Story #20: Julie Wilson on Presiding Over HSHS

Julie Wilson is an emeritus Senior Lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School and the President of the Homeless Square Homeless Shelter Corporation, which helps oversee the student-run Harvard Square Homeless Shelter and help raise funds for the shelter’s capital expenses.

“Our budget is a small amount of money for postage stamps and paying an accountant to review our books to make sure we’re legit,” Julie joked. 

Five decades ago, as housing prices were “beginning to go way up,” an unhoused population emerged in large numbers. Each night, several individuals would sleep in the newly-built Harvard Square MBTA station’s surrounding “pit.” The congregation of the University Lutheran church — “between Pinnochio’s and the MAC” — started serving around 50 unhoused individuals dinner. 

Gradually, Harvard students encouraged the church to open up the church’s space for the unhoused population. Though the shelter began as a one-night shelter, after an HKS student wrote his masters on the shelter, advising that guests should spend three weeks instead of one night, Harvard Square Homeless Shelter transitioned to a longer-term schedule. Later, state regulations shifted stays from three weeks to the season.

The shift made a big difference, Julie said. With more time, students were able to help guests replace identification and find jobs as well as encourage guests to trust the students more.

“When you’re living outside, you’re really trying to protect everything you have, and you’re holding everything close. Being able to come into the shelter and spread out a bit, relax a bit, and start trusting people, was a really important experience,” Julie said. 

Throughout our interview, Julie spoke of volunteering students and the program with a sense of awe. According to Julie, for many, the shelter has been transformational: providing a unique learning opportunity for the conjugation and students and even encouraging students to change their concentration (or their concentration’s focus).

“The students all along have been really impressive,” Julie said. 

“We feel really lucky to have the space and to be able to offer it, because we’ve grown a lot by getting to know the students,” Julie said. “It’s been really helpful for the congregation.”