$1

Helping People Help Themselves

NEWS
Your vendor buys this paper for 25 and keeps all the proceeds. Please purchase from vendors with BLUE badges only.
$1
Helping People Help Themselves Helping People Help Themselves
NNEW EWSSSS
SPARE CHANGE
March, 9 - March, 22 2012
Homeless in Suburbia
Celebrating Our 20th Year as Bostons Street Newspaper
Wellesley forum
highlights poverty,
need in wealthy
communities
No Direction Home:
When Coming Out Means
Kicked Out
- page 5
2
Spare Change News March 9 - March 22, 2012
Spare Change News
is published by the HOMELESS EMPOWERMENT PROJECT (HEP)
Spare Change News
1151 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: 617-497-1595
Fax: 617-868-0767
E-mail:
editor@sparechangenews.net
director@sparechangenews.net
Website:
www.sparechangenews.net
HEP ADMINISTRATION

Board President
James Shearer
Vice President
Michelle Ronayne
Treasurer
Chris McKnett
Secretary
Cheryl Jordan

Co-Clerks
Erik Paulson
Kathrine Waite
Board Members
Kristen Caretta
Cheryl Jordon
Joseph MacDonald
Jos Mateo
Michael Morisy
Samuel Weems
Bob Woodbury
Bookkeeper
Lisa Adams
Vendor Supervisors
Algia Benjamin
Barbara Johnson
Burrell White
Charles Stallings
Mike Valasunas
Reggie Wynn
editorial
Vision & Mission
Spare Change News was founded in 1992 by a group of homeless
people and a member of Boston Jobs with Peace. Spare Change
is published by the nonprofit organization The Homeless
Empowerment Project (HEP).
SPARE CHANGES GOAL:
To present, by our own example, that homeless and
economically disadvantaged people, with the proper resources,
empowerment, opportunity, and encouragement are capable of
creating change for ourselves in society.
HEPS OBJECTIVES:
To empower the economically disadvantaged in Greater Boston
through self-employment, skill development and self-expression.
To create forums, including those of independent media in order to
reshape public perception of poverty and homelessness.
Correction
Editor in Chief
Tom Benner
Assistant Editor
Nakia Hill
Poetry Editor
Marc D. Goldfinger
Graphic Designer
Brendan Bernard
Puzzle Editor
Samuel Weems
Cartoonist
Michael Ripple
Editorial Assistants
Mike Ahern
Bryant Antoine
Ashlee Avery
Alison Clark
Andrea Costello
Marina Dreyer
Madeline Hernandez
Chalkey Horenstein
Alex Keating
Christopher A. Mesfin
Annmarie Silva
Samuel Weems
J. Andrew Wein
Contributing Writers
Beatrice Bell
Tom Benner
Jamie Eldridge
Jacques Fleury
Andrea S. Gereighty
Marc D. Goldfinger
Chalkey Horenstein
Paula Mathieu
Alexander R. Moore
The Rev. Joan B. Murray
James Shearer
Robert Sondak
Noelle Swan
Distribution Managers/Vendor
Coordinators
Barbara Johnson
Christopher A. Mesfin
Letter to the Editor
Beatrice Bells recent column on the T (MBTA railroad-
ing public on fare hikes, service cuts) is terrific! More people
need to get behind the effort to save the E-line and stop what-
ever other cuts or fare hikes theyve been talking about.
-Carter Jefferson Boston
Letter: Blame for childs death squarely on van driver
Massachusetts legislators should get behind res-
olution S772 that calls for a federal constitutional
amendment to reverse the United States Supreme
Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election
Commission. There is the letter of The Constitution
and the spirit of The Constitution. Somehow the
U.S. Supreme Court tortured some rationale out of
that guiding document to give the money of cor-
porations inordinate sway over the democratic
process. The court declared its decision in Citizens
United v. Federal Election to become The Letter for
political support. In that process they have sub-
verted the aforementioned spirit. Upon reading The
Constitution, I noted that the words political par-
ties do not appear. The framers never anticipated
what is happening today as they envisioned (I sus-
pect) a more dynamic political process where thesis
and antithesis would result in sound decisions
not the process freezing acrimony we are now see-
ing. Today, the political parties that should be keep-
ing that dynamic process viable have become little
more than two warring corporations wanting noth-
ing more than greater market share. In the coming
election cycle, with the flood of big money going into
Super PACs, both parties will show little respect for
the American voter as they broadcast half truths or
borderline truths, and spin the records of opposing
candidates to win the election at any cost. Complex
subjects will be reduced to two options, clever one-
liners, and decisions will be made by an intentionally
misinformed electorate.
The millions of dollars spent by these mammoth
PACS are corrupting the marketplace of ideas. This
cannot possibly be what is best for this country and
our democracy. It cannot have been the vision of
the people who wrote our Constitution. The voice
of the men and women who might donate $25 to a
campaign will be drowned out by the noisy flood of
PAC money that is busy buying our senators and rep-
resentatives in Washington. Further, we now have a
world where lobbyists can without ever saying a
word threaten that their clients will spend millions
on ads if senators or representatives do not do what
the lobbyist wants. This is a shameful state of affairs
for our country.
Michael Ripple
Editorial: Court Gives Big Money the Biggest Say
COVER: Illustration by Micah Stahl.
New Chapter for Bookstand, in the
Feb. 24- March 8 issue, about bookstand
operator Ken OBrien, referred to Gary
Kibler as a co-founder. OBrien says he
should have been referred to as his first
vendor.
3
Spare Change News March 9 - March 22, 2012
op / ed
Jamie Eldridge
Spare Change News
State Senator
Jamie Eldridge
Over the past
few years, frus-
t r at i on wi t h
the increasing
power that cor-
porations have
on our politi-
cal system has
b e e n g r o w-
ing across the country. Whether it has
been the debate over healthcare reform,
financial reform and consumer protec-
tion, or clean air and water regulations,
weve seen time and time again the very
real impact corporate lobbyists and
political spending have on our policy
making process, with corporate profits
trumping the needs of average people
over and over.
This problem was made worse two
years ago, in January 2010, with the mis-
guided and destructive Supreme Court
ruling in Citizens United. The decision
struck down bipartisan legislation that
had limited corporations from spending
their general treasury funds on political
advertisements.
Now, for-profit corporations may
spend unlimited amounts of their gen-
eral treasury funds to influence elec-
tions at all levels of government and
set the political agenda through anony-
mous, multi-million dollar advertising
campaigns. The danger is real: if Exxon
Mobil had spent just two percent of its
2008 profits in the last presidential elec-
tion, it would have outspent McCain
and Obama combined.
In fact, we are already seeing the
effects of the Citizens United decision
on our elections. Just this month, Las
Vegas casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson
spent $10 million to support Newt
Gingrichs presidential bid. Super PACs
the political fundraising groups cre-
ated in the wake of Citizens United
have already spent $28.5 million on
advertising in the Republican presiden-
tial campaign, and we are nearly a year
away from the election.
The danger of undue corporate
influence isnt only for national elec-
tions. Indeed, the biggest danger to our
democracy might be at the local level.
A large developer seeking a change in
a local zoning law, for example, could
spend tens of thousands of dollars to
influence a board of selectman race
small peanuts to the company, perhaps,
but a substantial amount of money for
that small local race. A selectman who
opposed the company could never
compete financially with the flood of
advertising. Corporate lobbyists and
other powerful special interests are now
able to threaten public officials at all
levels with the possibility of unending
negative campaign ads if their agendas
are not supported and the voices of
ordinary citizens are at risk of being
drowned out of the electoral process.
I am troubled by the growing role
of money and especially corporate
money in politics for one simple rea-
son: I believe that democracy should
not be for sale. As the only Clean
Elections candidate elected to pub-
lic office in Massachusetts history in
November 2002, I understand the criti-
cal need to reduce the influence of spe-
cial interest money on elections. In my
time as a legislator, I have continued
to fight the influence of money in our
political system because it breeds cor-
ruption and drowns out the voices
of ordinary citizens. Working with
a coalition of good government and
voting rights organizations, Ive filed
several pieces of legislation to address
the problems created by the Citizens
United decision. In the short-term, I
have proposed S304: An Act Relative to
Disclosure of Political Spending, which
would require corporations spending
money in Massachusetts to disclose
their political spending and identify
themselves in advertisements that they
fund. Additionally, I have filed S305:
An Act Relative to Accountability for
Corporate Political Spending, which
would require corporations chartered in
Massachusetts to receive prior approval
The Rev. Joan B. Murray
Chaplains on the Way
My per spec-
tive on homeless-
ness comes from
a privileged van-
t age poi nt and
through the lens
of faith. I have
never been home-
l ess and I have
l i ved wi t h my
family in Wellesley
for over 30 years. I am an ordained min-
ister in the United Church of Christ and
have served as a minister and spiritual
companion with people experiencing
homelessness for about 10 years, first as
minister at common cathedral, the out-
door church of Ecclesia Ministries on
Boston Common and now as founder
and chaplain at Chaplains on the Way in
Waltham.
What has prompted this article
is our upcoming forum on housing
and homelessness at the Wellesley
Congregational Church, UCC, on March
18th called The Crisis of Homelessness
in Massachusetts: Together We Can
Help. Representative Byron Rushing
will be the keynote speaker and the pro-
gram includes a panel of legislators. At
the reception following there will be
representatives from a wide variety of
direct service agencies and advocacy
organizations. The goal of the forum is
to provide education along with oppor-
tunities for people to join in the support
of homeless people and to work to end
homelessness.
Why, you might ask, would anyone
in the suburbs want to be involved?
The simple answer is that suburban
health does depend upon urban health
and people in need are our neighbors.
However, it is closer than that, for
homelessness is first and foremost an
economic issue and can affect anyone.
Even working people cannot always
afford housing in Massachusetts. People
in Wellesley, especially seniors, do lose
their homes. Young people who have
grown up in the suburbs, are moving
back home with their parents after col-
lege for economic reasons. Poverty is on
the rise everywhere. According to Root
Cause Social Innovators, poverty is no
longer mainly concentrated in our cit-
ies. In 1999 the number of poor people
living in towns surrounding cities was
about the same as the number of poor
people living in cities. Now the number
is higher outside of cities.
