Homelessness
Healey Administration Puts Limits on Stays in Overflow Homeless Shelters
For months, Massachusetts has struggled to accommodate an influx of unhoused families, who have a right to shelter under state law. Now, state officials are looking to put limits on families’ stays in some state-run shelters.
UCSF Professor Presents Homelessness Research at Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies
Margot B. Kushel ’89, a professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco, gave the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies’ 23rd John T. Dunlop Lecture on Thursday.
Rachael Solem, Longtime Irving House Proprietor, Remembered for Her Impact on Local Businesses
Rachael Solem, a founding member of the Cambridge Local First business organization, was remembered by Cambridge residents and leaders for her commitment to the city’s small businesses and nonprofits.
As Cambridge Emergency Shelter Struggles to Meet Needs, Chelsea Nonprofit Provides Resources to Families
La Colaborativa, an immigrant social service organization in Chelsea, opened a walk-in day services center on Tuesday for families staying in the state-run emergency homeless shelter in Cambridge, which has struggled to transition its residents into permanent housing.
Winter Puts Strain on Resources, Housing for Cambridge Unhoused Residents
As low February temperatures pose a hazard for unhoused Cambridge residents, shelters and service organizations are having to meet a growing demand for beds and winter resources.
An Emergency Shelter in Cambridge Was Meant To Be Transitory. Families Have Stayed for Weeks.
A temporary homeless shelter at the Cambridge Registry of Deeds building was only meant to house families for five to ten days. But a shortage of permanent shelter options means that most families have remained there since December.
Healey Administration Opens Shelter for Unhoused Families in Cambridge Govt. Building
The Massachusetts state government opened an overnight shelter for unhoused families in the Registry of Deeds building in East Cambridge late last month.
Harvard Students Developing App to Connect Boston’s Unhoused People with Essential Resources
Local undergraduates are developing an app to connect Greater Boston’s unhoused population to essential resources, with hopes to launch it in the coming weeks.
How Cambridge’s Unhoused Residents Endured the Record-Breaking Cold
Confronting record-breaking low temperatures earlier this month, some of Cambridge’s unhoused residents sought refuge in shelters offering extended hours last weekend, while others faced the cold.
Cambridge Officials Discuss Homelessness, Rise in Crime and Substance Abuse in Central Square
Cambridge officials on Tuesday discussed the city’s efforts to address homelessness in Central Square, where overdoses and some types of crime have risen over the last four years.
Cambridge’s Affordable Housing Waitlist is Over 20,000 Names Long. How Did the City Get Here?
According to the Community Development Department, in 2021, Cambridge contained about 57,500 homes. Of these, around 8,500, or about 15 percent, are considered income-restricted housing. And the waitlist for these affordable homes? More than 20,000 names long. How did Cambridge get here?
After Two Years, Cambridge Neighborhood Service Project Returns to In-Person Programming
Cambridge’s Neighborhood Service Project, an initiative offering young people the opportunity to collaborate on community service projects, began its yearly programming this month — its first in-person cycle since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
PBHA Volunteers Phone Mass. State Reps. in Support of Covid-19 Housing Equity Bill
Students in the Phillips Brooks House Association phoned Massachusetts state representatives at a Tuesday event held by the group in support of a Covid-19 housing equity bill making its way through the state legislature.
Cambridge Homeless Shelters Hold Steady Amid Omicron Rise
Almost two years after the pandemic’s start, Cambridge homeless shelters have held steady operations amid the spread of the Omicron variant.
Material Aid and Advocacy Program
A display for the Material Aid and Advocacy Program sits ready to welcome people to the organization's drop-in space. The Material Aid and Advocacy Program, located in Cambridge, supports people living in poverty or experiencing homelessness.
Jim Stewart
Jim Stewart, a Divinity School graduate, is the director of First Church Shelter in Cambridge. He would like to see Harvard increase its involvement in responding to the overdose crisis.
City Council Candidates Discuss Affordable Housing Ahead of Upcoming Election
Nine candidates for Cambridge City Council addressed how they would tackle affordable housing — a likely high-profile campaign issue ahead of this November’s election — at a candidate forum Sunday.
Student-Run Homeless Shelters to Operate at Reduced Capacity This Winter
As Harvard students returned en masse to Cambridge earlier this month, Harvard student-run homeless shelters have made plans to operate at reduced bed capacity for overnight guests this fall and winter.
Student-Run Homeless Shelter Y2Y Maintains Reduced Operations Under Covid-19 Safety Measures
Y2Y Harvard Square, a youth homeless shelter staffed by Harvard students, has continued to accommodate guests under modified protocols this semester despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, while also recruiting volunteers online and facilitating vaccine distribution for guests and staff.
Proposed Mass. Bill Would Make PILOT Payments Mandatory for Harvard, Other Institutions
The Massachusetts House is considering a bill that would make the previously optional payments which supplanted city property taxes for nonprofits such as Harvard mandatory.
Health Care Experts Discuss Technological Interventions to Tackle Veteran Homelessness at HSPH Seminar
Two healthcare experts affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs discussed how mobile phone technology can be deployed to tackle veteran homelessness at a Harvard School of Public Health seminar on Wednesday.
Cambridge Officials Discuss Covid Vaccination Rollout, Hesitations from People of Color
The Cambridge Health Department hosted a virtual town hall Tuesday during which public health officers, medical experts, and government officials provided updates on the Covid-19 vaccine rollout and discussed hesitations that some people of color may have about receiving the vaccine.