Category: Local
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Boston Public Library to offer homeless outreach program
A Pine Street Inn employee has been asked to take the lead on helping the homeless crowd that congregates in and around libraries across the city and has begun his role at the public library’s main branch in Copley. Bunch will help homeless patrons with any issues they may have, while others hired by the…
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Bay State Consumers ‘Overcharged’ Billions by Utilities?
Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons A new report says two utility companies have inflated their energy costs for customers in Massachusetts and other New England states. The allegations are being made in a new white paper by the Environmental Defense Fund. Craig Altemose, master of public policy for the group 350 Mass for a Better Future,…
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New Program Supports Landlords Who Rent to the Chronically Homeless in Boston
Chronically homeless individuals and families known to the city will now have a shot at housing through the Department of Neighborhood Development’s newly launched Landlord Guarantee Program. The program, which began as a pilot in April, is meant to house 30 homeless individuals and 30 homeless families in the next two years by providing guarantees…
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New Boston Initiative Aims to Help People in Recovery Succeed
On Sept. 21, Mayor Marty Walsh and the Boston Office of Recovery Services announced the launch of the Personal Advancement for Individuals in Recovery (PAIR) initiative. It’s a pilot program that tackles housing, education, and employment by granting money to individuals who are in early recovery and looking to shape up their life from substance…
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Rule Aims to Protect Mass. Residents From Payday Loan Abuses
Consumer advocates are praising a new rule issued on Thursday by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that requires payday lenders to start verifying a borrower’s ability to repay the loan before rolling it over into a new loan. The rule aims to stop lenders from taking advantage of desperate people who want to borrow more…
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Sufi Service Committee celebrates clothes and food drive
The Sufi Service Committee held their biggest event of the year on Friday, September 22, the annual Clothes and Food Drive. The celebration included featured speakers like Cambridge Mayor Denise Simmons and Executive Director of Somerville Homeless Coalition Mark Alston-Follansbee. Many other representatives from local organizations were also in attendance. Mo Nooraee lives by two…
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Marty Walsh and Tito Jackson meet for first debate
Mayor Marty Walsh and city councilor Tito Jackson, his challenger for the corner office, finally faced off in the first mayoral debate of the election. The overall topics were safety, economic development, education, and race and diversity. The debate was held in Hibernian Hall in Dudley Square, and the Wednesday night crowd often cheered,…
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Bill Aimed at Protecting Renters Needs Legislative Approval
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh signed The Jim Brooks Community Stabilization Act on Oct. 6, after the Boston City Council voted to pass it on Oct. 4. The bill requires landlords to notify the city whenever they serve an eviction notice, and to provide tenants with information and resources about their legal rights. Wages for middle…
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On Homelessness and Humanity
A couple of weeks ago, the executive director of the Homeless Empowerment Project, which publishes Spare Change News, read my column, “Homeless People Don’t Matter,” and it stayed with her for some time. “How did we get here?” she posted regarding the story, which was about the lenient sentencing of a security guard who assaulted…
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Boston seeks consultant in push to end youth homelessness
Mayor Walsh attends the opening of a new transitional shelter run by Bridge Over Troubled Water, an organization that helps homeless youth. On Tuesday, Oct. 10, the City of Boston announced it is searching for a consultant to assist its efforts to end youth homelessness. The new consultant will be responsible for gathering data, assessing…