From my experience simply being
human is reason enough to get involved.
Homeless people have challenged me
and loved me and brought out the best
in me. They have changed my way of
seeing in profound and simple ways.
On the simple, practical side, one thing
I learned one hot July morning when
walking down the street with a man who
was homeless, is that homeless people
are the best ones to ask about directions.
A man approached me for directions
that day and my companion said, They
never ask homeless people for directions
and we know where everything is! Try
it. I have in other cities and sure enough
homeless people always know where
things are. When you walk everywhere,
you notice things.
Homeless people are often contem-
plative. They take time to sit on benches
and look around. One day on Boston
Common as I was rushing through as
usual, I was encouraged to stop and sit
on a bench with a homeless man I knew.
At first just sitting down and looking
up the hill took my breath away. It was
an early spring day, buds were begin-
ning on the trees, the sky was a bright
cloudless blue, and the gold dome of the
State House was glistening in the sun.
Then I learned about the hawk. No, we
couldnt see him, but he was there I was
told. You can tell this is likely the case
Even in Wealthy Suburbs Such as Wellesley,
a Fight Against Poverty and Need
POVERTY continued on page 14
DEMOCRACY continued on page 14
Democracy is for People:
Fighting Corporate Influence in Our Elections
Story and photo by Beatrice Bell
Spare Change News

On Februar y 29,
2012, I went to the
Massachusetts State
House for The Coalition
f or t he Homel es s
Legislation Action Day.
After my experience, I
have a renewed hope in
our state leaders.
The event took place in the Great Hall
where the Hall of Flags is located. The
schedule of events was rather simple
and interesting. After coffee, check-in
and registration, we were welcomed
by Robyn Frost, Executive Director of
the Massachusetts Coalition for the
Homeless. Then Kelly Turley, Director of
Legislative Advocacy and Massachusetts
Coalition for the Homeless, spoke about
the budget and bill priorities as viewed
by the Massachusetts Coalition for the
Homeless.
Kat Chapman, a Graduate Intern at
Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless
and Boston College Graduate School of
Social Work,showed a video about the
Unaccompanied Youth Video Project. The
video was rather impressive.
In the video several young people
between the ages of 16-26 spoke about
their experiences of being homeless. They
included specific instances as home-
less, how they became homeless, what
it was like attending school as home-
less youth, and how being homeless has
affected them as young adults. I was most
impressed with two individuals in the
video.
There was young man in the video
who stated that, when he became home-
less, the kids at school would tease him
because his mother couldnt clean his
clothes. He was able to obtain his high
school diploma but it was an extremely
traumatizing experience. After graduat-
ing high school he found a job and rented
a room. Despite having a job, other than
the cost of rent, money could only go
towards food. His boss fired him because
he constantly showed up for work smell-
ing. While in the process of finding anoth-
er job, he lost his room and was forced to
go live on the streets again.
Afterwards, the video showed a young
woman who, having no friends to cele-
brate with, went back to where shed been
staying the whole time she attended high
school: the roof of an abandoned build-
ing. She took her diploma and climbed
to the roof where she had a cardboard
house built, went inside, covered herself
with her graduation gown and robe and
went to sleep. The next morning after her
search for a job she was forced to look for
a new home the cardboard that she
once lived in along with the building were
no longer in existence, it was demolished
prior to her return.
To end the event, there were four
speakers. The Speakers Panel on
Unaccompanied Youth Homelessness
and House Bill 3838, was comprised of
Representative James ODay, Lead spon-
sor of Legislative Action Day and House
Bill 3838. Reverend Peter Wells, Associate
Conference Minister, Mass. Conference,
United Church of Christ. Ayala Livny,
Program Manager for Youth on Fire, and
QuiannaSarjeant, Unaccompanied Youth
Speakers, Bureau Member and Youth on
Fire.
The final announcements were given
by our lead speaker Robyn Frost then
everybody went to speak to their state
representatives, senators and other state
leaders.
BEATRICE BELL is a Spare Change
News writer and vendor.
4
Spare Change News March 9 - March 22, 2012
state
Alexander R. Moore
Spare Change News
The Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education estimates that
nearly 6,000 high school students are
homeless and on their own. That is a
startling number. What is even more star-
tling is the fact that thousands more are
likely not represented. This ever-increas-
ing variable makes for an rising need for
more facilities and support services
which, horrifically, are dwindling.
Youth homelessness is serious; not
only does it jeopardize the community at
large, but it causes future opportunities
of these youth to diminish. The strength
and bravery of our children is astound-
ing; however, situations which cause
youth to become homeless usually end
in exploitation, health risks, and poor
academic standing. Yet shelters and sup-
port services are not enough, for far too
often the youth become dependent on
this help: a hole that is dreadfully hard to
escape from easily.
House Bill 3838, formerly House
Bill 1862, is an act providing housing
and support services for unaccompa-
nied homeless youth. Also known as
the Unaccompanied Homeless Youth
Act, hopes to rectify the problems with
the current system set in place to assist
homeless youth. Lead by Representatives
James O Day and Kay Kahn, and backed
by more than twenty-five other endors-
ers and sponsors, the bill seeks to reduce
youth homelessness and its adverse
effects by funding a continuum of hous-
ing and support services geared specifi-
cally toward homeless youth. The bill
shall improve housing and residential
stability, reduce the risk of harm and
improve educational, physical and men-
tal health outcomes for the unaccompa-
nied, homeless youth population.
On Wednes day, Febur ar y 29,
2012, Massachusetts Coalition for the
Homeless Annual Legislative Action
Day started at 9 a.m. at the The Great
Hall in the Massachusetts State House.
The event focused on shining light on
the bill and the system it shall correct.
Legislative Action Day was a significant
part of the battle to bring this bill to the
top of legislators lists and a triumphant
day it was.
Kelly Turley, Director of Legislative
Advocacy f or t he Massachuset t s
Coalition for the Homeless, stated that,
The Coalition was very pleased to once
again have so many people who have
experienced homelessness. Providers,
advocates, and legislators gathered
with us to call for reinvestment in the
full spectrum of housing and services:
homelessness prevention, safety net
resources, and long-term, affordable
housing. She continued with, Only
with these strategic investments will
the Commonwealth be able to reach the
goal of ending homelessness. We will be
working with our partners to ensure that
our message echoes through the halls
of the State House long after Legislative
Action Day.
The bill and the event seemed to
resonate greatly with all who attend-
ed whi ch bri ngs hope to al l who
have been affected and are still being
affected by the problems of home-
lessness. It shows that Massachusetts
cares and is willing to assist their fel-
low citizens. Perhaps these actions
will become more prominent as time
wears on, and with it will come change.
ALEXANDER R. MOORE is a for-
merly homeless writer and a student at
Bunker Hill Community College.
Bill Seeks to Help
Homeless Youth
Two Takes on Legislative Day on Homelessness
Robyn Frost, Executive Director for the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless.
A homeless writer, below, and a student, right,
on a State House push for homeless legislation
5
Spare Change News March 9 - March 22, 2012
local
Photo and story by Noelle Swan
Spare Change News
At 16 years old, Diamond McMillion
was too young to check into a shelter. As
a lesbian, she felt unwelcome at home
and frequently slept in an elevator shaft
with three friends.
We would ring every buzzer in the
building until somebody got tired of
listening to it ringing and would let us
in. Wed disconnect the elevator for the
night and reconnect it before we left in
the morning, said McMillion.
Echoes of McMillions story can be
heard across the country. Kids rejected
by their family for their sexual orienta-
tion and turned out into the street are
left to fend for themselves.
Sassafras Lowrey was kicked out
of her home at 17 while she was in
her senior year of high school in rural
Oregon. Her mother pled guilty to
assaulting her for coming out of the
closet. At the time, she says that she
felt isolated and alone. Ten years later,
she published Kicked Outa compila-
tion of stories told by current and past
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender
(LGBT) homeless youth. She believes
this is a national epidemic.
Its happening in every communi-
ty, every urban center, every suburban
neighborhood, every small town, said
Lowrey.
A recent study from Childrens
Hospital Boston published online by
the American Journal of Public Health
reports that 1 in 4 gay and lesbian and
high school students are homeless,
compared with just 3 percent of hetero-
sexual teens.
In general, young people have few
options if they are unable to stay at
home. Other than going through a
lengthy emancipation process in the
courts, young people under the age of
18 are expected to be in the care of adult
family members or the foster care sys-
tem.
At the age of 16 in Massachusetts,
you can consent to sex, you can emanci-
pate yourself, you can drop out of high
school, but you cant check into a shel-
ter, McMillion said. The only thing
you can do is latch onto an older person,
who may or may not take advantage of
you.
For McMillion and many others in
similar situations, her 18th birthday did
not come with a place to belong.
Ayala Livny, director of Youth on
Fire, a drop-in center in Cambridge for
young people experiencing homeless-
ness, stated that although anyone over
18 can stay in a shelter, young people
are not safe in this environment and
become easy targets. Young people
in general dont really go into the shel-
ters, Livny. They stay outside. They
couch surf. They try to blend in and find
creative ways of housing themselves.
Thats even more true for our queer
identified youth.
Quianna Sarj eant, a member of
Youth on Fire, addressed a gathering
of advocates at the Massachusetts State
House for the Leap into Action to End
Homelessness, Legislative Action Day
on February 29. She explained some
of the reasons that general population
shelters are inappropriate for young
people. When I was 18 staying at the
shelters, I found myself witnessing
things that an 18-year-old should not
have to witness, said Sarjeant. I saw
men masturbating and people being
rushed away in ambulances after over-
dosing on drugs.
Following Sarjeants speech, she,
McMillion, Livny and others from
Youth on Fire walked the halls of the
State House making the case for the
Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Act
currently being considered by the
House Ways and Means Committee.
Donna LoConte, budget director
and scheduler for Senator Anthony
Petruccelli (D), listened intently as the
group shared snippets of their lives on
the streets.
So how long can one stay at Youth
on Fire? LoConte asked.
