Press release from The Advocacy Network to End Family Homelessness via The Bedford Citizen (emphasis mine):
With a record number of homeless families in motels and a housing shortage, what can we do?
Some answers will be explored at the Tenth Annual Interfaith Homelessness Forum to be held from 3 to 5 pm on Sunday, March 2, at Concord’s Trinitarian Church, 54 Walden Street. The event is co-sponsored by, among others, First Parish in Bedford and Bedford’s State Representative Ken Gordon is among the speakers.
Learn about state homelessness prevention programs – especially state plans for significant increases in low income housing. The challenges to and improvements in the state homelessness program will be presented and discussed. Find out how you can focus your advocacy efforts to have the greatest impact.
- Between 2008 and 2013, the number of Massachusetts families living in motels and shelters paid for by the state increased by over 50%
- A record number of over 2100 homeless families are in motels: the numbers in motels hase increasing by 200% since 2008.
The Keynote speaker will be Aaron Gornstein, Undersecretary, Department of Housing and Community Development. Additional speakers include Kelly Turley, Mass. Coalition on the Homeless; Sen. Jamie Eldridge; and Rep. Ken Gordon.
Related links:
- WBUR, Soaring Rents and Stagnant Incomes Leave Record Number of Mass. Families Homeless
- Barbara Ehrenreich, It Is Expensive to Be Poor
- WGBH, State Seeks to Move Homeless from Hotels to Group Homes
From the comments section on the WGBH story:
While this story depicts well the current challenges of homeless families in Massachusetts, I’m concerned that, in such a lengthy piece, the reporting fails to cover a vital component of this situation. As a Bedford resident and clergy person, I am aware that for over two years, local town officials, houses of worship, community groups, and interested citizens have formed a Task Force to provide support, care, resources and services to families being temporarily housed in Bedford.
This Task Force has accomplished much to make the transitional housing experience a little bit easier, including the following (just a sample):
– purchasing laundry facilities for installation in the Bedford Plaza Hotel;
– making 100 bag lunches every single day of the summer for school-aged children who do not receive free school lunch in June/July/August;
– providing over $1500 of free Charlie Cards to hotel residents to help them access the MBTA bus line;
– providing regular Sunday community meals catered at the hotel free of charge; – arranging for a play space in the hotel’s multi-purpose space for children to use; clothing drives for youth and adult-sized gear;
– a recently concluded diaper drive;
– presents and gift cards during the holiday season;
– drive collecting microwaveable food that can be prepared in the hotel rooms,
and many other forms of support.Where the state has been generally unable to provide even basic quality of life measures for many of these families beyond the roof over their heads, local communities have stepped in to fill the void at least a little. It’s unfortunate that your story, while comprehensive in some ways, failed to report on the way that ordinary neighbors are working week in and week out to try and make life a little bit easier for temporarily housed families living among them.
The Rev. Christopher Wendell
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Bedford, MA
As Rev. Wendell notes, community members have done a lot to assist. Tip of the hat to all those who have. (Full disclosure: My wife is one of the volunteers who helps put on the Sunday evening meals.)