Author: Jordan Frias
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Young Victims of Sexual Violence Find Refuge with Roxbury Youthworks
At-risk and court-involved youth may not always want the help that they need, but those in the Greater Boston area who do are likely to be paired with a Life Coach from Roxbury Youthworks Incorporated, an organization that has been around for 36 years. “We’re a voluntary program,” said Roxbury Youthworks Inc. Executive Director Mia…
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‘Map the Meal Gap’ highlights food insecurity in Eastern Massachusetts
Food insecurity rates among residents of Eastern Massachusetts remain unchanged as the national rate is on the decline, a recent report published by the Map the Meal Gap project found. The numbers show that nearly 500,000 people in Eastern Massachusetts are struggling to feed themselves, which equates to one out of 10 people, Greater Boston…
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Affordable home becomes classroom for vocational students
Photos by Anna Bloxham About a dozen Madison Park High School students donned hard hats at the site of an affordable, energy efficient two-family home that is being built in Roxbury to learn the dos and don’t when it comes to safety in the field of carpentry. The event was organized by the Youthbuild Boston,…
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Court cases fighting the criminalization of homelessness succeeding in court
Cases that end up in court challenging discriminatory ordinances and laws against homelessness are proving to be successful, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty stated in a recent report. More than half of the cases that have challenged camping bans and sleeping restrictions in court have been successful, the report finds, and all…
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Longtime Catholic educator accused of abuse in South Boston
After working in Catholic education for nearly 40 years, Paul Doty, a former principal and educator of three religious schools in Boston, has been accused of sexual abuse by five men from South Boston. According to attorney Mitchell Garabedian, the attorney representing the five men, the alleged abuse by Doty occurred while he was principal…
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Congress considers SNAP cuts
Photo: Wikimedia Commons The fate of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is on the minds of many activists and lawmakers in Washington, D.C., as a Republican-controlled Congress debates the upcoming federal budget. Activists looking to team up with their elected officials to make the case against any cuts to SNAP attended a presentation held…
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Food Banks Seek State Funds as Federal Cuts Loom
Food banks from across Massachusetts expect to see major cuts as the Republican Party plans to slash $150 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps feed some of the state’s neediest residents. To make up for the loss, four of the state’s largest food banks are asking local legislators to support their…
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Former TD Garden security contractor and guard sued on behalf of homeless victim of alleged assaults
The guard named in the lawsuit, Rene Norestant Jr., has been named in three other attacks at The Garden. -Photo: Wikimedia commons Four homeless people are suing a former security guard and his former employer, Allied Universal, for violent incidents that occurred at the TD Banknorth Garden last year, according to Suffolk Superior Court documents.…
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Schools Programs Keep Hunger and Homelessness From Derailing Local Students
Bunker Hill Community College student Michael Curran knows what it’s like to be homeless and struggling in school. Curran, 28, of Medford, is among the many students who rely on the college’s Single Stop program for food and other resources to get by in life and in school. When asked how often he comes to…
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Activists Urge Lawmakers to Increase State Funding for Shelters and Programs
Joli Sparkman, owner of A Stitch in Time Textiles in Southbridge, shares her story of being homeless in Nurses Hall at the Statehouse. Photo: Jordan Frias. Homeless advocates appeared at the State House on Thursday, Feb. 16, to let local policymakers know that they need an increase in state funding for the services they’ve been…