Livny has been asked this ques-
tion before. Quietly she explained that
Youth on Fire is a drop-in space, open
weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. When
we close, folks go wherever it is they are
going to go, said Livny.
Sl owl y, t he poi nt t hat Li vny,
McMillion, and Sarjeant have come to
make began to sink in. I would have
thought that folks at Youth on Fire
could connect them to the services that
they need, LoConte said.
Currently in Boston there is only
one emergency shelter dedicated for
young people, said Livny. It has
twelve beds.
LoContes face fell as she realized
No Direction Home:
When Coming Out Means Kicked Out
HOME continued on page 14
ABOVE: Members and staff from Youth On Fire pose for a group photo at the State House on February 29,
2012 after paying a visit to several Senators and their aides. Advocates from across the state converged on the
State House for a legislative day of action highlighting issues of housing and homelessness organized by the
Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless.
Diamond McMillion mugs for the camera at a Harvard
Square cafe before heading to work in the kitchen at
Youth on Fire.
6
Spare Change News March 9 - March 22, 2012
local
Corporate Catering for a Cause
Robert Sondak
Spare Change News
Pine Street Inn, the largest resource
for homeless men and women in New
England, has created a social enterprise
catering business called iCater.
iCater represents one of the two
social enterprises run by the Pine Street
Inn. iCater offers high-quality catered
food to the Boston corporate market-
place. Boston Handyworks represents
the second Pine Street Inn social enter-
prise, offering quality repair and main-
tenance services at competitive prices in
and around Boston.
These two business operations are
comprised of staff and students from the
Pine Street Inn workforce development
training programs. They include the
Food Service Training Program (FSTP)
and the Building Maintenance Training
Program (BMTP). Each of these instruc-
tional programs teaches both profes-
sional vocational skills and social skills
needed to find and maintain employ-
ment. Pine Street Inn has just started
a third workforce development training
program in housekeeping. The house-
keeping program trains people to work
in the hotel and health care fields.
Pine Streets Food Service Training
Program trains approximately 100 men
and women a year to work in the food
service industry. iCater, which is a FSTP
division, consists of a two-tier training
program; culinary training followed by
personal life skills. The program mem-
bers get kitchen training in the first part
of the day and in the afternoon attend
life skills classes at the Pine Street Inns
Harrison Avenue location. The 24-week
program covers culinary topics like san-
itation, knife skills, cooking along with
personal interviewing and household
budgeting.
All Pine Street training programs
fall under workforce development,
Executive Chef Frank van Overbeeke
said.
According to Chef van Overbeeke,
Pine Street Inn has been involved in
institutional food service for the past
decade, working with shelters and
detox programs. These programs need-
ed someone to prepare food because
they may have limited or no kitchen
facilities. Van Overbeeke pointed out
that the original food service focus was
traditional hot and cold food.
The development of iCater perma-
nently changed Pine Street Inns food
service program. The new program pro-
vides a culinary job training program in
partnership with a corporate catering
business. The catering business has suc-
cessfully provides a revenue stream to
support the Food Service Job Training
program. This culinary enterprise brings
in $1 million a year to support the pro-
gram. iCater also prepares and deliv-
ers meals for a fee to non-profit clients
throughout Boston. Pine Street Inns
food service trainees receive increased
exposure to food service preparation
and increased collaboration with the
agencies staff. The trainees prepare food
for Pine Streets cafeteria and agency
programs along with the catering dish-
es for iCater clients. This program pays
the trainees a minimum wage to prepare
meals for shelter residents and catering
clients. It is entry-level training, van
Overbeeke said. We are not training
them to do wedding cakes. But we can
definitely train them to make sandwich-
es. Van Overbeeke highlighted iCa-
ters marketing focus. We work with
three groups of catering clients, van
Overbeeke said. We work with tradi-
tional corporations, hospitals, and local
universities. Van Overbeeke stated
that all iCater orders are dropped off to
the individual clients. The chef elaborat-
ed that that they prepare a wide range
of catering including breakfasts, lunch-
es and evening events. iCater does not
use donated food for its catering enter-
prise. iCater prepares about 1,000 meals
a day for its institutional and corporate
clients. iCater takes new students into
the culinary training program every
eight weeks. Prospective students must
fill out an application and are required
to go through an interview with iCater
staff as two of the programs guidelines.
There is also a waiting list for new stu-
dents. New student population is made
up of people from Pine Street Inn and
also referrals from outside transitional
housing and social service agencies
located in metro Boston. The student
population for the FSTP and iCater
includes men and women. The train-
ing program includes demonstrations
by chefs from a variety of local food
service corporations. Legal Sea Foods,
Ninety-Nine Restaurants and the food
service company Sodexo conduct train-
ings focusing of culinary skills devel-
opment. Chef van Overbeeke com-
mented that three-fourths of program
graduates get jobs or continue culinary
training outside of the program. . Pine
Street Inn is hoping to double the size
of the catering business and increase
the size of its training program in the
near future. For more information on
Pine Street Inn s Food Service Training
Program (FSTP) access the link under
programs: http://www.pinestreetinn.
org/programs_education.php. For
iCater access the link under Social
Enterprises: http://www.pinestreet-
inn.org/social_enterprise_iCater.php
ROBERT SONDAK is a Spare Change
News writer and vendor. Robert has a
Bachelors Degree from the University
of Massachusetts Boston, College of
Public and Community Service, (CPCS).
Robert also minored in Urban Planning
and Advocacy. Currently Robert is the
Executive Director of the Nutrition
Education Outreach Project.
Executive Chef Frank van Overbeeke
P
H
O
T
O

/

P
I
N
E

S
T
R
E
E
T

I
N
N
7
Spare Change News March 9 - March 22, 2012
local
Chalkey Horenstein
Spare Change News
Georgia Saunders Home Street
Home: The Virginia Beach Chronicles
can be best described in one word: raw.
Raw are the stories she tells about
the life of a homeless person. Raw are
the tensions that build when people
who cant stand each other are forced to
depend on each other. Raw are the pres-
sures of wanting to help others who are
suffering, quashed only by ones own
need to get by. Through numerous anec-
dotes, Saunders paints a picture that
evokes cathartic understanding from all
who are homeless and strong sympathy
from all who are human.
Without a doubt, the highlights of
the reading experience were insights
about homelessness and in-jokes that
I wouldnt otherwise know about.
For example, calling the van from the
shelter to the mental health center the
druggy buggy, because the patrons
buy and sell drugs, made me laugh a
little while painting a vivid picture of
what we all know happens but rarely
consider in depth.
The story predominantly follows
Ella, a protagonist designed to be the
proverbial everyman of homeless men
and women. In short but sweet chap-
ters, Ella carries on through her day-
to-day existence and tells little stories,
each about a day in the life of a differ-
ent homeless person. And not every
homeless person Ella meets is your
stereotypical drug-abusing bum; many
are homeless due to downsizing in the
economy or just a few missed oppor-
tunities. But in Ellas eyes, most stories
arent so much about the person, but the
circumstance of being homeless the
stories dont focus on how people got
there, but rather on what they do once
they are there.
And Saunders knows her stuff.
The author grew up on the streets of
Virginia, and lived with most of the peo-
ple she writes about. And if her experi-
ences werent enough to verify the real-
ity of her words, the footnotes will tell
you that some of these stories of char-
acters, like Blondie, come directly from
writings in that persons own diaries.
There were a few points where I wish
Saunders writing style did less tell-
ing and more showing, like the fight
scene in chapter four. Instead of saying
who did what to whom and where, the
author merely says he attacked her or
she attacked him back, over and over.
And character descriptions were in a
similar fashion just saying that some-
one was a bad man left me wondering
why he was bad. For the most part,
the author relies on the assumption
that specific details in scenes like these
arent necessary to anyone whos seen
the struggles of homelessness firsthand.
If her target audience is other home-
less people, I suppose Id be inclined to
agree; even so, more details to flesh out
the writing would have drawn me in a
little more.
But Saunders does not sugarcoat
or censor the experience in any way.
Conversations between homeless peo-
ple cover everything, from the daily life
of a homeless person to politics. One
scene depicts a character named Benny
attempting to convince his friends that
9/11 was an inside job. Other scenes
involve homeless men freezing to death,
or the impact of the economy on home-
less shelters. These stories can make
someone whos never been homeless
feel like he or she is the one who is truly
sheltered (excuse the pun).
And so, I would say that while some
readers may not enjoy the book, most
readers should at least give it a try. It is
rare that you can find such an encom-
passing rendition of different home-
less lives, and, for the common lower-
middle class citizens and above, it is
rare that we have the opportunity to
really know what the other side lives
like. This book is not just an opportu-
nity to educate oneself it is an oppor-
tunity to learn sympathy for those who
only seem different from their average-
income brethren. And for other home-
less people, it is rare that their story is
told so well.
CHALKEY HORENSTEIN is a Spare
Change News writer and editorial assis-
tant.
Home Street Home A Good Read
HomelessEmpowermentProject,Inc.
SpareChangeNews
Thursday 1une 21, 2012 6:00 to 9:00 PM The Inn at Harvard
1201 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138
www.sparechangenews.net
The mission of Spare Change News is to present, by our own example, that homeless and economically disadvantaged people, with the proper
resources empowerment, opportunity and encouragement are capable of creating change for ourselves in society.
Celebrating Our 20th Year as Bostons Street Newspaper
$1
Helping People Help Themselves
NEWS
HomelessEmpowermentProject,Inc.
Celebrating Our 20th Year as Bostons Street Newspaper
$1
Helping People Help Themselves Helping People Help Themselves
NNEW EWSSSS
SPARE CHANGE
SAVEtheDATE20th Anniversary Celebration
Paula Mathieu
Spare Change News
Very l i ttl e about the upcomi ng
MetroWest Homelessness Forum is
what one might expect.
Unexpected Detai l #1: It s tak-
i ng pl ace i n t he t i ny subur b of
Wellesley, the fifth wealthiest town in
Massachusetts.
What are you talking about, home-
lessness in Wellesley? quips Evelyn
Reading, one of the events organiz-
ers. Some people think we dont
have poverty or homelessness here,
but of course we do the food pantry
in Wellesley is in great need. Senior
citizens are having a hard time.
