Category: Homelessness & Poverty
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Long Island Bridge Debate Continues as Winter Sets In for Boston’s Homeless
By Aimee Ortiz BOSTON, Mass.—On Monday 15 December, Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced the location of a new homeless shelter for Boston – a building at 12 Southampton St. in the Newmarket area. The news came after the city had stopped plans for a shelter on Frontage Road in the South End and over two…
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Cranksgiving Bike Race Tackles Hunger in Boston
By Aimee Ortiz BOSTON, Mass.—On 22 November, Boston held its first annual Cranksgiving: a bicycle race that also combined a scavenger hunt and a food drive into one event. A hundred and sixty cyclists gathered at Copley Square for registration and the start of the race. Everyone was given a Cranksgiving manifest to follow. Pasta,…
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The Adventures of Casey and Seth, Part Two
Now maybe you’re wondering where I’m going with this story and what things are about. It is much later now, later than we all think. Casey joined the service and went to Vietnam. I stayed here and grew my hair long. Casey fought for his life and his sanity in a world that made all…
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Thanksgiving in a Boston Shelter
BOSTON, Mass.—This year for Thanksgiving, Valorie was homeless because she lost her live-in personal care attendant job. Valorie had been doing such work for thirty years and loves it. For the last two and a half years, she has not only been helping the individual that fired her, but was also a SPARE CHANGE NEWS vendor.…
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Spare Change News Files Brief in Supreme Court Case to Defend Worcester’s Homeless
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Homeless Empowerment Project/Spare Change News was contacted by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to join in their admirable effort to have an ordinance passed by the city of Worcester declared unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court. The Board of Trustees unanimously agreed to support the ACLU’s request. The…
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Long Island Not Forgotten During Thanksgiving Holiday
BOSTON, Mass.—Around and after Thanksgiving, Boston citizens and city officials struggle to agree on a solution in the aftermath of the October 8 closing of the Long Island bridge, which displaced over 700 people from homeless shelters and detox/recovery programs. On Tuesday, November 25, religious leaders from Boston held an interfaith service in the Boston…
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The Adventures of Casey and Seth, Part One
Papaver somniferum defies agricultural advances. Poppy cultivation remains a time-consuming gamble, opium extraction a tedious, manual exercise. To produce enough opium for just one viss (about 1.65 kg) requires the scoring and scraping of three thousand seedpods for their alkaloid-rich opium ‘tears.’”—from “Chasing the Dragon” by Charles Cox. Way back when, we were friends from…
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Ban This, Ban That
As I write this column, it’s a very frigid, cold day and the night will be even colder. Naturally, I can’t help but think of those who have nowhere to go, and as I think of them I wonder why people are trying to run away or even hide the homeless. I say that because…
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The Hard Life and Untimely Death of Michael Stearns Jr.
BOSTON, Mass.—Michael lay unconscious for nine days in his hospital bed at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. His skin and eyes turned yellow from liver failure, and on the ninth day, he died. He was 42. “Ultimately, I watched as his body slowly started to shut down over nine days, his skin became jaundiced and…
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Special Court Seeks to Meet Needs of Homeless Offenders
by Abigail Collins BOSTON, Mass.—Once a month, a small room with welcoming light blue walls at the Pine Street Inn in Boston’s South End serves as a courtroom. The court rises as First Justice Kathleen Coffey enters to begin hearing cases from defendants who have come to Homeless Court. “It’s a non-intimidating environment,” said Elizabeth…