Advocate for Affordable Housing

Sarah McNeely
Sun, 10/12/2008

Haunted Houses

As the warm summer breeze drifts into a cool autumn air and as the endless hours of daylight are interrupted by the darkness of night, we know that fall is upon us.

Fall. It’s a time of change, of preparing for the winter months to come. It’s also a time when a very important question lingers on every child’s mind…what am I going to be for Halloween??!  read more »

Paola Ferrer
Thu, 08/21/2008

Would you purchase a foreclosed home?

The Boston Globe poses this question to its readers

To buy, or not to buy?
That is the question prospective homebuyers debate when considering properties in foreclosure. Read the opinions of others, and consider sharing your own.  read more »

Sharon Brewster
Tue, 07/29/2008

A Reason To Be Kind: Foreclosures, Suicides and Depression

Since reading about the troubling headline and story of the woman who killed herself 90 minutes before her foreclosed home was scheduled to be auctioned, I've been reflecting on moments of kindness that were probably missed that could have prevented this tragedy. Experts say that it is not uncommon for homeowners facing foreclosure to have suicidal thoughts--and with the rise of foreclosure rates all across the country I can't help but wonder how many of our neighbors, loved ones and friends are "undiagnosed" as being in this category.  read more »

Elizabeth Curtis
Fri, 07/11/2008

We must open everyone's eyes to homelessness

How do hundreds of people walk past a man being murdered in broad daylight?

I don't understand. Has our community really gone so far to avoid looking at hard problems to let a vulnerable man be murdered? On the Fourth of July when most of us were visting parades and eating hot dogs a homeless man was beaten to death. It was in broad daylight. It was in one of the most heavily traveled areas of Boston. But, no one seemed to notice. Did people choose not to notice?  read more »

Elizabeth Curtis
Tue, 07/01/2008

The Latino Community is Being Hit Very Hard by Foreclosures

A new NPR story describes the effects on the whole community.

On June 20, 2008 National Public Radio ran a story on the impact of the foreclosure crisis on the Latino community. We've written about foreclosures several times over the last few months, but this story taught me more about how the situation effects both individual homeowners as well as the community (and the economy) as a whole.  read more »

Elizabeth Curtis
Wed, 06/25/2008

Hometown Hero

Mo Vaughn is looking for a different kind of win

Today's Boston Globe features a story about Mo Vaughn, former Red Sox first baseman, and his work to increase affordable housing availability here in Boston and in other regions of the country. Vaughn achieved great personal success as a professional baseball player, and now appears to be focusing his second career on advancing the common good and working on behalf of the larger community.  read more »

Donna Stiglmeier
Fri, 06/13/2008

Are you good?

The reality of economic insecurity

The Center for Economic And Policy Research recently released a report Working Families and Economic Insecurity in the States: The Role of Job Quality and Work Supports” which found that only about one in four jobs are “good jobs” in a typical state, that is taking into account pay, employer-sponsored health insurance and retirement benefits.

In Massachusetts,
• 28.2% of jobs are “good jobs,” with a roughly equal amount
• 28.5% meets none of the ”good job” criteria
• 28% of people in working families are economically insecure  read more »

Elena Sokolow
Thu, 05/22/2008

UWA Common Good Report: A Lesson in the Importance of Measurement and Message

What does this report mean for us?

As Meghan said in her last blog, the United Way of America (UWA) recently unveiled what they are calling The Common Good Report which identifies three broad issue areas that UWA believes are the essential building blocks to a successful life, these being education, income and health, and goes on to articulate four indicators within
each of those categories, which they plan to track over time. More importantly though, is the fact that in this report and the communication that has accompanied it both in the press and at the UWA Community Leaders Conference, UWA has put forward what I consider to be both very bold and very specific goals around what they are commiting to achieve in the next ten years. Cutting to the chase, these goals are:  read more »

Donna Stiglmeier
Wed, 05/21/2008

The Income Outcome

The Common Good: Promoting Financial Stability

In response to my colleague, Meghan's post "what gets measured, gets done"  and the interview that she linked us to, I thought about my benefit bike ride last summer (it is Springtime!).  In training, I needed to "measure" miles per ride, rides per week, etc., so I could "get done" the benefit ride - my goal.  Some people might relate to measuring calories, carbs, fat, sugar, and/or protein for the goal of good health...or measuring progress toward writing a research paper in school...narrowing focus, doing research, connecting with experts and practitioners, then, writing the paper and have someone else review it before the due date - so eventually, you can pass the class, receive the degree, and get a decent job...  read more »

Meghan Keaney
Mon, 05/19/2008

Poverty Has Returned to the Public Agenda

Why does talk about poverty matter?

Years ago at a book reading I attended, Globe Columnist Ellen Goodman left her audience with these words: “May you come of age,” she said, “in interesting times.” This morning I came across a column by Jack Kemp and George Mitchell on the resurgence of poverty in American discourse which made me think that we may be approaching just such times. Jack Kemp is a former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and a former member of Congress. George Mitchell is a former Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate. They both are members of the Advisory Council of Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity. Their article (definitely worth reading the original) pointed out:

"Last year, stories in the media about poverty and politics increased 145 percent over the previous election cycle."

They also suggested that concern over income disparity and poverty levels has grown from basic human compassion to a question about the long-term impact of poverty on the strength of our nation.

Why does talk about poverty matter? Because for us to drive change, together as a nation, we have to believe that the time for change has come.  read more »