Welcome to the Menino Convention Center and Homeless Shelter.

Unsatisfied with the use of South Station as an overnight homeless refuge the Executive Director of the MBTA Advisory Board is proposing to convert a portion of the Menino Convention Center into a cold weather shelter for the homeless.

“Even when hosting conventions, the building’s size makes segregation feasible.”

Brian Kane writing in the StreetsBlog Mass suggests the December freezing death of a man outside South Station demonstrates that the transport hub “is neither designed nor equipped to function as an emergency shelter. There are better nearby alternatives that offer greater adaptability, dignity, and safety for both unhoused residents.”

In early February, the Boston City Council asked the MBTA to keep South Station open during winter emergencies.

Reversing a recent policy, the MBTA did allow homeless individuals to seek shelter in South Station during the February blizzard, while several other shelters accept overnight stays during below zero temperatures.

“The station also has limited restroom facilities and no capacity to create separated, specialized areas for families, children, individuals with acute mental health needs, or other vulnerable populations. Operating the space as a shelter requires MBTA Transit Police staffing—often on overtime—further straining public resources. In short, South Station’s physical layout and primary mission make it an ill-suited emergency housing solution.”

Kane’s solution?

The restroom rich Menino Convention Center, “with approximately 2.1 million square feet of heated indoor space—including 516,000 square feet of exhibit space, a 40,000-square-foot ballroom, and more than 80 meeting rooms—the BCEC offers scale, flexibility, and infrastructure. Its numerous restrooms can be designated for specific populations. Its modular spaces allow for safe separation by family status, sex, or medical and mental health needs. It even has massive kitchens that may be pressed into service.”

The Convention Center has had its own management issues recently.

Kane also proposed these alternatives: the lobby of the Federal Reserve Bank, the Moakley Courthouse, MassDOT District 6 Headquarters and the Park Plaza Transportation Building, “which in 2023 housed dozens of unhoused migrant families”