Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

  • Under the Bridge: The Criminalization of the Homeless

    Under the Bridge: The Criminalization of the Homeless

    I had the wonderful opportunity to see a screening of the documentary “Under the Bridge: The Criminalization of Homelessness” at Cambridge City Hall. The evening was made possible by Vice Mayor Marc McGovern, who brought together an audience of local social services providers who work day-in and day-out on issues touching the homeless of Cambridge.…

  • Poverty Greatest Contributor to Youth Homelessness, Report Finds

    Poverty Greatest Contributor to Youth Homelessness, Report Finds

    Photo: Alena Kuzub Finding a direct link between youth homelessness and poverty was the conclusion of a study conducted by Paula Braitstein for JAMA Pediatrics. Braitstein is an associate professor at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health. She analyzed the self-reported reasons youth had for living on the streets in developed…

  • Helping Hands: South Shore Advocacy Group Provides Food and Clothing to Boston’s Homeless

    Helping Hands: South Shore Advocacy Group Provides Food and Clothing to Boston’s Homeless

    On the Boston Common, 85 homeless people recently received food and clothes thanks to a homeless advocacy group from the South Shore. The Hingham-based community group Community Offering Practical Encouragement, or C.O.P.E, held its second annual family day to help the homeless of Greater Boston while they endured a cold and rainy April weekend. From…

  • Third annual homeless youth count begins across Massachusetts

    Third annual homeless youth count begins across Massachusetts

    Photo: Emmanuel Huybrechts The third annual homeless youth count begins Monday, which will see service providers and government agencies across the Commonwealth coordinating efforts to get an accurate reading on an often misunderstood population. “There are at this point minimal resources focused on youth homelessness,” says Kelly Turley of Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, who…

  • Solving Homelessness Outside the Big City

    On April 24 in one of Boston’s nearby suburbs, over one hundred people gathered in St. Joseph Parish Hall to discuss causes of homelessness and possible solutions to ending it. The Tri-Community Coalition to End Homelessness held their second annual program, “Housing the Homeless: From Crisis to Shelter to Home’’ in Belmont, Massachusetts. The Tri-Community…

  • Healey Cracks Down on Sex Trafficking, Indicts Five People

    Healey Cracks Down on Sex Trafficking, Indicts Five People

    Attorney General Maura Healey charged three men and two women on Friday, April 7 for their involvement in three separate cases of human trafficking across Massachusetts, according to a statement from Attorney General Maura Healey’s office. “No little girl grows up wanting to be involved in a life of sexual exploitation,” Healey said. Healey has…

  • This Spring, please consider donating to Spare Change News

    This Spring, please consider donating to Spare Change News

    Photo: Zengzheng Wang To donate, please click the donate button below! Dear Friend, Spare Change News is more than just a newspaper. It is the focal point of a community of men and women, many of whom have know each other for over twenty years. Spare Change has provided “a hand up, not a hand…

  • The Challenges of Panhandling as a Young Homeless Female

    The Challenges of Panhandling as a Young Homeless Female

    I’ve been homeless on and off for 15 years, and to make money, I panhandle, also known as spanging or stemming. As a young female, this brings with it some unique challenges. The most disturbing of these challenges is dealing with older men who proposition me for sex. It’s happened so many times, I’ve had…

  • “Fellside” by M. R. Carey: A Book Review

    “Fellside” by M. R. Carey: A Book Review

    Fellside by M. R. Carey, published by Orbit, an Imprint of Hachette Book Group, April, 2016 Fellside is a women’s prison. If you’ve ever been in a prison, you’ll know that ghosts roam the tiers, and the smell of fear and old sweat socks drifts up your nostrils. Although I hope you’ve never experienced this,…

  • Linxx: New well-being discussion group aims to create “safe space” for young women

    Linxx: New well-being discussion group aims to create “safe space” for young women

    Two young women in Cambridge are on a mission to provide a safe and welcoming space for young women to talk about the issues that concern them most. Linxx, a new well being group sponsored by the Harvard Innovation Lab, isn’t your typical discussion group. It addresses general life issues everyone can relate to, like…

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