Spare Change News is proud to present a new monthly feature, “In Their Own Words,” which highlights the work of writers who meet at Rosie’s Place. In late 2014, Rosie’s Place, a community center for Boston’s poor and homeless women, started a memoir workshop. The intention was to have the guests, as they call the…
News
‘Map the Meal Gap’ highlights food insecurity in Eastern Massachusetts
Food insecurity rates among residents of Eastern Massachusetts remain unchanged as the national rate is on the decline, a recent report published by the Map the Meal Gap project found. The numbers show that nearly 500,000 people in Eastern Massachusetts are struggling to feed themselves, which equates to one out of 10 people, Greater Boston…
Invisible Nation: Author Richard Schweid Discusses Family Homelessness
In 2002 Tennessee-born author Richard Schweid found himself checking in to a rundown motel outside of Detroit. Brought there by his research for his 2004 book on transportation in contemporary Cuba, Schweid had no idea that he was about to stumble upon an entire community that exists across the United States hidden in plain sight:…
How unaccompanied youths become exploited workers in the U.S.
Border between San Diego and Tijuana. – Wikimedia Commons The Trump administration has released a series of executive orders targeting immigration at the U.S. southern border. Central American families and children traveling alone represent nearly half of all unauthorized migrants apprehended by Customs and Border Protection. The criminalization of immigrants at the U.S. southern border…
Boston sees continued success housing the homeless, but still more work to do
Mayor Marty Walsh at the 2014 opening of Southampton Street Shelter. Photo: Zengzheng Wang. On Thursday, Boston officials announced that their push to end chronic individual homelessness has resulted in housing 301 individuals since the start of 2016. This is in addition to the 846 veterans they have housed since 2015. The new numbers reflect…
Boston sees continued success housing the homeless, but still more work to do
Mayor Marty Walsh at the 2014 opening of Southampton Street Shelter. Photo: Zengzheng Wang. On Thursday, Boston officials announced that their push to end chronic individual homelessness has resulted in housing 301 individuals since the start of 2016. This is in addition to the 846 veterans they have housed since 2015. The new numbers reflect…
Formerly homeless woman leads street backpack program in Nashville
Twelve years ago, Hurricane Ivan ripped through Jessica Thurmond’s neighborhood, destroying the house where she had been living. The 18-year-old in Florida was soon forced to live in her car while working multiple jobs. One of her jobs was at a gym, which meant she could use the facility’s shower and have a locker for…
Insane Clown President: Matt Taibbi on Social Justice in the Age of Donald Trump
Spare Change News was able to track down busy journalist and author Matt Taibbi to talk about President Trump’s potential impact on social justice, healthcare and homelessness. Taibbi also spoke about his new book, released in January, titled “Insane Clown President: Dispatches from the 2016 Circus”, which gathers his reporting for Rolling Stone during the…
Arts & Culture
‘Gwendy’s Button Box’ by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar
When Stephen King partners up with another writer who shares the same darkness dancing on the buttons (keys) of his computer, magic happens. That is exactly what takes place when Richard Chizmar and King told a tale out of school and decided to name it “Gwendy’s Button Box.” It’s a story about a young girl…
‘Gwendy’s Button Box’ by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar
When Stephen King partners up with another writer who shares the same darkness dancing on the buttons (keys) of his computer, magic happens. That is exactly what takes place when Richard Chizmar and King told a tale out of school and decided to name it “Gwendy’s Button Box.” It’s a story about a young girl…
A wolf with words: Rise Against guitarist Zach Blair talks Trump, political entertainers and “Wolves” LP
Photo credit: Travis Shinn Chicago-based punk rockers Rise Against just released their latest full-length LP, Wolves, on June 9th, but guitarist Zach Blair hasn’t had much time to bask in its reception, since the band launched a nationwide summer trek with Deftones the day of the release. “My wife keeps telling me it’s getting good…
With Armor of Solid Humor: Louie Anderson talks Comedy career, HERO, Supporting the homeless
Louie Anderson wears many hats. Actor, authorize andersonor, philanthropist, Zach Galifianakis’ mom on the FX hit series Baskets, and of course, one of the most well-known and well-respected names in stand-up comedy for the last 32 years. As with many in his line of work, getting to where he is now in his career was…
The Middle Man: Jim O’Heir Talks Emmy Win, Homelessness in Chicago and LA, Upcoming Film
Photo by Cullin Tobin It’s been over a month since his Emmy win, and Jim O’Heir still can’t believe it. The Chicago native scored his new hardware thanks to his heralded guest performance as Matt Cannistra on daytime soap opera legend “The Bold and the Beautiful.” Many praised his performance, but it wasn’t even a…
Columns
This too shall pass
Spare Change News is proud to present a new monthly feature, “In Their Own Words,” which highlights the work of writers who meet at Rosie’s Place. In late 2014, Rosie’s Place, a community center for Boston’s poor and homeless women, started a memoir workshop. The intention was to have the guests, as they call the…
Bizarre Boston: Raising Hell at Harvard
When I think about college students raising hell, I picture kegs of beer, red plastic Solo cups and loud music. Oh, and maybe a beer funnel or two. In my mind, the phrase “raising hell” is just a metaphor for having a wild time. However, maybe it’s not always just a metaphor. For some Harvard…
This too shall pass
Spare Change News is proud to present a new monthly feature, “In Their Own Words,” which highlights the work of writers who meet at Rosie’s Place. In late 2014, Rosie’s Place, a community center for Boston’s poor and homeless women, started a memoir workshop. The intention was to have the guests, as they call the…
LAST WORD: Christina Sukghian Houle
About a month ago, an artist called Christina Sukhgian Houle dropped into the Spare Change News’ headquarters to meet with some of the vendors. Christina has joined forces with the newspaper’s co-founder, James Shearer, with the goal of making a documentary on homelessness in the Boston area. Christina is a relatively recent transplant to Greater…
Do Homeless Lives Matter?
As I write this, people are reacting to Trump pulling us out of the Paris climate change accord. People are talking about what Kathy Griffin did. Earlier in the week, people were all aglow over the new Boston Bridge program, which will send Boston students to college without them having to pay tuition. As usual,…
The Doomsday Clock
The Doomsday Clock is calculated by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. It first appeared in 1947 when it evolved into a magazine from a newsletter. The Doomsday Clock symbolizes the urgency of nuclear and other dangers, as determined by the broader scientific community, which is trying to communicate the level of danger to the…
The Avoidable Crisis
Stanley Forman: 40 Years After the Soiling of Old Glory
The photo was chilling. Before a crowd of onlookers, a white man appears to be attempting to stab a black man with the tip of a flagpole. “It really showed racism,” said photographer Stanley Forman 40 years after he took the Pulitzer Prize-winning snapshot of an anti-busing protest that had turned violent. “It was whites…