Video link -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jt_6PBnCJE
Providing accurate and timely information about what matters in Franklin, MA since 2007. * Working in collaboration with Franklin TV and Radio (wfpr.fm) since October 2019 *
Saturday, December 30, 2023
If Finland solved homelessness, can we? (video)
Thursday, September 28, 2023
The Guardian: Dispelling a myth on homelessness and cash gifts
"In 2002, the then San Francisco supervisor Gavin Newsom proposed legislation to cut welfare assistance to nearly 3,000 homeless people living in the city from $395 a month to $59 a month, and divert the budgetary savings toward shelters and other services. It was promoted with the name “Care Not Cash”.Newsom’s campaign tied the unconditional payments to drug and alcohol abuse. As the San Francisco voter’s guide spelled out: “[H]omeless people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol end up spending their welfare checks on their addictions instead of meeting their basic needs.” The framing worked. The measure passed with nearly 60% of the vote, and Newsom used the publicity to propel his political career to San Francisco mayor and, ultimately, California governor.Newsom’s framing was just a different iteration of an old message: it doesn’t help to give poor people money. As that thinking goes, the unhoused, Ronald Reagan’s “welfare queens” and those with substance abuse issues will just waste it.The results of a new study in Vancouver, Canada, test this stereotype. Through its New Leaf Project, the charitable organization Foundations for Social Change gave people who have been homeless for less than two years a one-time deposit of $7,500 in Canadian dollars (about US$5,600). They also received coaching and workshops about spending. Other groups received the money and workshops with no coaching, while some received the training but no cash and no resources at all."
Monday, February 13, 2023
New York Times: "What's Homelessness Really Like?"
"Can't believe this piece is finally out in the world. Thank you to the entire Headway team for all of their work putting it together — and thank you to each and every one of these people for trusting us with their stories."
Read the stories -> https://t.co/OshPhknzpD
New York Times: "What's Homelessness Really Like?" |
follow a person's story |
choose a person |
Wednesday, November 23, 2022
Invisible People TV: "How Perceptions About Rising Crime Rates Affect Homeless People"
"Americans fear for their safety now more than ever. A recent Gallup poll showed fifty-six percent of Americans, which is a record high, believe local crime has risen in their area this year. Seventy-eight percent believe crime is up nationally, which is tied with 2020 when crime truly was significantly higher than average.There are a few specific types of crimes Americans fear falling victim to more than in previous years. The highest is fear of a child being harmed in school. Next are fears of getting mugged, being attacked while driving, being sexually assaulted, and being murdered. Except for being attacked while driving, all of these fears increased among city dwellers, as opposed to suburban- or rural dwellers.What we can conclude from this data is that people, especially in urban areas, are a lot more afraid of random attacks than before. It’s not difficult to imagine why, with the increased buzz around violent crimes such as school shootings and random stabbings. We all seem to be a little more aware of our surroundings.But there are a couple of important points we need to keep in mind:
- What we see reported is not always a reflection of reality.
- Our fear can have harmful consequences if we aren’t careful."
Tuesday, November 22, 2022
Invisible People TV: "Veteran Homelessness: The War is Far from Over"
"Midterm election season has come to a close. Would-be leaders have engaged in heated debates. Maps of the United States have been posted online, stenciled, and colored in patriotic hues, the country taking on its patchwork of differing political opinions by presenting it to the public as a digital, color-coded pictogram.Still, this is only part of the story.As political ads fade back into the background and newly elected leaders take their posts, many of the diplomatic talking points that drove those campaigns will also dissipate, lost in the sea of social justice hashtags.One of the biggest debates to take center stage in major metropolitan areas was homelessness. The discussion has captivated public interest in the wake of skyrocketing rents, astronomical housing prices, and unprecedented inflation levels. While the subjects of shelter beds, sweeps, and supportive housing fueled fiery discord across party lines, whether any of those words will give way to action remains a lingering hope yet to be seen."
Credit Image: © Kenneth Martin/ZUMA Wire |
Monday, November 21, 2022
Invisible People TV: "How is Poverty on the Decline, Yet Homelessness is Increasing?"
"In a September 2022 article, the New York Times writes poverty levels are plummeting. Census data supports this conclusion according to their 2021 census titled Poverty in the United States.This would seem like celebratory news at first glance. Yet, even as poverty is plunging, homelessness is increasing. How is this possible?If poverty levels are dropping, doesn’t that mean homelessness should be getting better? The complicated answer only raises more questions.The Intrinsic Link between Homelessness and Poverty Perpetuates a Vicious Cycle
Poverty is the third-leading cause of homelessness in the U.S. The first two leading causes – a lack of affordable housing and unemployment – are also tied to poverty. However, they are not quite the same. Let us first look at the prospect of poverty and how it is measured, quantified, and defined."
Credit Image: © Jon G. Fuller/VW Pics via ZUMA Press Wire |
Friday, July 23, 2021
Invisible Stories - #10 - "Homelessness is NOT a Choice (featuring LAHSA)"
"In CA, there are only 22 affordable housing units for every hundred extremely low income households" - in Franklin, the wait list for state provided affordable housing is multiple years long.
Mark Horvath (@hardlynormal) tweeted on Sun, Jul 11, 2021:
Invisible Stories is a mini-doc series that goes beyond the rhetoric, statistics, political debates, and limitations of social services to examine poverty in America via a medium that audiences of all ages understand and can't ignore.
