Category: Local
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Hiding the Problem
Once again the Boston Marathon is upon us, and so is another tradition: pushing the homeless out of the marathon area. It happens every year. Homeless folks are sent packing while tourists, politicians, and runners travel back and forth around the area. Barriers are put up around the public library where the homeless sit, where…
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Mayor Walsh Seeks to Expand IDP Program, Housing Activists Seek More
As the fight to quell Boston’s housing displacement continues, city officials plan to expand their Inclusionary Development Policy, which currently mandates the majority of housing developers to aid in the construction of affordable, income-restricted units. The Inclusionary Development Policy (IDP) states that private housing developers must either make 13 percent of units in their new…
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Cambridge eyes major zoning relief for affordable developments
Cambridge City Hall. Cambridge City Council dedicated the March 20 Housing Committee meeting to hearing public comments on the 100% Affordable Housing Zoning Overlay. The proposal would allow developers of affordable housing exclusively for low and medium income renters to build significantly more densely and with a streamlined permit process citywide. The meeting drew a…
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‘I Always Came Back’: A Story of Survival
“Hey, baby!” Linda Burston, with an illuminating smile and wide eyes, greets every woman who comes through the doors of Women’s Lunch Place. They always know when Linda is in the room; even among the clink clank of dishes being piled high, the scraping of metal fork against ceramic plate, the hum of conversation among dozens of…
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Hundreds take to Boston’s street for annual Homeless Census
“Most people walk by them, most people walk over them, and if they could, they’d walk through them,” said Mayor Martin Walsh as he stood in front of over 300 volunteers crammed into City Hall. On the night of January 30, the temperatures dropped into the single digits as volunteers from all over Boston banned…
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Local groups call to end Southeast Asian Deportation
Photo by author. About 50 protestors gathered outside the Bristol County Jail and House of Corrections in North Dartmouth, Mass. on the evening of January 23, to raise awareness on the deportation of Southeast Asians and to demand that the Sheriff’s office end its partnership with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “It’s important for us…
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Activists lobby state house for sexual health issues, education
On January 17, at 10 a.m., people of all ages and gender, donned in formal attire, gathered at the Great Hall of Massachusetts State House to lobby their district representatives for greater access to reproductive rights and sexual education for youth. Calling January 17 ‘Sexual Health Lobby Day,’ 70 organizations – including NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts,…
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Mass. Gov’s Proposed Education Budget Draws Mixed Reactions
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday unveiled his proposed budget with a focus on education spending along with a companion bill. But school activists are pushing for significantly more funding. The 2020 fiscal budget includes more than $200 million in new state aid to education, with more than $1 billion over seven years going toward…
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Boston Immigrant Community Speaks Out On Government Shutdown, Trump’s Border Wall Proposal
On January 25, the United States federal government reopened after a 35-day-long shutdown without any concrete deal regarding a budget for the fiscal year of 2019. The reopening is temporary, however; if Congress does not reach a deal by February 15 — presumably, one that includes $5.7 billion in allocated funds for a new border…
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Boston receives millions to support chronically homeless in the city
Boston has been selected as one of the communities to receive federal funding from HUD for the creation of housing and to support homeless assistance programs. Mayor Martin Walsh announced the funding in a press release on Wednesday which states that nearly $26.3 million will be used to benefit Boston’s Way Home, a program dedicated…