Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Tammy Callanan: A streets perspective
*Editors note: This article was originally published in the Salem Gazette. Tammy Callanan writes a regular column for the Gazette, and has generously agreed to contribute separate content to Spare Change. First let me introduce myself. I am a grandmother, mother, sister, friend, wife and daughter. I am a Salem native and have experienced being…
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Loaves & Fishes
Serving full dinner on Saturday night. Food pantry starting at 5:00 PM and dinner served at 6:00 PM. Entrees include chicken, beef, port, fish, pasta with assorted vegetable side dished and desserts. Location Korean Church 135 Magazine Street Cambridge MA Saturday Night Dinner and Dessert Saturday Night meals program. All are welcome. 135 Magazine Street…
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Blisteringly cold: What Boston shelters are doing for the homeless this winter
At this time of year, a network of city agencies, shelters, street outreach teams, and other community services are making every effort to provide refuge to those without a home. Winters in the Northeast are notoriously fierce, and conditions for the homeless can be life threatening. The National Weather Service reported that overnight temperatures average…
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English at Large: volunteers bridge the language gap
At first glance, those who are homeless do not seem to have much in common with immigrants, especially those adults who cannot speak or understand English. However, the two groups share the experience of being voiceless and marginalized. Immigrants who are struggling to learn English feel alienated when they cannot share their thoughts with others,…
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Project 50/50: Donald
I went to the library to connect to the internet and work on my website. I’ve never designed a website before, but I’m learning. There is a paranoia that comes with having everything that you own inside one small and vulnerable space, so I needed to keep an eye on Bubba while I was inside…
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The Harvard Square Homeless Shelter: Nations only student run homeless shelter
There are many shelters serving the homeless in and around Boston. But there is one thing about the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter that sets it apart from the rest: it’s run almost entirely by students. The Harvard Square Homeless Shelter (HSHS) operates out of the University Lutheran Church in Harvard Square, but is a non-religious…
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Street Logic: an outreach worker’s fictionalized account of street homelessness in Boston
Street Logic, by Steve Sundberg, is a reality based novel. It is a fictionalized account of the author’s own experiences as an outreach worker to homeless men and women who somehow survive, for a while at least, on the streets of Boston. While we’ve all heard that wonderful song about leaving your heart in San…
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Washington Rules: one professor’s take on America’s ‘permanent war’
After graduating from West Point, Boston University professor Andrew Bacevich spent a career in the army. A self-described ‘company man’ who eventually reached the rank of colonel, he became progressively more critical of U.S. foreign policy. In his latest book, he warns of the dire domestic consequences of American wars abroad SK: What are the…
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The New England Center for Homeless Veterans: aiding America’s troubled heroes
The New England Center for Homeless Veterans is one of Boston’s largest organizations working to combat the widespread issue of homelessness, specifically amongst New England’s large population of homeless, struggling veterans. Officially founded in 1990, the NECHV mission statement reads: “The Mission of the New England Center for Homeless Veterans is to extend a helping…
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Broken Lives
It’s very hard to imagine how and why people’s lives get broken — let alone their hearts getting broken, which may be a prerequisite to it all anyway. But people’s lives do get broken, and it seems there’s no getting back to where they once were as happy people involved in our world. We can…
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