Before Christmas, a survey found that 74 percent of people were worried about the levels of homelessness in Britain. The survey, commissioned by the charity Crisis, measured attitudes towards the 236,000 people experiencing homelessness across Great Britain today, and its findings seemed positive – 61 percent of people felt “angry, upset or frustrated” about homelessness…
As MBTA fares increase, so do state house salaries
As news broke this week about the MBTA proposing another fare hike, I found myself thinking about the salary increase over at the State House. Yes, folks, in a move that has went largely ignored by local media and a few others, the State Legislators have once again voted to give themselves pay raises. Gov.…
Poppy: A novel about the opioid crisis
Poppy hopped off the bus at Burrard and Davie and walked the half-block back to St. Paul’s, where a gathering of some 30 black-clad youth stood outside the main entrance. He dodged a few on the sidewalk on the wide walkway from sidewalk to door and noticed a “Speedball Dreams” badge sewn on the sleeve…
His Name Was Joshua
After I attended the Homeless Memorial Service I came across a story that made me shake my head. A man, Clifton Moore, had been indicted for the murder of a homeless man named Joshua Rivera, age 54, in Charlestown. The crime was committed on Sept. 6 and according to the published details it was brutal.…
Volunteers Build Beds for Homeless People at Boston Latin
Hundreds came out in single digit weather to attend the 13th annual Boston Cares’ Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, held at the Boston Latin School for the third year in a row, on Monday, Jan. 21. Among them were many news faces who took to various service programs throughout the school, which included…
Buy Me Boston: Brian Coleman’s new book is a ‘love letter’ to the city’s past
Brian Coleman Rat Sign. Photo by Margot Edwards It may be tough to believe for those who weren’t there, but the Celtics weren’t the only thing happenin’ in the city of Boston throughout the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s – and local historian Brian Coleman is here to remind us of that. Coming in the form…
Federal workers protest government shutdown
Senator Ed Markey gives a speech about standing with the people to end the shutdown. Dozens of federal employees rallied at Boston’s Post Office Square in protest of the government shutdown on Friday Jan. 11, the first day that thousands of federal workers did not receive their paychecks. In December, the U.S. Senate voted unanimously…
‘Friends’ Star Inspired to Action by Friend’s Homelessness
David Schwimmer, former star of “Friends,” turned his artistic talent to telling stories that highlight the struggle of homeless people after discovering that his friend had been living on Skid Row, hiding his homelessness even from those who knew him best. Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons “I had a friend who was homeless for two…
Horace Seldon: Fighting Injustice, Celebrating Civil Disobedience
Horace Seldon was happily lying on his back, waving his hands and feet in the air the first time Shay Stewart-Bouley saw him. Shay was just starting out as Executive Director of Community Change, Inc., the anti-racism non-profit Horace founded in 1968, and she was at the organization’s forty-fifth anniversary party. It also happened to…
Boston Has One of Nation’s Highest Homeless Rates
New research shows that while homelessness in the United States may be down overall, it’s still rising in the most expensive rental markets. And Boston has one of the highest homeless rates. Christopher Glynn, assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire, is one of the lead authors of the national Zillow-sponsored study. The researchers…