So many people are not aware of
this issue in their own backyard, said
Beth Cooper, director of the Family
Promise Network, one of the organi-
zations involved in the forum.
Changing perceptions about where
and who homeless people are is one of
the goals of the event.
My take is that homelessness is an
important issue for any person of con-
science, no matter where you live. Its
an issue for everyone, said the Rev.
Joan Murray, an event organizer and
founder of Chaplains on the Way.
The f orum, whi ch t akes pl ace
Sunday, March 18 f rom 2: 30 t o
5:00 p.m., is open to anyone in the
MetroWest Boston area or beyond
with an interest in learning about or
helping address the problem of home-
lessness in the Bay State.
Unexpected Detail #2: This event
will bring together an unlikely coali-
tion of state government officials,
homeless service organizations, and
people from at least eight different
houses of worship to discuss ways
to positively address the increase of
homelessness in Massachusetts. Such
collaboration across class, religious,
and municipal boundaries is a wel-
come aberration during a national
political moment characterized by
cries of class warfare and arguments
about religious freedom and govern-
ment intervention.
Unexpected Detail #3: Area state
legislators expressed overwhelming
support for the idea, and many will
attend the event. Civil rights activ-
ist and State Representative Byron
Rushing will provide the keynote
address for the event, and a legisla-
tive panel on homeless issues and
state legislation will include Rep. Tom
Conroy, Rep. Carolyn Dykema, Rep.
Kay Khan, Rep. David Linsky, Rep.
Tom Sannicandro, and Rep. Chris
Walsh.
One of the key things we want
people to learn about is legislative
advocacy, said George Ebbs, co-chair
of the planning committee. We could
have gotten more representatives, but
some just couldnt be here that day.
But there is a lot of support from state
officials, and they want to hear from
their constituents.
It seems fitting that this event to
discuss homelessness defies simple
expectations, because homelessness
today does not only conform to long-
held stereotypes about who is home-
less or why.
Today, homeless people are increas-
ingly the very young and the very
old. From 2000 to 2009, the number of
children living in poverty in the U.S.
increased by 33 percent, to more than
15 million, and by some estimates
more than 1.6 million children are
homeless. According to Dr. Ellen L.
Bassuk, the president of the National
Center on Family Homelessness, more
than half the countrys homeless chil-
dren are under 6.
In a recent survey conducted by
Clark University of teens in Worcester,
a majority of those who identified as
homeless were women, and more than
half of the homeless teens were preg-
nant or parenting.
At the other end of the life spec-
trum, the number of older people
in Massachusetts facing homeless-
ness has increased in the past decade,
according to a report by the National
Coalition for the Homeless. Increased
homelessness among the elderly often
is the result of poverty and the declin-
ing availability of affordable hous-
ing. Throughout the nation, there are
at least nine seniors waiting for every
occupied unit of affordable elder-
ly housing, according to Hearth, a
Boston-based organization dedicated
to the elimination of poverty among
the elderly.
While recent news about homeless-
ness can be distressing, the events
sponsors want to bring people togeth-
er, not only to focus on the problem
but on solutions.
Im hoping were able to show-
case to people that there are lots of
ways to help out. Many organizations
will be there to talk about how to get
involved, said Ebbs.
My great desire is to have this
forum attended by as many people
as possible so they can learn, said
Murray.
Were hoping the forum will be a
way for people to learn about home-
lessness and learn ways they can get
connected through advocacy, direct
servi ce, and preventi ve servi ces.
Were hoping to reverse this trend of
homelessness and help people stay in
their places, said Cooper.
Only half j okingly, Ebbs added,
This is going to be the biggest thing
to hit the town in a while.
PAULA MATHIEU is a volunteer at
Spare Change News, who also teaches
English at Boston College.
8
Spare Change News March 9 - March 22, 2012
cover story
Poverty in Suburbia
Wellesley Event to Highlight Need in Wealthy Communities
TOP: Joana Concepcion and her 2 children, Yaiki (9) and Kayden (3) have been with Family Promise Metrowest in
Natick, a private, nonprofit organization providing temporary shelter to families with children who are homeless,
since July. Since then, Joana has found full time work, Kayden is enrolled full-time in Headstart and Yaiki is
enrolled in the Natick schools. While Joana is working hard to save money for a place of her own. she is also
working with a Family Promise volunteer to earn her GED.
9
March 9 - March 22, 2012
cover story
One of the main features of the March
18th Metrowest Homelessness Forum
will be an opportunity for attendees
to learn about a variety of local service
organizations helping to end and pre-
vent homelessness and discover volun-
teer and advocacy opportunities. These
are some of the organizations that will
be represented at the event:
Women of Means
www.womenofmeans.org
Founded by Dr. Roseanna H. Means
in 1999, Women of Means seeks to
improve the lives of women who are
homeless or marginally housed through
quality health care, education, and
advocacy.
From 1990-1998, Dr. Means, a practic-
ing internist in the Boston area, worked
for a program that operates health clin-
ics for the homeless. She observed that
homeless women were underrepresent-
ed at the clinics and learned that using
traditional health care access venues,
even when staffed by doctors trained in
caring for the homeless, is overwhelm-
ing for women impaired by exhaustion,
mental illness, and fear. Consequently
Dr. Means founded Women of Means,
to send volunteer physicians into shel-
ters to provide care to women.
Today, a team of over 20 volunteer
and paid medical professionals work to
,PSURYHLPPHGLDWHDFFHVVWRKHDOWK
care for the Commonwealths poorest
women and children.
3URYLGH PHGLFDO VXSSOLHV DQG
equipment to health care professionals
and shelter staff treating indigent popu-
lations.
6KDUH:RPHQRI0HDQVDOWHUQD
tive medical delivery model with other
health care professionals.
$GYRFDWHIRUWKHZRPHQDWFOLQL
cal, social justice, academic, and health
policy levels.
Project Just Because
www.projectjustbecause.org
Project Just Because, Inc. supplies
adults and children in need with a
variety of support, including food,
clothing, toiletries, gift baskets, career
items, school supplies, blankets, toys,
furniture, baby items, housewares, etc.
Special needs are addressed for families
facing domestic abuse, those who are
reluctant to come in for services, and
survivors of natural disasters.
Family Promise Metrowest
www.metrowestihn.org
Family Promise Metrowest (dba
Metrowest Interfai th Hospi tal i ty
Network) is a private, nonprofit orga-
nization providing temporary shelter
to families with children who are home-
less. It is through Metrowests seven-
teen Host Congregations that they pro-
vide overnight stays, food, and support
to families. They provide overnight
accommodations for families by con-
verting their classrooms into bedrooms,
one week at a time, three to four times a
year. Each Host Congregation is paired
with one or two of our twenty-three
Support Congregations who provide
additional volunteers, supplies and
support during host weeks.
Parents in the program work closely
with Family Promises assistant direc-
tor to address the issues that led to
their homelessness, set goals neces-
sary to help them regain independent
housing, and connect them to appro-
priate resources. Each familys needs
and goals are different. For some, it
may be working with a Family Promise
Metrowest volunteer to study for their
GED or connecting with the local career
center for assistance with resume writ-
ing and interview skills. For others who
are already employed, it may be work-
ing with the assistant director to bud-
get their income, pay down debt, and
save for an apartment. Whatever their
goal may be, parents are working hard
to take care of their familys ongoing
needs while working towards indepen-
dent living. As one guest said, Life still
goes on, we just dont have a place to
call home.
Hearth, Inc.
www.hearth-home.org
Hearth is dedicated to the elimi-
nation of homelessness among the
elderly through housing, outreach, and
advocacy. Hearth was founded as the
Committee to End Elder Homelessness,
Inc. (CEEH) in 1991 by a group of seven
professional women with diverse expe-
rience in housing, finance, health, and
human services. They realized that
elders were a growing percentage of
the homeless population and that no
one was expressly addressing the issue.
Now in its 20th year, Hearth is an expert
on the challenges and solutions of end-
ing elder homelessness.
Chaplains on the Way
www.chaplainsontheway.org
The mission of Chaplains on the Way
is to provide chaplaincy services to
people who are poor, homeless, newly
housed, or living with mental illness
or addiction. The aim of the organiza-
tion is to act as a bridge between those
served by the chaplaincy and local faith
communities; to work for systemic
change to end homelessness; and to bet-
ter serve people struggling with mental
illness and addiction.
Organizations involved in the MetroWest Homelessness Forum
Tom Benner Spare Change News
State Rep. Byron Rushing who will
deliver the keynote address to The
Metrowest Homelessness Forum at 2:30
p.m. Sunday March 18 at the Wellesley
Congregational (Village) Church is
the Massachusetts Legislatures point
man on homeless policy.
The South End Democrat filed leg-
islation back in 2001 that led to the
creation of the Commission to End
Homelessness, an executive branch
panel seeking to root out the causes of
homelessness. Rushing is co-chair of
the commission, which in 2008 released
a comprehensive five-year blueprint to
eliminate homelessness.
The commissions recommenda-
tions, which became the centerpiece of
the Patrick administrations homeless
policy, called for less reliance on the
states shelter system and putting more
resources into getting homeless people
into permanent housing, as well as
getting them the services they need
anything from workforce training
and child care vouchers for working
moms to mental health and substance
abuse counseling so they can remain
housed and become economically self-
sufficient. The commission saw its
task not to study homelessness but
rather to develop a plan for the best
solutions and practices to end home-
lessness, prevent its recurrence, and
remove barriers to permanent hous-
ing, Rushing said at the time. If we
invest the necessary funds and reorga-
nization at the beginning of this plan
we will see over these five years, with
the decommissioning of most shelter
beds, sufficient funds to be reallocated
to complete this plan and prevent the
reoccurrence of this inhumane prob-
lem. Rushing reiterated that view
in 2010 comments to a roomful of
anti-homelessness advocates. I hope
everybody here who makes money in
this industry of ameliorating home-
lessness, everybody here has a plan
for their next job, because were going
to end it and youre going to be out of
a job, he said at a State House brief-
ing. Every time I go to Pine Street Inn,
every time I go to St. Francis House, I
look around and say, What should we
use this building for when homeless-
ness is ended? The proposition that
homelessness can be solved was the
theme of a 2010 interfaith meeting of
religious leaders in Waltham, at which
Rushing remembered an era during
which widespread homelessness did
not exist. Its really 20 or 30 years of
this incredible situation in the coun-
try, of thousands of people, boys and
girls, men and women, not having a
place to live, a permanent shelter. That
Byron Rushing, Point Man on Homeless Policy
In case youre going ..
