Category: Homelessness & Poverty
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Pine Street Inn Regular Recognized for Shelter Garden
The Pine Street Inn was recognized as the first-place winner for the “Storefront, Organization, or Main Street District” category of Mayor Martin Walsh’s 2018 Garden Contest in Boston. Pine Street Inn staff also recognized their tenant AJ for his hard work in tending to the garden for many years. “AJ has managed the garden for…
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Boston Women’s Shelter finishes renovations
Alisha Bernard began singing when she was very young, found success performing throughout New England and had an opportunity to sign a record deal. But even as her voice soared, she struggled with personal challenges; depression and drug use. Ultimately, that professional opportunity was lost. She found herself as a guest at Woods-Mullen, an emergency…
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Tenants facing eviction get the runaround from Marc Roos Realty during demonstration
Demonstrators rallied around the older tenants of Our Lady’s Guild House, many of whom are facing eviction. Photo: Marilyn Humphries. Our Lady’s Guild House (OLGH) tenants, looking to schedule a meeting with property manager Marc Roos, were ignored during a demonstration held on Saturday, August 25 with City Life/Vida Urbana. More than 50 people demonstrated…
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Men Acquitted for Death of Homeless Woman in House Fire
Two men suspected of starting a house fire that killed a 29-year-old homeless women in 2016 were found no guilty by a jury in Suffolk Superior Court in August. The decision came after two and half days of deliberation by the jury following a week of testimony, according to Suffolk County District Attorney spokesman Jake…
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Book Review: Homeless: A Day In The Life
“Someone who’s warm can’t understand someone who’s cold.”——Alexander Solzhenitsyn. This book really brought back the old times of my being homeless. The one very big difference is that this man, who calls himself ‘our friend’ throughout the book, is not an addict. This story is totally engrossing, as he travels through a northwestern city and…
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Harvard Square Cafe Will Provide Jobs, Training to Homeless Youth in Cambridge
Two Harvard students have signed the lease for a cafe that would employ homeless youth in Cambridge. Breaktime is a cafe that has a mission beyond serving coffee and scones; the plan is to provide job training and stable employment for Cambridge’s economically insecure youth. Harvard undergraduates Tony Shu and Connor Schoen teamed up to…
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Boston progresses in goal to end chronic homelessness, despite large inflow over last two years
In a roundtable with the press on August 16, the City of Boston announced that their effort to house the chronically homeless population is seeing results, reducing the population by 20 percent since 2016. Since 2016, the city of Boston has housed 580 chronically homeless individuals — the start of Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s “Boston’s…
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Boston receives federal grant to help homeless youth
Mayor Walsh poses with members of the Bridge Over Troubled Waters community. Photo by author. On Tuesday, July 17, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that Boston will be one of 11 communities to receive a part of a $43 million dollar grant to help end youth homelessness. The announcement was made…
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Two women look to fight eviction while most of their older housemates face a similar fate
Judy Burnette and Lydia Eccles, residents of Our Lady’s Guild House, stand in front of housing court. Photo: Seth Rosczewski. Before stepping foot in housing court on the morning of July 12, Lydia Eccles was given support by her neighbor and friend Judy Burnette along with members of City Life/Vida Urbana, who held a press…