Category: Homelessness & Poverty
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BPHC Knew a Year Ago That Transitional Programs Would Close
The closure of two successful transitional housing programs in Boston has created an urgent need for the 40 people who live there, but according to recent testimony at a Boston City Council Committee on Homelessness, Mental Health and Recovery hearing, this situation didn’t have to be an emergency. After prodding by Boston City Councilor Tito…
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Homeless women face a different set of problems
The number of homeless people in the United States has been increasing rapidly over the past several years and women have been among the fastest growing group. Among the most advanced nations, the United States has the highest number of homeless women and children. Of homeless women, 60% have children who are under 18, but…
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Commission releases report on senior LGBT housing
A report by the Cambridge LGBTQ+ Commission on LGBT seniors living in housing run by the Cambridge Housing Authority (CHA) recommended that the CHA sponsor programming for people who identify as LGBT, include gender identity as a protected class in the CHA anti-discrimination policy and collect information about how many LGBT seniors live in CHA…
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It Makes No Sense: Why close successful transitional programs?
Last week homeless activists got some sobering news: two transitional programs have been shut down. Project SOAR and Safe Harbor are gone. Just like that, bang, both programs, which have been highly successful, have been shut down. But wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. What exactly is a transitional program, you ask? It’s pretty simple:…
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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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Sound the alarm: HUD will face cuts under Carson
Spare Change News co-founder and columnist James Shearer. File photo For those of you who thought homelessness and poverty couldn’t get any worse, strap in. The new head of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson barely got his feet warm when the Trump administration revealed what’s in store for those on the bottom of the…
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Two transitional programs closing in Boston due to HUD budget changes
A row of bunk beds at 112 Southampton Street Shelter. Photo: Zengzheng Wang. Two Boston transitional programs designed to help homeless addicts recover and find housing while providing them shelter and aid are closing down due to a change in funding at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The two programs are currently…
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Boston schools commit one million dollars to homeless students for 2018
The Department of Education estimates that there may be as many as 37,000 homeless students in the Massachusetts public school system. New studies suggest that public school students in both Boston and New York City are at greater risk of homelessness during their school years. A Politico analysis of New York City found a 25…
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Homelessness advocates gather at State House for Legislative Action Day
A woman identified only as Lynetta tells the assembled advocates and service providers about her experience with homelessness, after being evicted by an unscrupulous landlord. Photo by Alejandro Ramirez One day, Lynetta and her family were evicted from their home. She says her landlord retroactively increased her rent, which is illegal, and painted her as…
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Report reveals family homelessness on the rise In Massachusetts
According to the report, 60 percent of homeless people in the state are children; 7,800 of the 13,000 people currently on the streets in Massachusetts. Photo by pikespice – Wikipedia Commons Family homelessness has spiked in Massachusetts, according to a report released by The Boston Foundation on February 23. The report—which the foundation contributed data to…