Boston Mayor Marty Walsh

Mayor Martin J. Walsh today officially opened Boston’s new homeless shelter at 112 Southampton St.

The opening of the shelter marks the completion of Phase II of the and will enable the site to provide over 400 emergency shelter beds on a nightly basis.

The opening coincided with the release of “An Action Plan to End Chronic and Veteran Homelessness,” produced by the Mayor’s Task Force on Individual Homelessness, and comes less than a year after the closing of the Long Island Homeless Shelter, to which Walsh had expressed a personal connection.

“This project is a testament to what can be established when we work together to tackle our city’s biggest challenges,” Walsh said in a statement. “This is not just a shelter – but a front door to counseling, support and permanent housing. It is a critical part of our strategy to end veteran homelessness this year, and chronic homelessness by 2018. Together, we can make Boston a city where no one is left behind – no matter your income, your past, your struggles.”

The building will provide space for both the emergency shelter as well as two of the city’s transitional housing programs, Project SOAR and Safe Harbor. The third phase of the project, to be completed later this year, will add a kitchen and clinic space to the shelter.