Category: Uncategorized
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BPHC joins forces with State health and housing organizations to launch “Hospital to Housing”
December 13th marked the kickoff of the “Hospital to Housing” initiative, a public-private coalition formed by the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC), the Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance, the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Partnership (Beacon Health Options), and the United Health Foundation. The coalition appointed five community health workers (CHWs) who will work alongside homeless resource-providers,…
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Sponsor a Spare Change Vendor!
If you want to help our vendors stay warm this winter, you can order them some winter gear directly though our Amazon wish list here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/1KS675B75LFP7/ref=cm_wl_list_o_1. This year we have 22 vendors who have need of winter gear that will enable them to sell papers in inclement weather. We are handling this event a bit…
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SCN Exclusive: Carl Bernstein on Trump, voters, and the media
In 1992, legendary journalist Carl Bernstein blasted the media for its obsession with celebrity, manufactured controversy, gossip, and sensationalism in his article “The Idiot Culture” for the New Republic. At the time, the front pages of newspapers across the country were more focused on Donald and Ivana Trump’s divorce than they were on Nelson Mandela’s…
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State Grants 39 Organizations $2.8m to Combat Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
The state granted $2.8 million in funding to 39 community-based organizations and local and college police departments to enhance victim services and prosecution strategies in cases involving violence against women, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Public Safety Secretary Dan Bennett announced on Monday. Baker said in a Monday press release that…
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“Dead Man’s Blues” by Ray Celestin: A Book Review
Published by Mantle, an imprint of PanMacmillan, 20 Wharf Road, London NI 9RR “Dead Man’s Blues” is a fantastic book that takes the reader back to the wild Chicago of 1928 where the booze and drugs flowed freely. The city is controlled by Alphonse Capone, a man in the grip of tertiary syphilis. The disease…
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Puuhonua O Waianae: Hawaii’s refuge for the homeless, by the homeless
When Twinkle Borge heard about the community meeting in 2010 to discuss what to do about the growing population at the homeless encampment near Waianae Boat Harbor on Oahu’s west coast, she figured the camp’s residents ought to have a voice. Borge had been living in the camp since 2006, a few years after she…
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Updates to McKinney-Vento Act set to take effect October 1
On December 10, 2015, President Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to improve the scholastic opportunities for homeless children. Along with other addendum to its precursor, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act, the act renewed and updated the McKinney-Vento Act, which has aided 1.3 million homeless children enrolled in public…
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The Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless pushes for key legislation
With the formal session of Congress coming to a close, the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless is pushing for the passage of two pieces of legislation that promise to promote dignity and opportunity for those experiencing homelessness and poverty: House Bills 529 and 1129. The legislation, which aims to improve the state’s Emergency Aid to…
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State makes it easier to fight opioid epidemic
For many years, AIDS Action Committee has been on the forefront of advocating for sound policies to protect those struggling with addiction. A decade ago we worked for passage of syringe decriminalization, pharmacy access to syringes without a prescription, and the Good Samaritan Law to empower those dealing with overdoses to seek help from law…
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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…