I parked my car in the dark, isolated lot on the edge of the University of Arizona campus between First United Methodist Church and a parking garage. As I walked through the alley, there were a few guys curled up with their sleeping bags and dogs. They seemed to be sharing a meal on a…
Common Sense: Transitional programs work for the homeless
When last we spoke, I talked about the closing of two transitional programs in Boston. The reason HUD is cutting funding for all transitional programs is they would rather put that money into Housing First and the latest Band-Aid solution—rapid rehousing. According to HUD, “the Rapid Rehousing program will provide services to individuals and families…
An Ohio volunteer’s perspective on Boston homelessness
Jimmy Longo and his fellow “Buck-I-Serve” volunteers. Photo courtesy of Jimmy Longo Growing up in Marion, Ohio—population 36,772—I never really saw homelessness in my 21 years of life. I never saw hordes of people without homes, without warm food or access to running water, without vital hygiene products— without hope. And then I visited Boston.…
Waking Gods: A Book Review
Photo courtesy of the author Writing this book review of “Waking Gods,” book two of the trilogy “The Themis Files,” I found myself in a quandary. When I write a review of a wonderful book, I don’t like to insert spoilers. If you, dear reader, haven’t yet read the first book in the series, “Sleeping…
‘I Am A Muslim Too’ NYC March
Photos by Katherine Bennett In preparation for the “I am a Muslim too” march to be held at noon, blocks of barricades and dozens of police officers secured the area in preparation for a peaceful march over the President’s Day weekend. Democratic Mayor Bill De Blasio spoke to over 1,000 participants at the rally, and…
Jetpac: The New Face of Diversity and Inclusion
Although Jetpac is an acronym that stands for Justice, Education, Technology, Policy and Advocacy Center, it’s much more than that for Muslim Americans. Shaun Kennedy, Jetpac’s executive director, and Nadeem Mazen, its president, founded the nonprofit in December 2015 in order to increase civic engagement and community service in Muslim communities. Kennedy, who’s from Norfolk…
There Needs to be Justice
While many Bostonians joined the rest of the country and braced for the arrival of President Donald Trump, a homeless man was beaten in a very public place. Just before Christmas, in North Station—where both the Celtics and the Bruins play upstairs in TD Garden—Michael Hathaway was allegedly (according to video!) beaten by a security…
City of Cambridge moving inclusionary zoning amendment into law
Cambridge has created 100 units of affordable housing over the past year, a trend it is looking to continue and build upon in 2017. The Cambridge city council hopes to increase the percentage of affordable housing to 20 percent of the city’s total residential housing units by June of this year. Cambridge implemented inclusionary zoning,…
The 19th Annual Homeless Radio Marathon
Every year, for nineteen years, Jeremy Alderson has hosted the Homeless Radio Marathon. And every year, for nineteen years, Alderson has only seen the homelessness problem worsen. “Hey everybody,” he began at 7 p.m. on the dot. “It’s me, Nobody, and welcome.” He then lit a candle, as he does every year, in honor of…
Lawsuit accuses Baker administration of denying shelter to homeless families
Naikis Cepeda is often forced to answer a question from her children that no parent ever wants to face: why don’t we have a home? The 28-year-old mother of two has confronted this question several times since her abusive husband abandoned her, leaving the family homeless. On nights when she was denied emergency shelter from…