The MetroWest
Homelessness Forum
Sunday, March 18, 2012, 2: 30-
5: 00 Wel l esl ey Congregat i onal
(Village) Church 2 Central Street,
Wellesley, Ma.
For details about the event, contact
info@chaplainsontheway.org
P
H
O
T
O
/
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
RUSHING continued on page 10
10
March 9 - March 22, 2012
cover story
means Americans 20 to 30 years old or
younger dont know that it wasnt like
this, always. The commissions rec-
ommendations led to the creation of
new state initiative called HomeBASE,
a rental subsidy program for homeless
families. However, just three months
after its creation last August, there were
so many families in need of home-based
assistance the state was forced to stop
issuing subsidies. In his fiscal year 2013
budget proposal, Gov. Deval Patrick
recommended increasing funding for
several homeless assistance programs,
including boosting the Massachusetts
Rental Voucher program by $10 mil-
lion, bringing the total to $46 million.
Advocates estimate that would help
an additional 900 families in danger of
becoming homeless. While the states
near-universal rate of health insurance
coverage is often touted by top state
officials, statistics on estimated home-
lessness levels are sobering. According
to the coalition, 2.6 percent of the states
residents are experiencing homeless-
ness and in 2010, at least 22,569 children
experienced homelessness, rates that
the coalition called an all-time high
in Massachusetts. There are numer-
ous accounts and programs scattered
throughout the state budget to address
homelessness and the coalition urged
funding increases for those programs as
well as passage of a bill (H 3838) aimed
at helping homeless young people who
have dropped out of school and dont
have an adult guardian.
TOM BENNER is editor of Spare
Change News. Email him at editor@
sparechangenews.net. Material from
State House News Service was used in
this report.
RUSHING continued from page 9
11
March 9 - March 22, 2012
voices
Voices From The Streets
Voices from the Streets a forum for those whose voices are too often ignored. From narratives to opinion to advice, these writers portray a unique per-
spective on life that might otherwise go unnoticed. Below, find that turning an ear towards those normally silenced opens the door to understanding and
relating to those who have faced life on the street.
A Bureaucratic Limbo
Marc D. Goldfinger
Spare Change News

Just imagine that all of a
sudden you die; you find
out that there may be no
God. Youre thrust into a
world full of drifting ghosts
like yourself, all distraught because no
one knows where to go. You talk to
other ghosts and some of them say that
there is a way to get out of the regions of
nowhere, but you have to find someone
or something that has the answers.
The ghosts may not have all the
answers, but they can start you on your
way, and you are warned that there are
roadblocks. Some things you say will
open doorways that will bring you
closer to heaven or hell, but if you say
the wrong thing or leave something out,
you are stuck adrift in the land of howl-
ing winds, and bridges made of bones
and skulls that lead nowhere.
It is never dark but there is a fog all
around you; a ghost may pass by ten
feet away from you; you can hear them
moan, but if you move in the wrong
direction, you cannot connect.
Sounds like a bureaucracy, right?
Have you ever tried to apply to a gov-
ernment program that assists the job-
less, the hungry, or the mentally adrift,
and found that something you say puts
more roadblocks in your path? Then
you have to clear those blocks before
you can go further.
Or youre assigned a caseworker,
and he or she guides you into a maze
that doesnt get you what you need or
want. You find yourself disqualified
or set back and you have to go around
the circle one more time before you can
get help. The caseworker is holding out
rings for you to grab, as if you were on
a merry-go-round, and you hopefully
grab the ring, but it is not gold its a
lead ring that isnt worth anything.
If that wasnt bad enough, what if the
caseworker thought, because he was
misinformed, that it was the right ring
for you but he didnt know that a more
appropriate ring would have gotten
you rolling in the direction you wanted
to go? The caseworker was unaware of
the right ring to
give you.
Lets climb the ladder of the bureau-
cracy. Lets say, on the third level, two
levels below the Benevolent Demons
who make the rules, is a Guiding Spirit
who actually knows about the programs
that can help the consumer, which is
the term for those who must apply for
things they need. But, because of rules
set up by the Benevolent Demons, the
Guiding Spirit can only speak to the
Secondary Gods of the agencies where
the caseworkers work to help the con-
sumers get what they need.
Now, lets add some interesting
roadblocks. To efficiently serve the con-
sumers, the caseworkers should have
an ideal caseload of 40 to 50 people.
However, the numbers game, which
determines the allotment of money to
hire the caseworkers, may be rigged
by, lets say, the population increase or
decrease in the state where the organi-
zation is located. So the organization
is only allotted enough money to hire
caseworkers to work at one satellite
or just enough so the caseload of the
caseworkers is over 160 consumers at
any given time.
This means that the efficiency level
of the caseworkers is crippled, and
not only do they not have the time to
research what programs are appropri-
ate for each consumer, they also dont
even have enough time to find out what
programs are available. Why is this?
The Secondary Gods of each satel-
lite program have so much informa-
tion to manage that they dont have
the time to dispense the information
that exists to the caseworkers. In addi-
tion to this snafu, the Guiding Spirit,
who is aware of all the programs and
just might have time to meet with the
caseworkers in groups to dispense the
information about programs that exist,
is not allowed to talk to the casework-
ers directly. The Guiding Spirit can only
talk to the Secondary Gods of the satel-
lites of the agencies if he has permission
to do so from the Benevolent Demons
kind of like entities who are so removed
from the realities of the situation that
they block important avenues through
which vital information can flow.
For example, lets say there was a
James Shearer
Spare Change News
I can talk about it now -- the pain, the fear, the shock. All
gone.
On Thanksgiving night, I nearly died. Only those close to
me and some within the organization knew about it.
This isnt one of those stories that you see on television --
no bright lights or out-of-body experiences -- its just a story.
But its a story that has a beginning.
As many of you know from some of my writings, I spent most
of 2011 homeless, and I guess you could say thats where this story begins.
Being homeless again after so many years can be pretty depressing. I strug-
gled hard with it. Just trying to keep my hopes up was a tough assignment.
Still, I kept going. But I wasnt taking care of myself properly. When I ended
up in the hospital last May from stress, that should have been a major hint,
and for a little while I took things a little more seriously. But even then I was
pushing it, trying to keep things going at Spare Change and dealing with my
own personal issues at the same time.
Finally, just before Labor Day I took some time off and checked myself into
the hospital for some much-needed rest. I left the running of the paper to oth-
ers. While in the hospital, I met someone, and for a moment things began to
look up. But only for a moment. My new friend had issues of her own and
even though I had my own to deal with I put them aside to help her. I put
everything else including the organization on hold and threw myself full time
into helping my new friend.
That turned into an emotional rollercoaster. The more I tried to look after
her, the less I had to think of my own problems. In October we both moved
to Lynn with some old friends of mine. I was happy because I wasnt looking
forward to spending winter in the shelter system, but things werent going
well. My new friend was having a difficult time and we went back and forth
to hospitals. My kids and a few of my friends didnt exactly warm up to her,
either. She and I began arguing a lot and it began to put a strain on me. I had
started smoking again, and began to drink heavily. I was under a lot of stress.
I was also selling papers in cold and rainy weather. I have COPD (a lung
disease), so when I catch a cold its an event. Everyone worried about me. My
daughter told me that I looked old and worn. I told her and everyone else that
I would be fine.
I woke up not feeling well on Thanksgiving morning; my friend and I had
had a big fight the night before. She was headed to New Hampshire that day
to see her brother, or so she claimed. Anyway, she left without saying good-
bye, and for a good part of the day I moped around. I went over to my sons
mothers place to have dinner with them and her new husband (nice guy).
Not liking the way I looked, my ex asked me to stay over. I did, but I couldnt
sleep or breathe.
I asked my ex to call an ambulance. Suddenly, I couldnt get any air at all.
I couldnt get dressed or even put my shoes on. I went into the hallway fig-
uring I was allergic to something in the house. Thats when my lungs shut
down. I couldnt get any air and my whole body just let go. I knew what was
happening.
My ex was holding on to me while her husband stayed on the phone with
911 and went downstairs to meet them. I dont want to die, I said to my ex,
or I gasped it. She held on to me and said, Youre not going anywhere. The
next few moments happened in a flash. The fire department showed up and
they put me on oxygen. They said something I couldnt quite understand, and
then they put me on a stretcher and carried me downstairs. They worked on
Life Interrupted ...
Almost
GOLDFINGER continued on page 12
12
Spare Change News March 9 - March 22, 2012 voices
Jacques Fleury
Spare Change News
The full moon perme-
ates the darkened street
where Chiro sprints to
hide under the bridge,
the rolling waves of the
ocean muffling the foot-
steps trailing behind
him. Exhausted from
fear and the run itself, he leans against
the wall to catch his breath as the hooli-
gans pursuing him get close enough to
hear his panting.
He thinks about how he got into this
mess to begin with and longs for the life
he once had with his wife and his two
kids, a son and daughter, until his hab-
its got the better of him. One night he
came home and his wife, Zelda, began
to scream at him. She told him that she
couldnt live like this anymore barely
able to put food on the table even though
she was working two jobs, while he sits
on the couch, smoking pot and brows-
ing internet porn sites while leaving the
kids to fend for themselves. Things got
really bad when he started doing harder
drugs and took up gambling, and Zelda
ended up doing what her own mother
had done: sacrificing her own happiness
to keep her family together. Her own
mother had also looked the other way
when she found out that her dad was
having an affair. Zelda had sworn then
that she that she would never allow her-
self to become her mother. But eventu-
ally her mothers fate crept up on Zelda
and before she knew it, there she was
with a cheating, drugging and emotion-
ally unavailable husband.
