Meeting the ever-changing landscape and needs of a community is necessary but is it easy? Absolutely, not. Boston’s Mass and Cass neighborhood has become the resting place for many who are actively consuming substances, experiencing homelessness and are at risk of facing street-based trauma.

In 2022 Victory Programs opened its doors to The Victory Connector, a new drop in space in the Mass and Cass neighborhood. A neighborhood that was already home to methadone clinics, Boston Medical Center (the city hospital), Harm Reduction Providers and two homeless shelters. What could Victory Programs do that was different and meeting an unmet need?

The Victory Connector serves as a hub for women, transgender and non-binary individuals navigating the beginning stages of seeking community, by offering a safe environment to alleviate the isolation resulting from social stigma, marginalization and street-based trauma.

A low threshold, low barrier program that offers a community of support by staff and peers. The Victory Connector offers safer consumption supplies, HIV/STI testing, Family Planning Services, social support, healthcare navigation, housing support and hygiene supplies.

Creating a safer space for populations that often have a harder time accessing service do to gender, identity and sexual orientation was at the forefront of the development of the Connector. By creating an environment that is safer for specific populations Victory Programs is opening doors to other services and decreasing barriers.