Category: Homelessness & Poverty
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Solving Homelessness Outside the Big City
On April 24 in one of Boston’s nearby suburbs, over one hundred people gathered in St. Joseph Parish Hall to discuss causes of homelessness and possible solutions to ending it. The Tri-Community Coalition to End Homelessness held their second annual program, “Housing the Homeless: From Crisis to Shelter to Home’’ in Belmont, Massachusetts. The Tri-Community…
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Jeffrey Pendleton: Homeless activist dies in jail after failing to pay $100 bail on a misdemeanor marijuana charge
Photo: Courtesy of ACLU of NH A homeless man remembered for his advocacy on behalf of the indigent died in a Manchester, New Hampshire, jail cell last month, after he was remanded into custody for failing to post $100 bail on a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession. Jeffrey Pendleton, 26, was found unresponsive in his…
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Federal ROSS grant awarded to Public Housing Authorities
Photo: D. B. King The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently awarded over $1.9 million in grants to six Massachusetts Public Housing Authorities. Provided through HUD’s Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency (ROSS) Program, the funding will cover a 3-year period and support Service Coordinators at various Public Housing sites. In a press…
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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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SPOT-ing Overdoses and Fighting the Opiate Epidemic in the South End
Photo: Henry Zbyszynski Spotting an opiate overdose can be difficult. Someone high on heroin or OxyContin may have difficulty speaking. Their muscles may be slack and may impair normal movement. Or they may “nod out” and seem to be asleep. Overdoses typically cause shallow breathing, loss of consciousness and discoloration of the skin, lips and…
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Hit the Ground Running: Boston Marathon runners find inspiration in fundraising for charity
Ed Wholihan was cold, wet and exhausted, and though he was only a few miles from the Boston Marathon finish line, he had just hit The Wall. He was on Beacon Street, having made it up and down Heartbreak Hill while runners around him dropped like flies. The gray skies and steady drizzle had permeated…
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Mass. Coalition for the Homeless’ Furniture Bank celebrates 30 years
Photo: Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless’ Furniture Bank marked a major milestone recently, celebrating 30 years of providing free furniture to people transitioning out of homelessness or living in poverty. The Furniture Bank was created in 1985 in the city of Lynn, the first of its kind in the state,…
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Newton Photographer Empowers the Homeless Population
All photos: Nick Cosky A photographer’s passion for capturing the beauty of Boston has developed into a passion for helping the city’s people in need. “Every location that my photography brought me I would see people who were homeless or in need,” said Nick Cosky of Newton, MA. Cosky described how his project began one…
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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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Homes not Jails: Santa Cruz City Council votes to continue the sleeping ban
The crackdown on the homeless took another ugly step in Santa Cruz, California. On March 8, 2016, the city council voted 5 to 2 to continue to criminalize sleeping. This follows votes to implement harsh stay-away orders from parks and beaches for people engaging in activities like sleeping at night, smoking or being in a…