Chiro knew that he was a deadbeat
dad and he didnt seem to care. After all,
he did model himself after his father, so
he felt justified in his behavior. But now,
as he cowers under the shadowy bridge
fearing his life may end in a matter of
minutes, he suddenly has an epiphany
about wanting to become a better man
for the sake of his family. He looks up to
the starry skies and makes a plea with
God. God, please help me. I know these
guys will kill me, like theyve killed oth-
ers who came before me. God, I promise
if you spare me, I will try my hardest to
be there for my family. If I should fail to
honor my promise to you, God, then you
can take me. But tonight, God, please
spare me, please
Chiro you rat, we know youre here
somewhere. We can smell fear remem-
ber? Dino, a big tall muscular guy with
broad shoulders barks out in a baritone
voice. Yeah, thats right, ya might as
well come on ouuut! Lenny, the smaller
guy says in a high pitched, almost car-
toon-like voice. Chiros heart starts to
beat faster as the ruffians edge closer to
his hiding spot. What was that? Dino
asks Lenny. What was what? Lenny
responds seeming incredulous. There
it is again! At this point, realizing that
Dino is on to him, Chiro decides to make
a run for it. There he is! Get him! The
men take off after Chiro and it is not long
before they catch up to him.
Weve got you now! Where is my
money? Dino huffs with his huge hand
around Chiros neck. I ... dont have
it you big brute! Get your paws off of
me! Dino looks over to Lenny, What
are we gonna do with this fool, Lenny?
Kill him, Dino. No one stiffs us and gets
away with it! Dino whips out his knife
and holds it right up to Chiros throat.
Now for the last time, where is my
money?! Chiro struggles to free himself
from Dinos tight grip, Ill get it to you
tomorrow
Nahyou said that yesterday. Now
youve left me no other choice but to do
what I gonna do He raises the knife
above Chiros chest and just as he brings
it down, a voice hollers in the distance
and the men look up to see flashlights
bouncing in the darkness.
Hey! Whats going on here? Both
men then take off into the night to evade
the cops.
***
Chiros promise to God is soon tested
when the temptations of old habits pres-
ent themselves. But he is steadfast in his
devotion to his family and his promise
to God. He joins a drug and alcohol sup-
port group, to Zeldas relief. He sells his
car, his most prized possession, to pay
off the mobsters. He once gave the car
more love and attention then he did his
own family, but now it is all but a distant
memory. He looks up into the sky and
says, I can live with that.
JACQUES FLEURYs book: Sparks
in the Dark: A Lighter Shade of Blue, A
Poetic Memoir, about life in Haiti and
America, was featured in the Boston
Globe. Contact him at: haitianfirefly@
gmail.com and visit his website at:
www.thehaitianfireflyproductions.com.
Under the Cover of Night
program that would give food vouchers
to consumers who needed them because
they had lost their jobs. Imagine that
there are enough food vouchers to serve
90 consumers, but only 30 consum-
ers are aware of the existence of this
program because the Guiding Spirit
is blocked, by one manner or another,
from dispensing the information about
the program directly to the casework-
ers who need this information. This is
because they are dealing with the con-
sumers who would most benefit from
having these food vouchers.
Imagine a series of bridges built of
bones and skulls and some of them lead
to dead ends and others lead to the food
vouchers, but you must count the steps
when you are on the bridge. If, when
you get to the caseworker ghost, you
dont know the number of the steps you
have taken to get there, you must turn
around and start over again.
Maybe you counted the number of
steps and are facing your caseworker,
but he does not have the information
of the food voucher program, so you
are blocked again. The caseworker ten
feet away in the fog has the information,
but you cant see him, so again you are
blocked. The Secondary God of your
satellite is so overwhelmed by the num-
bers that, as much as he wants to help
the caseworkers underneath, he doesnt
realize that this particular caseworker
doesnt know about the food voucher
program.
Oh yes, another snafu. There are
time limits to these programs. If enough
food vouchers are not given out during
the Year of Our Lord within which they
were allotted, the program is scrapped
because the numbers show that there
really isnt a need for the extra food
vouchers.
Ironically, the food vouchers are
not extra the consumers are lost in
the fog of rules and roadblocks but
now less money will be allotted to the
diverse programs that no one but the
Guiding Spirit is aware of. However,
the Spirit is not permitted to directly
transmit the information to where it is
needed because the Benevolent Demons
are busy looking at numbers that dont
mean anything in reality.
Also, the caseworkers have 160 con-
sumers to deal with and the Secondary
Gods have so many caseworkers to
deal with that the consumers are not
told what actions they must take to get
to what they need. Even if they know
what they need to do, their caseworkers
may not have the right assistance to dis-
pense.
Unfortunately, this is a true story, and
the facts have been altered to protect
the innocent. Instead of helping people
with empty stomachs, the money goes
to bombing people we dont know,
blowing their legs off, and creating
more enemies all over the world so that
we have even less money to dispense
even if the right information were avail-
able to the right people. People with
empty stomachs dont have the money
to hire lobbyists, and corporations ben-
efit mightily from the continuation of
war and are now considered to be peo-
ple, and have plenty of lobbyists. So
our Congress, even if it wanted the right
information, doesnt get the information
it needs to re-figure the numbers so that
people with empty stomachs can get to
the food vouchers they dont even know
exist.
What if, when we die, even ghosts
face bureaucracies and must wander
in the fog unless they get lucky? The
bridges are made of skulls and bones --
only those who built the bridges know
the truth, and theyre not saying a word.
And Im just a ghost who got lucky.
MARC D. GOLDFINER is a formerly
homeless vendor who is now housed.
He can be reached at junkietroll@yahoo.
GOLDFINGER continued from page 11
Please be sure sure that you purchase
copies of Spare Change News
only from authorized vendors who wear
BLUE 2012 badges.
Anyone else may be running a scam.
Vendors are also not allowed to solicit do-
nations for Spare Change News
or any outside organization.
13
March 9 - March 22, 2012
poetry
Every Thursday
Squawk Coffeehouse, 9 pm
1555 Mass Ave., Cambridge
Open mike for poets and musicians.
Every Saturday
Out of the Blue Gallery, 8 pm
106 Prospect St., Cambridge
$3-5 suggested donation.
671- 354-5287
Every Sunday
Lizard Lounge Poetry Slam, 7 pm
1667 Mass. Ave., Cambridge
$5. 671- 547-0759
Every Monday
Out of the Blue Gallery, 8 pm
106 Prospect St., Cambridge
$4 suggested donation.
617-354-5287
Every Wednesday
Boston Poetry Slam, 8 pm
Cantab Lounge, 738 Mass. Ave.,
Cambridge
$3. 21+. 617-354-2685
Second Thursday of Every Month
Tapestry of Voices, 6:30 pm
Borders, 10 School St., Boston
Free. 617-557-7188
Second Tuesday of Every Month
Newton Free Library, 7 pm
330 Homer St. 617-796-1360
Third Saturday of Every Month
Boston Haiku Society meeting,
2-6 pm
Kaji Aso Studio,
40 St. Stephen St., Boston
$3. 617-247-1719
Poems may be submitted to: Marc D. Goldfinger,
76 Unity Ave. Belmont MA, 02478
or email: sparechangepoetry@gmail.com. SCN cannot return poetry
submissions, and authors will be contacted only if their poems are published.
Poetry event listings may be submitted to sceditor@homelessempowerment.org
ANDREA S. GEREIGHTY is the
Director of the New Orleans Poetry Forum
(NOPF) and an award has been established
in her name for young poets. Andrea has
been published in the California Quarterly,
Desire Street, Xavier Review, Gulf Coast,
The Magnolia Quarterly, National Poetry
Review, New Orleans Review, and many
other places. She won first place in the
Deep South Literary Award For Poetry,
just to name one 1st place award. She
focuses her poetry on Louisiana because
she feels it is fascinating.
Louisiana Letter
By Andrea S. Gereighty
This poem; its endless
like shopping in Schwegmans,
Prof queries Wheres your resolution?
I haunt the mail carrier
wheres your letter?
My daughter called Sunday from college
said snakes swim in a river like dogs
lacking only paws
I gave Goodwill my encyclopedia
picture pages glossy with snakes
I wanted to touch when I was little.
Deni saw a diamondback crosss the Huzzah
in half an hour.
I talked two hours in West Virginia
about naming rivers
couldnt discover where
Monongahela came from
or why I haunt the mailman.
Some days I applaud my self for
not thinking of you till evening.
I dont think of poems.
At dawn, I rush from dreams
glazed with the crust of sleep
fall headlong into the closet
thrash about for the scrapbook
that picture of Eldoreque in the studio
before a thirty-eight in her mouth
discharged, bloodied Camp Gris-Gris
drove Jerry to guilt; to saying
the camp is haunted.
Write me: Im frantic
I look in vain for:
The rhythm, the scrapbook, the contrasts
your letter.
the pressure; its building
like this poem.
Three A.M. in Hell
By Andrea S. Gereighty
Blood on the table
bone on the wing
tonight something evil
covers the sky.
The moon cross cut
Drips with excrement, pus.
The wind slices knives
serrated, through us.
Dehumidifiers hum
song, hymn, prayer
nothing can save us
terrorism stalks there.
Will we be hijacked
cut down in the street
or flesh eating microbes
crawl up our legs,
on our sheets.
Sarin gas, biochemicals, Anthrax, a bomb.
How do you live with the horror to come?
Fifteen Months After Katrina
Along The Gulf Coast Road
By Andrea S. Gereighty
I decide to take a long walk
unnoticed
the others imbedded in smoke,
slots and poker tables.
Least terns feather
the sign that says
DANGEROUS DEMOLITION
off Biloxi Bay
curious where the beaches
had receded
dont seem to mind.
Sinkholes
rip rap
trees draped with quilts
nightgowns for the
chain-link exclusions.
Trickle of traffic
thin stream
like the waterfall faade
announcing the Grand
past Losers Gold Pawn
shuttered St. Michaels Church
next door gaping
Superdome-sized holes
in its roof.
