Category: Homelessness & Poverty
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CRUCIAL FUNDING: State legislature overrides veto on youth homelessness funding
Gov. Charlie Baker’s veto of funding to combat youth homelessness has been overridden by both the Massachusetts Senate and the House of Representatives unanimously. The $2 million in new funding had been recommended by the Massachusetts Conference Committee and was the result of a multi-year effort by several organizations to increase funding specifically for the…
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HAND UP: Report surveys Spare Change News' vendors
Spare Change News under the Homeless Empowerment Project (SCN/HEP) umbrella has always prided itself on helping the homeless by giving them a hand up rather than a hand out. By giving the homeless an opportunity to become self-employed, the homeless get more than a job with a wage. They are given the support of a…
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YOUTH TO YOUTH: Y2Y Harvard Square shelter to open this winter
The Y2Y shelter in Harvard Square has started construction and is on track for a November opening. The shelter, headed by Co-Executive Directors Sam Greenberg and Sarah Rosenkrantz, will serve homeless youth between the ages of 18 and 24. Employing a unique “youth-to-youth” model, the shelter will have 22 beds, assigned by lottery, and will…
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DIRECTOR'S NOTE: Homeless Bill of Rights
Vincent Flanagan, the outgoing executive director of the Homeless Empowerment Project which publishes Spare Change News, testified in favor of the Homeless Bill of Rights last week. Here’s an excerpt from his plea to the assembly at the Massachusetts State House: Our safety net has a huge hole in it. Trying to survive on what…
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FAMILY HOMELESSNESS: Census results show rise in homeless families
The Boston Public Health Commission recently released the findings of its 35th annual homeless census, which tracks the homeless population in the city of Boston. The census found an unsettlingly large increase in the amount of homeless families: the number grew a full 25 percent, up from 1,234 households last year to 1,543 this year.…
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HOPE ON WHEELS: Two students start new mobile shower project
Hope on wheels? Debbie Perez and Kati Moran, students with Boston University’s School of Public Health, have started a new project to provide mobile showers to Boston’s homeless population. Basing their ideas on San Francisco-based charity Lava Mae, the pair have begun the early stages of crafting the initiative. While brainstorming ways to help Boston’s…
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SUPREME DECISION: Worcester’s anti-panhandling ordinance slammed
The Supreme Court struck back at Worcester’s anti-panhandling ordinance, declaring that it was impossible to enforce it and that it should be reconsidered back in federal court. The ordinance—which was challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts (ACLU) in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts in Worcester and was originally upheld on appeal—was…
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VOICES FROM THE STREETS: Two dogs and a kitten (conclusion)
A man comes back from prison and finds chaos at his home. At breakfast he accidentally killed their kitten by pushing it off the table. He’s struggling to stay clean but the stress is getting to him. Click here for Parts One, Two, Three, Four. The children were crying. I was torn with sorrow as…
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ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Boston plans to end chronic individual homelessness by 2018
When the Long Island bridge closed—cutting off access to the city’s largest shelter and many residential treatment programs, some saw the crisis as an opportunity to reform a system that wasn’t working. After all, the only thing more outdated than that 64-year-old rusty bridge was the idea that just sheltering people alone was the best…