We don’t get much news about Western Mass in Boston. And since the population is relatively small in the largely rural western counties of the Commonwealth, it can be easy to miss significant stories. Because the scale of noteworthy happenings is naturally smaller there. Because our diminished metro news outlets have trouble covering […]
THROWBACK: IS HOMELESSNESS WORSE IN BOSTON NOW THAN IT WAS A CENTURY AGO?
Boston’s most infamous homeless shelter was established only a few years later, in 1915, under Mayor James Michael Curley, who was as well known for his corruption as he was for being a friend, however superficially, to the downtrodden.
GUEST OP-ED: LAWRENCE AND THE NORTHERN FRONT
I know a homeless person who was told by a Beverly police officer to “go to Lynn.” In fact, he was even offered a one-way ride there. I met a couple from Saugus who lived under the Casey Bridge last summer. I asked them, “Why are you here?” They told me, “We are users but are trying to get back on our feet. The cops in Saugus wouldn’t let us stay camped out in the woods.”
IF YOU BELIEVE WALSH ABOUT LONG ISLAND, I HAVE A BRIDGE TO SELL YOU
Here’s what Walsh said in an October 2017 WGBH debate against then-City Councilor and challenger Jackson…
THE TERMINAL: SOUTH STATION IS A HOMELESS SHELTER WITH NO SERVICES
As television journalists reported that New England Patriots fans donated comforters for homeless people, transit cops disposed of every single blanket that the folks from Quincy C.O.P.E. and others handed out inside South Station.
THE LONG SHADOW OF LONG ISLAND
The 2014 closure remains a defining moment of the Walsh administration
BRIDGIN’ GAPS: FESTIVAL TO BENEFIT HOMELESS CLEANS UP (GTFO: SALEM)
“Wait, homeless people doing this for the community, not community service?”
DON’T MAKE US HOMELESS AGAIN: AN OPEN LETTER TO MAYOR WALSH
Since our first letter, the conditions we detailed (including lack of, or no food at meals; no access to beds or medication during the day; and lack of available case management staff) have only deteriorated daily.
THE OUTSIDERS: FOR HOMELESS LGBTQ YOUTH IN GREATER BOSTON, THERE ARE NO SAFE SPACES
Kicked out of home and misunderstood by social service providers, homeless LGBTQ youth often have nowhere to turn
HOMELESS FOR THE HOLIDAYS: SAVAGE CUTS AND CRAPPY JOBS ARE WHAT GOT US HERE
There are three major structural problems out of the control of impoverished individuals that best explain the rise of homelessness in Massachusetts: savage cuts to our state mental health system, an economy that creates large numbers of bad low-wage jobs, and the destruction of affordable housing.
