At the precise moment that Donald Trump was taking the oath of office in Washington, Kourtney McLean was sitting on a duffel bag outside a T station at the corner of Haverhill and Causeway streets. The duffel bag contained the blankets she uses to sleep outside at night. Read the rest of the storyContinue reading Boston Globe: Recognizing the humanity of the homeless
Boston Globe: Security Guards at TD Garden can no longer eject homeless
Private security guards who patrol TD Garden have been told they can no longer eject homeless people from North Station commuter rail platforms and waiting areas that are surrounded by the sports complex, after one of the guards was charged with beating a disabled homeless man with his own cane, transit officials said Thursday. ReadContinue reading Boston Globe: Security Guards at TD Garden can no longer eject homeless
Spare Change News: RAFT Program Prevents Homelessness, Saves Taxpayers Millions
In 2016, taxpayers in the state of Massachusetts saved roughly $137 million thanks to the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program. By allotting $12.5 million to homelessness prevention, 1,319 clients were assisted in Boston alone. Read the full article here.
Spare Change News: Lawsuit accuses Baker administration of denying shelter to homeless families
Naikis Cepeda is often forced to answer a question from her children that no parent ever wants to face: why don’t we have a home? The 28-year-old mother of two has confronted this question several times since her abusive husband abandoned her, leaving the family homeless. Read the rest of the story here.
Spare Change News: HUD awards close to $70 million to support homeless programs in Massachusetts
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded more than $69.4 million to support 277 homeless housing and service programs in Massachusetts this past December. Read more from the article about these programs here.
Patch: Mayor Walsh Rolls Out Proposals to Combat Homelessness, Affordable Housing, Eviction
Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced today that he will submit a package of legislation at the State House to address displacement of Boston residents from their homes. Read the full article here.
PBS NewsHour: How a morning run can be the first step out of homelessness
The organization Back on My Feet uses running as a catalyst to combat homelessness. The group operates in 12 cities across the nation, including Boston, where Cristina Quinn from PBS station WGBH paid them a visit. Watch the full video coverage here.
WBUR:Tackling Homelessness, In San Francisco And Beyond
It is not so hard to become homeless in this country. Millions of Americans live one paycheck from zero. Jobs go away. Houses too. Families break. Drugs and mental illness play in. And the results are easy to see in American streets. Homeless people. Some trying to hold it together. Some just lost. San FranciscoContinue reading WBUR:Tackling Homelessness, In San Francisco And Beyond
Boston Globe: Costs at heart of emergency shelter eligibility debate
Advocates call it one of the state’s cruelest requirements. Before some poor homeless families can qualify for taxpayer-funded shelter and motel rooms, they must spend a night in a place “unfit for human habitation” — such as an emergency room, park bench, or campground — to be legally homeless in the eyes of the state.Continue reading Boston Globe: Costs at heart of emergency shelter eligibility debate
Wisconsin State Journal: Rising homelessness should be wake-up call to Wisconsin leaders, advocates say
Decades of inadequate leadership and insufficient direct funding from the state have weakened the fight against rising homelessness in Wisconsin. Advocates and service providers say state officials must be more engaged to address an often hidden plight that shatters lives and creates significant costs for social services, schools, health care and law enforcement. There’s noContinue reading Wisconsin State Journal: Rising homelessness should be wake-up call to Wisconsin leaders, advocates say