Author: Abby DeRigo
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Renters Day of Action: Bostonians March Against Displacement and Gentrification
All photos: Anthony Williams As rents in Boston continue to increase, housing activists rallied and marched from City Hall to Chinatown demanding a freeze on rent increases and better eviction prevention for city residents. After a brief introduction at One Center Plaza, a giant prop fence reading “Eviction Free Zone” proceeded to lead the moving…
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Boston’s 311 line can now connect citizens with addiction recovery services
Tuesday afternoon, the city of Boston announced that people looking for addiction recovery services can now call 311 for help. Officials hope this new integration will make it easier for Bostonians to find a recovery program for themselves or their loved ones. “A lot of families… don’t know who they should call or when they…
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Advocates rally to “take back Long Island” following news about b.good, tax money
The first big news item that inspired the rally was the revelation that fast food chain b.good will now manage a farm on the island that once benefited the homeless. The farm was originally part of the city-run Serving Ourselves job program for shelter and recovery clients. The farm also produced 50 percent of the…
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Wendy Oxenhorn on co-founding Street News and her life helping those living in homelessness and poverty
By Adam Kampe and Eric Falquero Courtesy of INSP.ngo / Street Sense In 1989, Wendy Oxenhorn was approached by a rock musician to find a way to help people experiencing homelessness in New York City. Hutchinson Persons wanted to organize a large concert that would function as a canned food drive. He had heard of…
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“Ending Homelessness”: Panel of experts discuss new book that details problems and solutions
Photo: Gavia Strategies Timed to coincide with the release of a new book on solutions to homelessness, a panel of the book’s authors and its editor discussed prevalent issues facing the homeless community. Titled “Ending Homelessness: Why We Haven’t, How We Can,” the book features chapters on housing first, employing empowerment models and the changing…
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Solving Dilemmas: Mel King, legendary activist and politician, talks fair housing in Boston
Photo: Zengzheng Wang Mel King is one of the fiercest and certainly most experienced crusaders in the fight for affordable housing in Boston. Just three years ago, at the age of 85, he was arrested at an eviction protest. In addition to his decades-long career of activism, King boats stints as a state representative, an…
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Third annual homeless youth count begins across Massachusetts
Photo: Emmanuel Huybrechts The third annual homeless youth count begins Monday, which will see service providers and government agencies across the Commonwealth coordinating efforts to get an accurate reading on an often misunderstood population. “There are at this point minimal resources focused on youth homelessness,” says Kelly Turley of Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, who…
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Racism and Homelessness: Advocates say “we have to connect the two”
Photo: Alex Ramirez While technically anyone can end up homeless, numbers show that black Americans and Native Americans not only end up in the streets and shelters in greater numbers, but they also stay there longer than their white counterparts. “Black folks are 12.5 percent of the general population but 27 percent of folks living…
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Advocates push for city-funded housing voucher program
The Boston City Council held a public hearing to explore the possibility of a city-funded housing voucher program. The hearing comes in the wake of diminished federal funding for housing assistance, and housing advocates have actively proposed a model similar to D.C.’s program. Specifically, advocates are pushing for the city to spend $5 million of…
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At Anime Boston, fans give back
Photo: Kotarou Kagamine Thousands of anime fans, cosplayers, and self-identified geeks will flock to the Hynes Convention Center this weekend for Anime Boston for events like autograph signings, cosplay contests, and special screenings, among others. To outsiders, the annual convention is probably best associated with its costumed participants who flood the Prudential Center, and many…