St. Francis House was founded in 1984, with a mission to care for those who cannot help themselves, and to assist those who are able to take steps to move themselves up and out of poverty, unemployment, and homelessness to functional lives of self-respect and hope. The origin of the organization dates back to 1981, when the Franciscan community opened a soup kitchen in downtown Boston. As demand for the bread line's services climbed, community and religious leaders called for the creation of a center where services could be offered to the poor, the homeless, and the disenfranchised. St. Francis House's early responses to homelessness focused on emergency services -providing basic necessities of food, clothing, shelter, and medical care. But the problem of homelessness was far too complex to be solved by emergency measures alone.