Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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‘New Joelyn’s Home’ women’s shelter opens in Roxbury
Kelly Rapoza tried detox, intensive outpatient programs and Alcoholics Anonymous, but she still couldn’t kick her struggle with alcoholism. Sick, homeless and having recently lost custody of her young son, she entered yet another detox program in 2014, and from there she transitioned into Joelyn’s Family Home, a residential treatment facility on Boston Harbor’s Long…
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BPHC receives $74,000 grant to assist women of color battling addiction
On May 8, 2017, the Boston Public Health Commission announced its acceptance of a $74,000 grant that will be used to counter and prevent further growth in the national opioid crisis, and in turn, its affect on black and Latino women afflicted with mental, behavioral, health and substance abuse disorders. The grant is funded by…
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BHA Documents Come with a Hefty Price Tag, Spare Change News to Appeal
The Boston Housing Authority is asking for $6,200 for one year’s worth of Section 8 apartment inspection reports. The BHA says that the request for reports from 2016 will produce 40,544 documents. BHA Chief of Staff Lydia Agro said that while producing the paper inspection reports detailing the specific violations would be burdensome and expensive,…
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Somerville approves affordable housing waiver
The Somerville Planning Board voted 5-1 to grant the developers of Assembly Row a waiver that allows them to make fewer than 20 percent of residential units in the development affordable as mandated by the Somerville Zoning Ordinance’s “inclusionary housing” rules. Currently there are a total of 1,017 units at Assembly Row, with 890 market…
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City HeART puts at-risk artists on Display
Homeless artist Mel poses with his paintings at the City HeART exhibit. All photos: Alejandro Ramirez. The 7th Annual City HeART Art Show and Sale featured the work of artists dealing with poverty, ranging from those struggling with low incomes to the currently homeless. The event took place at the Prudential Center on Saturday, May…
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IMMORTAL: Spare Change News is 25-years-old
If anyone had told me or any of the founders that Spare Change News would be here 25 years later, we would have shattered the windows of our old offices with the peals of very loud laughter. Hell, if you had told us at the end of 1992—after we’d moved to Old Cambridge Baptist Church—we…
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Spare Change News Looks to go Electronic
Spare Change News co-founder and board chair James Shearer frequently reminds me that “Spare Change News is immortal” because of the remarkable track record of against-the-odds survival over the last 25 years. When James tells me this, I smile and offer a counterpoint. Perhaps Spare Change owes its 25 years of uninterrupted service because…
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Court cases fighting the criminalization of homelessness succeeding in court
Cases that end up in court challenging discriminatory ordinances and laws against homelessness are proving to be successful, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty stated in a recent report. More than half of the cases that have challenged camping bans and sleeping restrictions in court have been successful, the report finds, and all…
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City Council debates level of transparency in lobbying act
The Boston City Council held a hearing on Friday, April 28, to discuss Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s re-filing of the proposed Home Rule Petition, An Act to Regulate Lobbying Activities Before the City of Boston. The home rule petition looks into the interest of increasing government transparency and accountability. This was the second hearing on…
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Formerly homeless woman leads street backpack program in Nashville
Twelve years ago, Hurricane Ivan ripped through Jessica Thurmond’s neighborhood, destroying the house where she had been living. The 18-year-old in Florida was soon forced to live in her car while working multiple jobs. One of her jobs was at a gym, which meant she could use the facility’s shower and have a locker for…
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