Casinos flourish
The Grand, The Isle, and The Palace.
Some players seem
to escape the real
for a while.
I cant
except in
fragments
words, a phrase
blown into juxtaposition
with the wind,
silence, desolation
more than I can bear.
14
Spare Change News March 9 - March 22, 2012
when all the pigeons are across the street
lining the peak of St. Pauls Cathedral.
Homeless people may be contempla-
tive, but they are also workers. Just to
survive, to find shelter inside or out,
to find meals at a different place every
night, to have clothing appropriate for
the weather, to make appointments and
meet with case workers and health care
providers all over the city often without
bus or T-fare, to apply for jobs with-
out an address or a reliable phone, is
very hard work. On top of this a good
percentage of homeless people are
employed, usually at minimum wage
jobs. Many stand on street corners in all
kinds of weather selling Spare Change
News, for example!
St. Augustine wrote that we are all
restless until we find our home in God.
Our human condition is such that we
find home on earth in a variety of ways,
none of them totally satisfying, perhaps.
I was reminded of this one day when a
homeless man said to me in frustration,
Why do they call me homeless? This
is my home, he added as he stretched
out his arms in a way that looked like he
was hugging Boston Common. I was
born in Boston. I have always lived in
Boston. This is my home. This was
heart-breaking to me. Cant we do bet-
ter than this? I wondered.
Admittedly, we are doing better.
The housing first initiative, stress-
ing housing over shelter for chronically
homeless individuals at the start, and
now a practice with homeless families
along with emphasis on homelessness
prevention, has made a difference. With
the economy as it has been since 2008,
homelessness among teenagers on the
rise, and the rising gap between rich
and poor, however, the problem has not
gone away.
Spending time with homeless peo-
ple has made me more human. Dont
get me wrong, homeless people are not
saints. It may sound like I am roman-
ticizing homeless people and homeless-
ness and I want to set the record straight.
Homeless people can be greedy, annoy-
ing, self-centered, frustrating, demand-
ing, self-destructive, angry, violent occa-
sionally just like people with houses!
They can also be incredibly generous,
thoughtful, kind, faithful, self-reflective,
loving, gentle just like people with
houses! Sitting with homeless people
and listening to them all these years has
taught me that the most important thing
I have to give is myself just who I am.
AND I want to give more. I want
access to stable housing for all. Join us
on March 18th and learn how you can
help.
THE REV. JOAN B. MURRAY is a
member of the Board of Directors of
Chaplains on the Way.
from the board of directors before com-
mitting funds for political purposes,
and to notify shareholders of those
expenditures.
These bills would address some of
the negative impacts of the Supreme
Court decision here in Massachusetts.
But ultimately, the only effective long-
term solution is to pass a constitutional
amendment overturning the decision
reached in Citizens United and restor-
ing our ability to regulate corporate
political spending. To this end, Ive
filed S722: A Resolution Restoring Free
Speech, which, if passed, would call
upon Congress to send such a con-
stitutional amendment to the states.
Amending the constitution would make
it clear that corporations are not people
and are not guaranteed the same con-
stitutional rights as we are. As citizens,
we think in terms of what is best for our
country, our communities, and our chil-
dren. Corporations, on the other hand,
are abstract legal entities created for
people to conduct business with each
other. They exist for the sole purpose of
making profit not for creating a bet-
ter society for all Americans.
By enacting these reforms we can
ensure that elections are truly decided
by we the people, and not corporate
special interests.
JAMIE ELDRIDGE is a Democratic
state senator from Acton.
POVERTY continued from page 3
DEMOCRACY continued from page 3
the implications of Livnys words. She
looked at the paperwork that Livny
passed her, a fact sheet detailing several
bills currently being weighed by the state
Senate regarding housing and home-
lessness. She said Petruccelli was famil-
iar with (and in support of) all of them
she said, except the Unaccompanied
Homeless Youth Act, the one that Livny,
Sarjeant, and McMillion came to high-
light. She looked around the room at the
faces of Youth on Fire, and said: But
now. Definitely. Well be talking about
this one.
The bill holds potential to improve
services for all homeless young people,
but there are still special challenges fac-
ing homeless LGBT youth.
Grace Sterling Stowell, executive
director of Boston Alliance of Gay
Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Youth
(BAGLY) says that she has heard numer-
ous reports of LGBT youth becoming
targets for violence inside shelters. We
have heard stories of young men who
become victims to adults in the shelter.
Either they are found out to be gay and
become targets of violence and harass-
ment, and/or they become set up for
sexual violence. She says that she also
heard significant reports of young peo-
ple being victimized by staff.
McMillion says that she and her
partner experienced discrimination
from staff members at some area shel-
ters. She says that she and her partner
were forbidden from hugging, sitting
too close together, or using the multi-
stall bathroom at the same time. She
recalls attempting to study with her
partner for a course they both were tak-
ing at Bunker Hill Community College.
The two could only afford one copy of
the textbook and read together. A staff
member at the shelter approached them
and told them they had to take turns
reading the book because they were sit-
ting to close together. McMillion said
that upon refusing, she and her partner
were barred from the shelter for three
days.
Stowell says that BAGLY and other
organizations have been focusing on
trying to connect shelter staff with cul-
tural competency trainings, but has
found it to be an uphill battle.
Trainings not going to do anything.
There needs to be more homosexual
and transgender staff. There need to be
workshops with clients on how to report
mistreatment without fearing repercus-
sions from other staff members, said
McMillion.
Today, McMillion has her own apart-
ment in Quincy. Out of those four kids
that slept in the elevator shafts of apart-
ment buildings, she is the only one still
alive. One of them, her girlfriend at the
time, died in her arms of an asthma
attack. McMillion said that she counts
herself lucky. She said she feels com-
pelled to become a leader and a voice of
change. Right now, that looks like that
might be through social work, but shes
open to possibilities. For now, she said,
she can take a deep breath, let it out,
and say, Im okay.
HOME continued from page 5
Comments,
Questions,
Story Ideas?
Send a letter to the editor at editor@sparechangenews.net
Food
DAILY MEALS:
Bread & Jams Self Advocacy Center 50 Quincy St.
Cambridge 617-441-3831
Located in the basement of the Swedenborg Church at the
corner of Kirkland and Quincy. Serves adults only, no chil-
dren.
Breakfast 9:30 to 10 a.m; lunch at 12:00 noon. Other services
include case management, housing assistance, clinical
assessment, and referrals for substance abuse and medical
treatment.
Boston Rescue Mission 39 Kingston St., Boston
Community meals: 3:00 p.m. weekdays, and 5:00 p.m.
Sundays.
Pine Street Inn 444 Harrison Ave., Boston, 617-482-4944
Breakfast: 6:00 a.m.; brown bag lunches during the day;
Dinner: 5:00 p.m.; Chicken truck: 11:30 a.m.
Rosies Place 889 Harrison Ave., Boston, 617-442-9322
Women & children only, no boys over age 11
Lunch: 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.; Dinner: 4:30 to 7:00 p.m.
St. Francis House 39 Boylston St., Boston, 617-542-4211
Breakfast: 7:30 to 9:00 a.m.; Lunch: 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Emergency sandwiches: Weekdays 2:45 to 3:00 p.m.
Salvation Army 402 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, 617-547-3400
Lunch: 12:00 noon
Womens Lunch Place 67 Newbury St., Boston., 617-267-
0200
Women & children only, no boys over 14
Open Mon. through Sat., 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Buffet breakfast 7:00 to 11:00am, restaurant-style lunch
12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m.
WEEKLY MEALS
Monday:
Boston Rescue Mission 39 Kingston St., Boston
Food pantry: 9:00 to11:00 a.m. (except holidays). Bring
proof of address.
Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church 62 Harvard Ave.,
Allston, 617-787-7625
6:00 to 7:00 p.m. dinner and take-out from Open Door Soup
Kitchen/St. Bridgets Food Pantry
Mass. Ave. Baptist Church 146 Hampshire St., Cambridge,
617-868-4853.
Dinner 6 :00 to 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday:
Church of the Advent 30 Brimmer St., Boston, 617-523-
2377
Dinner 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
First Parish Unitarian Church 3 Church St., Cambridge,
617-876-7772
Dinner 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. (doors open at 5:30)
Faith Lutheran Church 311 Broadway, Cambridge, 617-
354-0414
Faith Kitchen, second & last Tuesday of every month, 6:30
p.m.
Wednesday:
Hope Fellowship Church 16 Beech Street, Cambridge, MA
Streetlight Outreach Team - Wednesday nights at Harvard
Square in the pit 8:15 p.m. to 9:45 p.m.
Salvation Army 402 Mass. Ave., Cambridge 617-547-3400
Dinner 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Thursday:
Christ Church Zero Garden St. Cambridge 617-876-0200
Dinner 6 :00 p.m.
The Womens Meal (Women and children welcome)
5:00 to 7 p.m.
Union Baptist Church
874 Main St., Cambridge, 617-864-6885
5:00 p.m.
Friday:
Arlington St. Church
351 Boylston St., Boston, 617-536-7050
5:00 p.m.
Food Not Bombs
Boston Common (near Park Street T station), 617-522-8277
3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Mass. Ave. Baptist Church
146 Hampshire St., Cambridge, 617-868-4853
6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday:
Hope Fellowship Church 16 Beech Street, Cambridge, MA
Hope Caf 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. last Saturday of the
month
Loaves and Fishes, First Korean Church, 35 Magazine
Street, Cambridge
5:30 p.m. buffet dinner, music, food pantry
Pilgrim Trinitarian Congregational Church 540 Columbia
Rd, Dorchester
12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. community lunch, cafe style, and
we serve the guests, no standing in line.
Sunday:
Boston Rescue Mission 39 Kingston St., Boston
5:00 p.m. Sundays.
Food Not Bombs
955 Mass Ave (617) 787-3436
Central Square in Cambridge on Sundays from 3-5pm.
FOOD ASSISTANCE
Greater Boston Food Bank, 617-427-5200
Serves non-profit organizations such as agencies, shelters,
etc. Office hours: 8 a.m. -- 4:30 p.m.
