Category: Homelessness & Poverty
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Abuse of Homeless People at North Station Causes TD Garden to Rethink its Security
Allegations against several security guards who monitored the North Station area of the TD Garden have caused the company to sever ties with a contractor following the arrest of a man who police say viciously attacked a homeless man days before Christmas. Rene Norestant Jr., 27, of Everett was charged with two counts of assault…
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Point in time count 2017
At last year’s point in time count—the city’s annual homeless census where groups of volunteers physically count the homeless folks they see in the streets—Mayor Marty Walsh had recently announced the City of Boston functionally ended veteran homelessness. This year, to a crowd of 400 volunteers, he announced that two-and-a-half years of housing first initiatives…
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At Final HYPET Meeting of 2016, Advocates Talk Midterm State Budget Cuts, Homeless Bill of Rights
Representatives from across Massachusetts met on Dec. 8 for the year’s final Homeless Youth Providers Engaging Together (HYPET) meeting, a monthly discussion that brings together youth and young adult advocates to trade information about policy, trends and programming. The gathering was held at Bridge Over Troubled Waters, an organization that provides support services to runaway…
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Rosie’s Place Spreads Christmas Cheer in Franklin Field
With the holiday season in full swing, Rosie’s Place co-hosted a party at the Franklin Field public housing development. “Everyone deserves to celebrate and be celebrated,” said Erin Miller, Vice President of External Affairs for Rosie’s Place. About 80 guests, which included tenants and their families, enjoyed holiday cookies, a dinner buffet, gifts, and mingling…
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“We Wait for the Light”: Interfaith Homeless Memorial Service 2016
Diamond O’Connell spent 15 years without a home, but in the time she spent homeless, she gained a family. The other people she met living on the Boston streets became her brothers and sisters, a family she would never stop supporting, even as some of their names were read aloud Wednesday at the 27th Annual…
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Senate and Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless criticize budget cuts
Republican governor of Massachusetts Charlie Baker has drawn criticism from the Democratic Senate and other organizations for his unilateral budget cuts. The cuts, allowed by section 9C of the Massachusetts Legislature, have drastically cut funding to many public programs in the upcoming year’s budget. After deficient sales tax revenue of it’s the administration’s projection, Massachusetts…
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Street Sweeping in Denver, CO
By Giles Clasen Courtesy of INSP.ngo /Denver Voice Photos: Giles Clasen Denver police and cleanup crews armed with brooms and trash bags met angry homeless men and women last month on sidewalks just north of downtown Denver. The goal of those in uniform was to clean the sidewalks. The homeless campers feared they would lose their…
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HUD Announces New Smoke-Free Policy
On Nov. 30, 2016, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Julian Castro, announced in Roslindale, Massachusetts, that smoking will be prohibited in public housing buildings nationwide. Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh joined Castro for this major policy announcement. According to a HUD press release, public housing agencies have up to 18 months from the…
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Criminalization of Homelessness Persists, Report Finds
Despite efforts to help homeless populations get back on their feet, a new report finds that the criminalization of homelessness is on the rise. The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty has reviewed state laws over the past decade and has determined that as many as 187 cities continue to impose harsh penalties on…
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Helping Homeless Women Manage Their Periods Around the World
In two short years as of this December, 18-year-old Nadya Okamoto and her organization, Camions of Care, will have managed to provide feminine hygiene care for over 48,000 individual women’s menstrual cycles. That’s a lot of periods. As Okamoto has pointed out many times in her advocacy work, every women on the planet has their…