At the Allston-Brighton District 9 Candidates Forum on Sept. 14, the dominating theme was affordable housing. Moderated by DigBoston Editor Chris Faraone, Councilor Mark Ciommo, Brandon Bowser and Alex Golonka faced off in a town hall meeting. While Ciommo’s positioning himself as the experienced candidate, Bowser’s running as a community-oriented educator and arts advocate and…
Cruz Companies Celebrates $300 Million Rehab with Elected Officials
The recently completed renovations to 83 affordable units at the Wayne at Columbia development on Blue Hill Avenue in Mattapan were celebrated by local and state officials on Wednesday, August 16. The development, rehabbed by Cruz Companies, the largest minority-owned construction and real estate development firm in the region, houses working families from Mattapan, Dorchester…
Boston City Council Discusses Action for Safe Needle Disposal
This past Wednesday, August 19, Boston City Council held a hearing calling for an ordinance that would force pharmacies and other retailers of “sharps”—or disposable needles—to also provide safe and free waste sites for buyers. If the ordinance is passed, retailers would effectively take on a burden that has almost solely been held by public…
Room in the inn: A dispatch from an Arizona center for asylum seekers
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…