 AM. Wishing you all a wonderful holiday!

11/26/2025

Come join the BLC at SPOKE Art's World AIDS Day event at the Boston Center for the Arts' Cyclorama this Sunday 11/30!

March from City Hall starting at 1:15 PM, or meet us at the Cyclorama around 2 PM to be in community, pay your respects, reflect and remember those who have lost their lives to HIV/AIDS.