Category: Local
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Advocates rally to “take back Long Island” following news about b.good, tax money
The first big news item that inspired the rally was the revelation that fast food chain b.good will now manage a farm on the island that once benefited the homeless. The farm was originally part of the city-run Serving Ourselves job program for shelter and recovery clients. The farm also produced 50 percent of the…
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Roslindale panhandler memorialized, family fundraising for funeral
A photo and kinds words left by a stranger has grown into a noticeable memorial on the gate surrounding the Granary Burial Ground on Tremont Street. The memorial is in honor of George B. Dagraca, a 43-year-old panhandler and heroin addict who died from heart complications on August 4. George, who is survived by three…
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Pay For Success paves the way for over 250 individuals in first year
The Massachusetts Alliance for Supportive Housing got 250 chronically homeless individuals off the streets and into housing this past year as they implemented the nation’s first Pay for Success program, the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance announced in a press release. Pay for Success, which aims to cut chronic homelessness in Massachusetts by 50 percent…
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Housing Families to distribute backpacks to once-homeless children
Now that the start of the school year is approaching, Malden-based agency Housing Families will be distributing approximately 350 backpacks equipped with school supplies to once-homeless children. The backpacks were acquired through Housing Families’ annual backpack drive, which ran from May to early August, and from various donations throughout the year. Founded in 1986 to…
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Copley Square church displays memorial quilt for homeless dead
In late January of this year, a homeless man covered in a sheet and blanket was found dead on the steps of Copley Square’s Old South Church. Members of the church, which prides itself on its strong ties to the homeless community, were hit hard by the news and decided to turn his tragedy into…
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One Year In, Cambridge Community Foundation President is Settled and Ready to Expand
Geeta Pradhan sounds cheerful, relaxed and confident as we begin our conversation. She gives off an aura of comfort and has a welcoming nature, greeting a stranger as if she has met them before. The positive demeanor is helpful when it comes to her job leading the Cambridge area in a cooperative push against social…
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Boston’s Way Home fights to end chronic homelessness in Boston by 2018
Photo: Zengzheng Wang Wang Boston has one of the lowest urban street homelessness rates in the country, thanks to its strong web of homeless shelters and other resources. In fact, the total number of homeless individuals in Boston has declined by 14.5 percent since 2007. However, the city isn’t stopping there. Boston’s plan to end veteran…
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“Ending Homelessness”: Panel of experts discuss new book that details problems and solutions
Photo: Gavia Strategies Timed to coincide with the release of a new book on solutions to homelessness, a panel of the book’s authors and its editor discussed prevalent issues facing the homeless community. Titled “Ending Homelessness: Why We Haven’t, How We Can,” the book features chapters on housing first, employing empowerment models and the changing…
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Criticism abounds as b.good revives Long Island farm
Several years ago, many homeless and addicted individuals called Long Island home. The Boston Harbor Island was filled to the brim with social service programs. A farm helped feed those staying at a large shelter. A summer camp offered programs for adolescents from Boston’s at-risk neighborhoods. Closed to the public, the city-owned island helped 1,000…
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HUD supports housing services for HIV/AIDS community
The Justice Resource Institute received $1.4 million in funding to support tenant-based rental assistance and other supportive services for the HIV/AIDS community in Plymouth, Bristol and Northern Essex counties earlier this month, HUD said in a press release. HUD awarded $24 million in grants nationwide to help more that 1,200 low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS…