Category: Local
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Spotlighting women’s stories of hope
On June 21, four women read stories they’d written about their lives to a crowd at the Writer’s Spotlight Reception at Rosie’s Place, a Roxbury-based nonprofit with a mission to provide women with shelter and opportunities. One woman, Francesca, spoke about rebuilding her life in America after having left her home country of Honduras. “My…
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HUD supports low-income job training in Massachusetts
HUD awarded $3.4 million to assist public housing agencies offering job training and employment to low-income residents Monday, the department said in a press release. The funding is part of $75 million in grants provided through the department’s Family Self-Sufficiency Program, HUD said. The grants will be used to assist public housing agencies participating in…
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Leadership Institute Helps Eight More Women Find Their Voice
This past Wednesday saw eight women enter the sunbathed Boston afternoon with liberating confidence after Rosie’s Place—a renowned sanctuary for the local female homeless population—deemed them graduates of the shelter’s Leadership Institute. The ceremony, which marked the end of the program’s summer session for this year, showcased what each woman had learned and how it…
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Massachusetts to address emergency assistance confusion, but not through budget
Photo: Emmanuel Huybrechts Massachusetts’s State Senate and House of Representatives toyed with introducing language that would clear up the eligibility requirements for the state’s emergency assistance program, but ultimately they did not include the clarification in their FY 2017 budget proposal. Massachusetts is the country’s only right-to-shelter state, meaning that through the Department of Housing…
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HOME IS WHERE YOUR DOG IS
I have found that when you are deeply troubled, there are things you get from the silent devoted companionship of a dog that you can get from no other source.” This quote is attributed to Doris Day, an actress and singer from the 20th century. In addition to her impressive roster of entertainment roles during…
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Boston funeral home provides free burials for the homeless
For the last 25 years, 150 homeless people yearly received a free, dignified burial thanks to a Boston funeral home. The Robert J. Lawler & Crosby Funeral Home provides a no-cost funeral with pallbearers for homeless veterans and homeless adults in greater Boston each year. The Lawler Homeless Funeral Program was founded by Robert J.…
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How do families and individuals get rehoused after a fire?
Figuring out what to do after a fire has displaced you and your family from your home is a real issue that most people don’t care to think about until it happens. Those who are unable to re-enter their homes are immediately approached by members of the American Red Cross, which dealt with 5,053 cases…
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Lawyers Clearinghouse receives grant to expand pro-bono legal aid
Photo: Lawyers Clearinghouse Lawyers Clearinghouse, an organization that connects homeless individuals and nonprofits with pro bono legal services, received a $100,000 grant from the Cummings Foundation that will allow it to expand its services and staff. Lawyers Clearinghouse has a small staff—just four employees—but a wide reach. In the fiscal year 2014, the organization provided…
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HUD partners with Commonwealth agencies to end veteran homelessness
In a push to truly eliminate chronic veteran homelessness, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will provide a major funding boost to Massachusetts’ division of the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program. The HUD and VA announced the funding increase and partnership at the start of…
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Boston area lags behind nation’s growing job market
In terms of employment, the past year has been an arduous one for the Boston metropolitan area, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ recent quarterly report. The report states that compared to nationwide numbers, Boston has had little job growth as of April. This news contrasts with reports of statewide GDP growth and…