The other day I was thinking of one of our former editors, the first black editor Spare Change had in over 20 years, when he came aboard he began to take the paper in a new direction. Let’s just say there was a lot more color than the paper was used to, and there was…
‘Welfare Reform’ Poised to Exclude People in Need From Assistance
On April 10, President Trump privately signed an executive order entitled, “Reducing Poverty in America by Promoting Opportunity and Economic Mobility.” The order charges federal agencies with the task of increasing the requirements of welfare programs, making cuts to existing programs, and allowing states more flexibility in implementing programs. To guide these efforts, the…
In The World Of The Addict
Upon my return from a wonderful weekend praying and meditating at a retreat center in Vermont I check my phone messages. One of the messages is from a friend in Gloucester, which is where I currently live, telling me that another friend of ours who was in recovery has relapsed and died of an overdose.…
The Beginning of the End of Free Internet
Do you use Yahoo as your Internet provider? Well, if you do, here’s a heads up for you. Yahoo has been taken over by Verizon and joined with AOL. Verizon acquired Yahoo, joining them with AOL, to form an organization that is ominously named Oath. These companies will have strong access to all of your…
The Poor People’s Campaign: Putting Humanity Before Politics
Before Martin Luther King’s tragic death 50 years ago this month, he had begun organizing what he would call the Poor People’s Campaign. The focus was to bring economic justice to all poor people regardless of their race. Though the campaign continued after King’s death, it never had the success he envisioned. Now 50 years…
The Ruins of Pahokee
Suddenly the dreams come. For a second there is the face of Ar Lain Ta laughing and then I am back in Pahokee, Fla., with my wife. She stares at me with her giant eyes, the corners of her full lips are turned down, she is dark with the bite of the tropical sun as…
Feeling Hopeful: Reflections of the Inspiring March for Our Lives Event
I arrived late to the March For Our Lives event last Saturday. Traffic and errands kept me from being on time, and I couldn’t even find the person I was supposed to meet there. Still, it was inspiring. Let me back it up here for a second. If you haven’t been paying attention, the March…
Treat Homelessness Like the Health Issue It Is
Last spring a group of students, led by their Professor Dr. Debra Harkins, came up with Bill H.3933, which is based on an idea out of Hawaii that says homelessness should be treated as a medical condition; this could allow doctors to write prescriptions for housing. I know, it sounds far fetched, but when you…
Free From Heroin: A Daily Fight
I have been drug and alcohol free now for almost 15 years. Does the heroin still call to me? To be honest, at times it does. As a matter of fact, after almost four years clean, I relapsed and used heroin for another year and two months. An eternity in hell. How did that happen?…
Finally, I Am Where I’m Meant to Be
Saundra came to Rosie’s Place about six years ago, at a low point in her life. Circumstances had led her to lose her housing, and she made the wrenching decision to separate from her teenage son while she became homeless and went through the process to find new housing for them both. She says that…