So Osama Bin Laden is dead. Finally, after 10 years the families of everyone who died on 9/11 can feel a sense of justice and begin to heal. That’s who I thought about when I heard the news, the over 3,000 victims and their families. I felt no need to go out and celebrate. I…
A Saving Grace in Salem, MA Part II
December of 2009 is etched in my mind because my family finally moved into an apartment. At that same time my oldest daughter and her two little boys had also moved into their own place. Though we were excited, I remember our new landlord thinking that for a family to move into an almost 7-room…
The New York City Rescue Mission
Open since 1872, New York City Rescue Mission is the oldest organisation in the US to provide help to those who are struggling with homelessness, mental illness and substance abuse. Today, it offers 100 beds – 29 for long-term residents -, meals, clothing and medical assistance. In 1872, McCully founded the New York City Rescue…
PATH CEO Joel John Roberts: A Life Dedicated to Fighting Homelessness
Joel John Roberts, CEO of PATH (People Assisting the Homeless), is a nationally renowned leader in the provision of services to homeless people. He is also an unrelenting activist in initiatives to end homelessness. PATH is a family of nonprofit organizations providing support services, shelter and housing to approximately 12,000 disenfranchised people every year. The…
Robbing Peter and the Silent Majority
In the last edition of SCN there was a story regarding the Governor’s new budget. One of the new proposals for this 2012 budget is “to reduce the state’s reliance on shelter and move towards a system with a housing first approach that will provide greater self-sufficiency while using resources more efficiently.” While this all…
Sober For Myself and No One Else
It’s been awhile since I have continued with my adventure in post detox Danvers. I left off after my first conversation with Lindsay, my case worker. To sum up briefly, she told me AA was not necessarily right for everyone and maybe I did not need AA to stay sober. She explained that I had…
The Myth Exposed Part 2
Boston likes to think of itself as a liberal city. As a matter of fact, Massachusetts as a whole loves to think of itself as a liberal state. We take great pride in it. We beat our chests about it, and always vote democrat. We make up our own rules and generally thumb our noses…
Crittenton Women’s Union: A Path to Economic Self-sufficiency
They help 1,300 people a year and run one of the largest emergency and transitional housing programs in the state, serving 350 families a year. The Crittenton Women’s Union is a Boston-based non-profit organization that combines a mission of direct service programs, independent research and public advocacy to help low-income women attain economic independence. CWU…
Patrick’s Budget Proposal Outlines New Approach to Ending Homelessness
With his new budget proposal, Deval Patrick has decided to take a new approach to ending homelessness. The new proposal was filed on January 26th and will reform the emergency shelter system and work to transition to a housing first approach. The proposal aims to cut the state’s budget by 570 million, approximately 1.8 %,…
Beyond the Class System in America
My name is Jacques, a.k.a. “The Haitian Firefly” in artistic circles. I am a poet, author, columnist, novelist and essayist. I came up with the nickname “The Haitian Firefly” to reflect my bold individuality and life credo that we are all essentially fireflies, we glow but only for a short amount of time, so we…