Project Bread 617-723-5000; Hotline 1-800-645-8333
Referrals to food pantries throughout the city
Somerville Food Pantry 617-776-7687
Food pantry: Mon, Tue, Fri 10 a.m. -- 2 p.m.; Wed 12 p.m.
-- 4 p.m.; Thu 1 p.m. -- 4 p.m.
Somerville residents only. Those unable to use other pan-
tries due to disability may call and ask for the Project Soup
Delivery Coordinator.
Brookline Food Pantry
15 St. Paul St., Brookline, 617-566-4953
Tues. & Thurs. 10 a.m. -- 2 p.m., Sat. 2 p.m. -- 4 p.m.
Brookline residents only. Second-time visitors must present
a letter from an advocate confirming that they are in need
of food services.
CEOC (Cambridge Economic Opportunity Commission)
11 Inman St. (basement), Cambridge, 617-868-2900
Food pantry: Mon, Wed 4 p.m. -- 6 p.m.; Tue 12 p.m. -- 2
p.m.; Thu 11 a.m. -- 1 p.m.; Closed Fri.
East End House
105 Spring St., Cambridge, 617-876-4444
Food pantry: Tue 9 a.m. -- 2 p.m.; Fri 9 a.m. -- 12 p.m.
Offers assistance in filling out food stamp applications (call
for appointment).
Margaret Fuller House
71 Cherry St., Cambridge, 617-547-4680
Food pantry: Wed. 5 :00 to 7 p.m.; Thurs. 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.;
Fri & Sat 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
Salvation Army
402 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-547-3400
Cambridge and Somerville residents only.
Food pantry: 9 a.m. -- 3 p.m. & by appointment
St. Francis House
39 Boylston St., Boston, 617-542-4211
Food pantry: Mon. Fri. 10 a.m. -- 11 a.m.
Sign up at the Counseling Desk in the St. Francis House
Day Center
St. James Episcopal Church
Helping Hand Food Pantry, Fresh Pond Apartments, 362
Ringe Ave, Cambridge
Tues., 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., Wed. (for Fresh Pond Residents
only, 4 to 6:00pm), Thurs. 11 a.m. - 12 :00 noon; Sat. 10:00
a.m. to 12:00 noon
St. Pauls AME Church 85 Bishop Allen Drive, Cambridge,
617-661-1110
Food pantry: Wed. 12p.m.--2 p.m.; Sat. 10a.m.--12 p.m.
Western Ave Baptist Church 299 Western Ave., Cambridge,
617-661-0433
Food pantry: Every second Wed., 10 a.m.
Zinberg Clinic Pantry Cambridge Hospital 617-665-1606
For clinic patients with HIV/AIDS only.
Food pantry: Mon. -- Fri. 9 a.m. -- 5 p.m.
Fair Foods $2 a bag
CAMBRIDGE, St. Pauls Church 29 Mt. Auburn St
Harvard Sq. Red Line
Saturdays 10-11
SOMERVILLE, Cobble Hill Apts
84 Washington St. Back parking lot (near Sullivan Sq.)
Every other Wed. 11:30-1
Mt. Pleasant Apts. 70 Perkins St. (off Broadway)
Every other Wed. 1:30 - 2:30
Hearty meals for all
Somerville Community Baptist Church
31 College Ave. Somerville, MA02144
Free community meals the second Friday of every month
at 6:30pm
Homeless Concerns
The Womens Center
46 Pleasant St., Cambridge, 617-354-8807
Computers, kitchen, space, childrens room, and more.
Walk-ins welcome.
Women & children only (no boys over age 12)
Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 10am-3pm.
Cambridge Multi-Service Center
19 Brookline St., Cambridge, 617-349-6340
City-run agency with additional community non-profit
partners. Works with Cambridge families in shelters,
provides shelter referrals and other housing assistance.
Employs housing specialists for elderly and disabled.
Office hours: Mon. 8:30 a.m. -- 8 p.m.; Tue., Wed., Thu. 8:30
a.m. -- 5 p.m.; Fri. 8:30 a.m. -- 12 p.m. Walk-ins accepted.
Cardinal Medeiros Center
25 Isabella St., Boston, 617-619-6960
Day center for homeless adults (50 years & older); mental
health & nursing staff; help with housing searches.
Lunch served at 11:45 a.m.
Office hours: Mon.-Thu. 9a.m.- 4p.m.; Fri. 9a.m.-3 p.m.
Caspar 240 Albany St., Cambridge, 617-661-0600
Open 24 hrs/day; emergency shelter open 4:30 p.m. -- 8
a.m.; Clients who leave in the morning may not return
until 3 p.m.; Clients staying multiple nights must prove
recent local residency.
CLASP (Community Legal Assistance Services Project)
19 Brookline St., Cambridge, 617-552-0623
Free legal clinic for Cambridge homeless at the Multi-
Service Center every Tuesday at 8:30 a.m.
Ecclesia Ministries 67 Newbury Street, Boston.,
617-552-0623
Weekly Schedule for the Common Cathedral:
Sunday: Worship at Brewers Fountain on Boston
Common, 1 pm
Gospel Reflection at St. Pauls Cathedral, 138 Tremont St.,
2:30 p.m. -- 4 p.m.
Monday: Lunch at Sproat Hall (St. Pauls Cathedral) 11:30
a.m. --1 p.m.
-Eucharist & Healing (St. Pauls Cathedral) 1 p.m.
- Common Fellowship in Sproat Hall (St. Pauls Cathedral)
2 p.m. --3 p.m.
Wednesday: Common Art at the Emmanuel Church, 15
Newbury Street, 10 a.m. -- 3 p.m.
Friday: Common Cinema in Sproat Hall (St. Pauls
Cathedral) 2:30 p.m. -- 5 p.m.
Horizons for Homeless Children
617-445-1480; www.horizonsforhomelesschildren.org
Horizons for Homeless Children is seeking volunteers to
interact and play with children living in family, teen par-
ent, and domestic violence shelters in Greater Boston. We
offer daytime and evening shifts, so there is likely to be one
that fits your schedule. A commitment of 2 hours a week
for 6 months is required. The next training session will be
Sat., Sept. 27, 9:30 a.m. -- 4:30 p.m.
Medical Walk-in Unit at Mass General Hospital
617-726-2707
Provides minor medical care for adults. Patients are seen in
order of arrival. MGH accepts most insurances but requires
copayments.
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sat., Sun., Holidays 9:30
a.m.-4 p.m.; closed Thanksgiving & Christmas
Boston Rescue Mission 39 Kingston St., Boston
Safe & healthy mens overnight shelter program.
Rosies Place 889 Harrison Ave., Boston, 617-442-9322
Women and children only (no boys over age 11)
Open 7 days a week; provides help with housing, medical
care, job training, financial aid and education, legal servic-
es, rape crisis counselors, health specialists, and more.
St. Francis House 39 Boylston Street, Boston, 617-542-4211
Meals offered 365 days/yr.; food pantry open weekdays.
Offers a mailroom, open art studio, clothing lottery, com-
puter library, support groups such as AA, showers, tele-
phones, toothbrushes & razors, medical clinic, counseling
and mental health services, housing counseling and stabili-
zation services, and a womens center. For more details on
these services and for their specific times visit www.stfran-
cishouse.org
Starlight Ministries 617-262-4567
Outreach van with food, clothing, blankets and worship.
Hours: Wed. 8 p.m. by Park Street T station on the Boston
Common.
Streetlight Outreach Wednesdays at 8:00 PM
Harvard T-Station (The Pit); Porter Square T-Station.
Volunteers work weekly to serve the homeless who live in
Harvard and Porter Squares. Volunteer teams give away
warm food and beverages, clothing and counsel to those in
need. Streetlight volunteers also lead an outdoor worship
service for the entire community.
The Womens Center
46 Pleasant St., Cambridge, 617-354-8807
Computers, kitchen and rooms. Walk-ins welcome.
Women & children only (no boys over age 16).
Hours: Mon-Fri 10 a.m.-- 8 p.m., Sat 10 a.m. -- 3 p.m.
On The Rise 341 Broadway, Cambridge, 617-497-7968
Women only. Home-base during the day and advocacy ser-
vices. Open six days/week. First-time visitors, call ahead
or stop by Mon-Sat, 8-2pm.
The Outdoor Church of Cambridge
The Outdoor Church of Cambridge is an outdoor ministry
to homeless men and women in Cambridge. Prayer ser-
vices and pastoral assistance outdoors in all seasons and all
weather. Short prayer services in Porter Square, under the
mobile sculpture near the T station, at 9:00 a.m. and on the
Cambridge Common, near the tall Civil War monument
and directly across from Christ Church Cambridge on
Garden Street, at 1:00 p.m. every Sunday, throughout the
year. Sandwiches, pastry, juice and clean white socks avail-
able in Harvard Square and Central Square. (978)456-0047,
39 Brown Road, Harvard, Massachusetts 01451 jedman-
nis@charter.net; www.theoutdoorchurch.net.
Victory Programs, Inc.
www.vpi.org. Short and long-term residential substance
use disorder treatment programs for individuals and fami-
lies; affordable housing opportunities for eligible individu-
als; HIV/AIDS case management. Sites throughout Boston
Please call for more information. (617) 541-0222 ext. 626
Legal Aid:
Lawyers Clearinghouse, 617-723-0885
Shelter Legal Services (Newton), 617-965-0449
The Homeless Eyecare Network of Boston (HEN-Boston)
is a nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining a con-
stantly undated network of affordable and free eyecare ser-
vices for the homeless. If you need an eye exam or glasses,
please visit our website, www.hen-boston.org.
Helping Hands
Cambridge and Boston are teeming with organizations ready to provide food and services to the homeless and the
needy. If youre in need, theyre there for you. If you can volunteer or donate, most of them could use your help.
Name _______________________________________________
Street ________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
City ____________________________ State ______ Zip _____

My check or money order for $60 made payable to Spare Change News is enclosed.
Mail to: Spare Change News1151 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138
S
u
b
s
c
r
i
b
e


t
o

S
C
N
16
Spare Change News March 9 - March 22, 2012