Local homeless and low-income artists served by area social service programs and centers will be exhibiting their artwork Saturday, April 14th, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Old South Church, 645 Boylston St. Boston, MA 02116. City Heart art show and sale highlights the works of artists from the Cambridge Women’s Center, Common Art,…
Legislative Action Day on Feb. 29
Michael Ahern, Spare Change News BOSTON – On Wednesday, Feb. 29, the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless will be holding a Legislative Action Day. For 28 years, the coalition has been a frontrunner in fighting and preventing homelessness. According to the website, the MCH believes that homelessness can be fixed with housing that is safe…
AFTER AUDIT, STATE PRESSED TO COVER HOMELESS STUDENT TRANSPORT COSTS
Colleen Quinn State House News Service BOSTON — Armed with new state audit findings, several lawmakers are asking state budget writers to step in and help their communities cover the costs of busing homeless children to school – a figure that topped $11.3 million in fiscal year 2012. The group of legislators wrote a letter…
Evacuation of Elderly Chinese Immigrants from Condemned Chinatown Building Underscores City’s Lack of Elder Homeless Services
Noelle Swan Spare Change News When the Boston Fire Department and Boston Inspectional Services condemned a building in Chinatown earlier this month, some 40 people were immediately displaced, sending the city officials scrambling to find emergency housing for the mostly elderly, non-English speaking residents. Some officials called Adrienne Beloin, Outreach Director at HEARTH—a nonprofit organization…
AFTER AUDIT, STATE PRESSED TO COVER HOMELESS STUDENT TRANSPORT COSTS
By Colleen Quinn STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE Armed with new state audit findings, several lawmakers are asking state budget writers to step in and help their communities cover the costs of busing homeless children to school – a figure that topped $11.3 million in fiscal year 2012. The group of legislators wrote a letter to…
Free Tax Preparation Services to Help Combat Poverty
Nakia Hill Spare Change News Mitt Romney is not the only one filing his taxes this year. While the wealthy may be trying to dodge higher tax rates, low-income families are banking on collecting every penny borrowed from Uncle Sam last year. Boston and Cambridge are offering free services to the working class to assure…
New Initiative Targets Homelessness Among Veterans
By Noelle Swan Spare Change News At 60 years old, Art Griffin is about to graduate from UMass Boston with a bachelor’s degree in social psychology. His eyes brighten when he talks about his post-graduation plans. “I want to work with veterans,” he says. The slight tremor in his hands briefly calms as he tilts…
When Bad Things Happen
JAMES SHEARER Spare Change News A couple of weeks ago, the editor received a letter from a reader about a story one of our vendors had written about herself. The letter was critical of the decisions this vendor, who is homeless by the way, made. Not only was he critical of her, but of all…
Cradles to Crayons: Getting Essentials to Homeless and Low-income Children
Liam Cunningham Spare Change News It all began during a typical holiday trip to Michigan, where Lynn Margherio travels nearly every winter to visit her family. During the trip, Margherio was struck with an eye-opening realization while helping her young niece get dressed. “I was helping my niece get dressed and was pulling things from…
MIT Students Open Soup Kitchen; Diners Wanted
Alexander R. Moore Spare Change News During these difficult economic times, even the most prosperous feel the clutch of despair. It is put on our doorstep then, as humans, to share what wealth we do have with those less fortunate than ourselves. Our duty is to spread happiness; the alternative is to surrender to the…