Author: David J. Jefferson
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Editorial: Homeless Hotspots and Sandwich Boards
Since the time of Charles Dickens in the 1800s, the poor and downtrodden have been used in various ways in society, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse. The premises and outcomes of this kind of hiring of the disadvantaged are up for review and one ought to understand their clear implications about how a…
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Moving up and looking back
Gary aka John Doe Spare Change News When thrust into a situation that takes you out of your element, you become vulnerable. When you’re with strangers that are in the same, or a similar, situation, there’s a comfort brought back within you. It’s not a matter of “misery loves company,” however; it’s a common ground…
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Homeless Again, Part 3
James Shearer Spare Change News I’d forgotten how cruel and unfeeling life on the streets can sometimes be. In the years when I was on street, I would sometimes see myself as a hero. The good guy. The knight in shinning armor. Sometimes it played out well, but more often than not everything blew up…
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From The New Executive Director
Alan Feinberg Spare Change News I just wanted to take the opportunity to introduce myself to all the readers. My name is Alan Feinberg, and I have over 30 years experience in the social services field. I have worked in diverse and economically disadvantaged communities throughout Greater Boston. I am very familiar with the issues…
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Pine Street Inn, hopeFound Explore Merger
Adam Sennott Spare Change News Two of Boston’s leading homeless shelters announced August 5th that they are considering a merger that they believe could allow them to have a greater impact in Boston’s fight to end homelessness. Pine Street Inn, New England’s largest homeless shelter, and hopeFound, formerly known as Friends of the Shattuck Shelter,…
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Editorial: The Feel-good Sales Tax Holiday
“We do it, frankly, not because it’s particularly fiscally prudent, but because it’s popular.” That’s Gov. Deval Patrick explaining what has become the annual sales tax holiday, this year’s scheduled for the weekend of Aug. 13-14. In other words: it makes no real sense, but a lot of people are fooled into thinking it’s a…
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James Shearer Column: For David
[img_assist|nid=547|title=|desc=|link=none|align=center|width=400|height=400] JAMES SHEARER Spare Change News For David Just a little over two years ago, this old bulldog of a newspaper seemed headed for the scrap heap. We had been through so much over the last few years and when the recession hit, it seemed as if Spare Change had fought its last battle. I…
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Mass. Wants New Emphasis on Housing over Shelters
By Tom Benner First in a three-part series on the Patrick administration’s five-year plan to eliminate homelessness by 2013 Part One: The shift from shelters to housing Part Two: What the advocates and experts say Part Three: What policymakers say and next steps Housing First is a revolutionary concept in the fight against homelessness. Instead…
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Kip Tiernan Gone, But Not Forgotten
[img_assist|nid=531|title=Kip Tiernan |desc=|link=none|align=center|width=400|height=400] By James Shearer I was watching the news on the morning of July 4th, and the news crew was busy focusing its attention on the preparations for that evening’s fireworks display as usual, when they cut away only for a brief moment to announce that Kip Tiernan had passed away. I never…
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An end to reefer madness is in sight
By Aaron James The prohibition on marijuana prohibition dates back to the mid-1930s with the ‘Marijuana Tax Act.’ This law effectively made possession and distribution of marijuana a felony. Since this time we have made great strides correcting this flaw. Currently, simple possession of marijuana is no longer a felony charge in any state of…