Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Homeless Families
The more I work with the homeless, the more I can’t help but see the multitude of barriers to housing that can arise, including lack of affordable housing, family violence, employment and education barriers and mental health issues. However, one issue that I think is often overlooked in our attempts to alleviate homelessness in Boston…
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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…
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Solving Dilemmas: Mel King, legendary activist and politician, talks fair housing in Boston
Photo: Zengzheng Wang Mel King is one of the fiercest and certainly most experienced crusaders in the fight for affordable housing in Boston. Just three years ago, at the age of 85, he was arrested at an eviction protest. In addition to his decades-long career of activism, King boats stints as a state representative, an…
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AIDS Walk 2016
I had fun on June 5, 2016, the day I participated in the AIDS Walk 2016. We started at the Boston Esplanade and went in one huge misshaped circle back to the Esplanade. I saw friends from both the Boston Living Center and the AIDS Action Committee. I didn’t have anybody from Spare Change News…
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Long Road to Recovery
Drug addiction destroys the “American dream” for many people. According to the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2014 approximately 25,000 men and women lost their lives due to prescription drug addiction. My mother, Betsy Cartagena, from Roxbury, Massachusetts, lost her chance at the dream when she…
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Boy’s Life: A Book Review
“Boy’s Life” by Robert R. McCammon, published by Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster Inc. Zephyr, Alabama, is a small town where Cory Mackenson grew up in the early 60s. His father, Tom, was a milkman and sometimes Cory would ride with him early in the morning to help drop off full bottles…
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Homeless again? Part 2.
I had a lot of responses to my last column. Thank you all for your concern. I’ve temporarily landed on my feet but it wasn’t as simple as one might think. First, one of my options fell through, as my past once again came back to haunt me. How something that happened when you were…
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Boston funeral home provides free burials for the homeless
For the last 25 years, 150 homeless people yearly received a free, dignified burial thanks to a Boston funeral home. The Robert J. Lawler & Crosby Funeral Home provides a no-cost funeral with pallbearers for homeless veterans and homeless adults in greater Boston each year. The Lawler Homeless Funeral Program was founded by Robert J.…
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How do families and individuals get rehoused after a fire?
Figuring out what to do after a fire has displaced you and your family from your home is a real issue that most people don’t care to think about until it happens. Those who are unable to re-enter their homes are immediately approached by members of the American Red Cross, which dealt with 5,053 cases…
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Lawyers Clearinghouse receives grant to expand pro-bono legal aid
Photo: Lawyers Clearinghouse Lawyers Clearinghouse, an organization that connects homeless individuals and nonprofits with pro bono legal services, received a $100,000 grant from the Cummings Foundation that will allow it to expand its services and staff. Lawyers Clearinghouse has a small staff—just four employees—but a wide reach. In the fiscal year 2014, the organization provided…
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