Hunger and Homelessness In Boston

With the economy not doing so well, the pricing of the food and fuel has sky rocketed up. Also, the unemployment rate has increased along with the increasing need for food assistance for Boston residents because of the volatile housing market. Fresh Food There has been a 30 percent increase of emergency food assistance since 2007. Senior citizens and first time individuals are seeking aid for the first time and there is more working families seeking aid as well according to the food assistance programs report in Boston. Eating healthy and at least three times a day is vital for quality of life, but how can you do so when you are a victim of poverty. To help residents in Boston, Mayor Menino has a Fresh Food fund which launched the Bounty Bucks program. This Bounty Bucks program distributes "bounty bucks" that are coupons that can be used dollar for dollar at the City's farmers market to purchase organic fresh fruit and vegetables. Furthermore, the Mayor's Fresh Food fund provides a EBT access at farmer's markets. EBT is basically food stamps, its the same as a link card which some of the residents of Chicago has. (U.S. Conference of Mayors 2008 Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness)

There has been a increase of four percent in people in Boston experiencing homelessness since 2007, but the housing efforts has decreased in street homeless. Similar to the city I lived in Chicago, In Boston many families have lost their housing through foreclosure that has also contributed to the number of homeless families and to the number of people experiencing homelessness. To fight this issue, the City of Boston has created and launch a ten year plan to end homelessness, Leading the Way Home. This plan purpose is to meet people in Boston housing needs in all communities no matter which income bracket you are in. This plan purpose is to cut homeless families by 2012, reduce the high foreclosure rates and to have a productive workforce housing production. Along with this plan, the City of Boston cited that the need for more permanent support housing for person with disabilities, more subsidized housing and the increase in the number of high paying employment opportunities. The City of Boston officials has a network called "The Boston Homelessness Prevention Clearinghouse", which is a network that creates a "no wrong door" entry for people seeking assistance in maintaining housing. The Boston Homelessness Prevention Clearinghouse includes the service of access to financial management training and classes, connection to service needed to stabilize tenancy, and flexible one time rental assistance funds. (U.S. Conference of Mayors 2008 Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness)

One solution of fighting the poverty issue is the proposal of the Leading Way. The goals of the Leading Way is to:

• alleviate the pressure put on the housing market by the bubble








• the attendant sharp rise in sales and rental prices by meeting the pent-up demand for new housing stock

The strategies of the Leading Way has adopted comparable objectives

• primarily the production of new market rate and affordable housing








• preservation of existing affordable housing

Since the implementation of Leading Way 1 and 2 there is:

• more than 18,000 new units of housing








• 5,000 affordable units








• This output represents 5 billion in investment of public and private source of funding nearly 9,500 units of affordable housing were preserved

There are agencies in Boston that has and still is making a collective effort to prevent the rising increase of hunger and homelessness. The agencies that are part of the city of Boston departments that has form a collaboration for non-profit and profit organization are:

• Department of Neighborhood Development (DND)








• Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA)








• Boston Housing Authority (BHA)








• Inspectional Service Department (ISD)

The rise of foreclosure and the credit crisis negatively effecting lending are factors that lead to the direction of the Leading the Way by the Mayor of Boston. With these factors along with the opinions of key stakeholders from Boston's non-profit and profit development community that has created a new lending the way housing strategy that goal is to complete construction of 2,000 units, increase the rate of assistance to home buyer of 50% and create 1,5000 new home buyers, 1,000 new affordable rental units and build 3,000 new market rate units. The Leading the way 1 and 2 was successful but not enough to meet the housing needs for the homeless people in Boston. The purpose and proposal of Leading the Way 3 is to meet the housing needs in four vital area's in Boston, which are:

1. Housing Boston Workforce-affordable housing for all tiers of workers, low-income, livable income and high paid income.








2. Addressing The Foreclosure Crisis-prevention, intervention, reclamation and stabilization.








3. Reversing the Rise In Homelessness-placement, prevention, production; reduce of Boston family homelessness by 50%, and reduce long-term homelessness for individual Bostonians by 50%.








4. Preserving and Stabilizing Boston's Rental Housing Market-Capital fund financing, energy performance contracting, redevelopment through project-base vouchers, redevelopment through public and private partnership and state and federal assisted housing.

I think and believe that the only way to fight and eliminate hunger and homelessness in Boston and all other cities in the U.S. is if there is universal health care, access to education and a restructure of our current economic system (corporation and bank institutions). If everyone receive a fair shake from birth then things like poverty, unfairness and human rights will not be a issues because everyone will have a fair distribution of equality and will have to work and earn their success, no racism, discrimination, sexism and segregation; just a just and equal world.

Bibliography: http://www.cityofboston.gov/

U.S. Conference of Mayors 2008 Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness