This is for all the victims of the world, all the people like me: we were not born with cancer, but it still chose us. You can be young or old, it still picks you. I had lung cancer at first, at the end of 2015. The hospital, Boston Medical Center, wanted to take a…
After the smoke has cleared: Following a weekend of displacement, Merrimack Valley families still await gas, reimbursement and a return to normalcy
The line outside the Lawrence Senior Center was dozens of people deep the Saturday after a series of gas leaks and fires displaced thousands of families in the Merrimack Valley. Photo: Alejandro Ramirez. Intro: Thursday night evacuation Around three in the afternoon on Thursday, Sept. 13, a detective at Yahaira Ramos’s home in the southern…
Massachusetts Housing Program is Finalist for $100,000 Prize
The Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance’s “Pay for Success” program is one of the top 10 finalists for the $100,000 Drucker Prize award. The Drucker Institute recognizes non-profit organizations at a national level. Peter Drucker helped create philosophical and practical base for contemporary business and established the institute that has awarded the prize over the…
Healthcare is a Human Right
By the time you read this, I will have had my second surgery to plant a fistula in my arm for my eventual dialysis treatment. But that is not what I want to talk about today. After all, I’m fine, and I’m reasonably healthy because I have been lucky. I have great healthcare, and I’m…
Pine Street Inn Regular Recognized for Shelter Garden
The Pine Street Inn was recognized as the first-place winner for the “Storefront, Organization, or Main Street District” category of Mayor Martin Walsh’s 2018 Garden Contest in Boston. Pine Street Inn staff also recognized their tenant AJ for his hard work in tending to the garden for many years. “AJ has managed the garden for…
Tent Cities for Detaining Immigrants to be Built on Toxic Military Bases
A coalition of immigrant, labor and environmental groups is demanding details on government plans to detain migrant families at military bases known to be contaminated from decades of use for munitions and hazardous waste disposal, nuclear weapons development and military firing ranges. On Wednesday, Aug. 22, as the Trump administration rushed to build tent cities at…
Boston Women’s Shelter finishes renovations
Alisha Bernard began singing when she was very young, found success performing throughout New England and had an opportunity to sign a record deal. But even as her voice soared, she struggled with personal challenges; depression and drug use. Ultimately, that professional opportunity was lost. She found herself as a guest at Woods-Mullen, an emergency…
Tenants facing eviction get the runaround from Marc Roos Realty during demonstration
Demonstrators rallied around the older tenants of Our Lady’s Guild House, many of whom are facing eviction. Photo: Marilyn Humphries. Our Lady’s Guild House (OLGH) tenants, looking to schedule a meeting with property manager Marc Roos, were ignored during a demonstration held on Saturday, August 25 with City Life/Vida Urbana. More than 50 people demonstrated…
Men Acquitted for Death of Homeless Woman in House Fire
Two men suspected of starting a house fire that killed a 29-year-old homeless women in 2016 were found no guilty by a jury in Suffolk Superior Court in August. The decision came after two and half days of deliberation by the jury following a week of testimony, according to Suffolk County District Attorney spokesman Jake…
Book Review: Homeless: A Day In The Life
“Someone who’s warm can’t understand someone who’s cold.”——Alexander Solzhenitsyn. This book really brought back the old times of my being homeless. The one very big difference is that this man, who calls himself ‘our friend’ throughout the book, is not an addict. This story is totally engrossing, as he travels through a northwestern city and…