Link to the 10th and last episode of the series: https://youtu.be/nEpaCA9tlEQ
More about the Shower of Hope = https://theshowerofhope.org/
Link to the series: https://t.co/Y0NRNIujar
Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/hardlynormal/status/1414284287034155020Note: I met Mark at a social media conference many years ago and have been following his work. This series is very well done. Yes, the series is set in LA but homelessness is an issue all around us whether visible or not.
Thursday, July 22, 2021
Invisible Stories - #9 - "Helping Homeless People from Sepulveda Basin (featuring LA Family Housing)"
"Most of the people who work for a living are a paycheck away from homeless"
Mark Horvath (@hardlynormal) tweeted on Sun, Jul 11, 2021:
Invisible Stories is a mini-doc series that goes beyond the rhetoric, statistics, political debates, and limitations of social services to examine poverty in America via a medium that audiences of all ages understand and can't ignore.
Link to the 9th of the series: https://youtu.be/xqx4mnbkbIw
Link to the series: https://t.co/Y0NRNIujar
Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/hardlynormal/status/1414284287034155020Note: I met Mark at a social media conference many years ago and have been following his work. This series is very well done. Yes, the series is set in LA but homelessness is an issue all around us whether visible or not.
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
Invisible Stories - #8 - "Tending to the Wounds of Homelessness During the Coronavirus Pandemic"
Invisible Stories is a mini-doc series that goes beyond the rhetoric, statistics, political debates, and limitations of social services to examine poverty in America via a medium that audiences of all ages understand and can't ignore.
Link to the 8th of the series: https://youtu.be/SmQhqFxiBWU
For more about Wound Walk OC = https://woundwalk.org/
Link to the series: https://t.co/Y0NRNIujar
Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/hardlynormal/status/1414284287034155020Note: I met Mark at a social media conference many years ago and have been following his work. This series is very well done. Yes, the series is set in LA but homelessness is an issue all around us whether visible or not.
Tuesday, July 20, 2021
Invisible Stories - #7 - "Suitcase Joe Captures the Humanity of Skid Row"
Invisible Stories is a mini-doc series that goes beyond the rhetoric, statistics, political debates, and limitations of social services to examine poverty in America via a medium that audiences of all ages understand and can't ignore.
Link to the 7th of the series: https://youtu.be/7YG8KMFGA4c
More photos of the life on Skid Row by Suitcase Joe https://suitcasejoephotography.tumblr.com/
Link to the series: https://t.co/Y0NRNIujar
Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/hardlynormal/status/1414284287034155020Note: I met Mark at a social media conference many years ago and have been following his work. This series is very well done. Yes, the series is set in LA but homelessness is an issue all around us whether visible or not.
Monday, July 19, 2021
Invisible Stories - #6 -"Los Angeles Homeless Man Produces Podcast with his Cellphone"
Invisible Stories is a mini-doc series that goes beyond the rhetoric, statistics, political debates, and limitations of social services to examine poverty in America via a medium that audiences of all ages understand and can't ignore.
Link to the 6th of the series: https://youtu.be/VixkQ6iu9_c
Theo Henderson's podcast => https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3dldGhldW5ob3VzZWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M?ved=0CAUQrrcFahcKEwightjc96LqAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQIg
Link to the series: https://t.co/Y0NRNIujar
Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/hardlynormal/status/1414284287034155020Note: I met Mark at a social media conference many years ago and have been following his work. This series is very well done. Yes, the series is set in LA but homelessness is an issue all around us whether visible or not.
Friday, July 16, 2021
Invisible Stories - #5 - "Helping Homeless People During Coronavirus in Los Angeles"
Invisible Stories is a mini-doc series that goes beyond the rhetoric, statistics, political debates, and limitations of social services to examine poverty in America via a medium that audiences of all ages understand and can't ignore.
Link to the 5th of the series: https://youtu.be/8pWTs9hxKls
Link to the series: https://t.co/Y0NRNIujar
Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/hardlynormal/status/1414284287034155020Note: I met Mark at a social media conference many years ago and have been following his work. This series is very well done. Yes, the series is set in LA but homelessness is an issue all around us whether visible or not.
Thursday, July 15, 2021
Invisible Stories - #4 - "Ktown for All Helping Homeless People in Los Angeles’s Koreatown"
Invisible Stories is a mini-doc series that goes beyond the rhetoric, statistics, political debates, and limitations of social services to examine poverty in America via a medium that audiences of all ages understand and can't ignore.
Link to the 4th of the series: https://youtu.be/_Gvp3NUBB_A
Link to the series: https://t.co/Y0NRNIujar
Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/hardlynormal/status/1414284287034155020Note: I met Mark at a social media conference many years ago and have been following his work. This series is very well done. Yes, the series is set in LA but homelessness is an issue all around us whether visible or not.
Wednesday, July 14, 2021
Invisible Stories - #3 - "Echo Park Lake's Homeless Community: 'Where Are We Going to Go'"
Invisible Stories is a mini-doc series that goes beyond the rhetoric, statistics, political debates, and limitations of social services to examine poverty in America via a medium that audiences of all ages understand and can't ignore.
Link to the 3rd of the series: https://youtu.be/iY3LwDH72-c
Link to the series: https://t.co/Y0NRNIujar
Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/hardlynormal/status/1414284287034155020Note: I met Mark at a social media conference many years ago and have been following his work. This series is very well done. Yes, the series is set in LA but homelessness is an issue all around us whether visible or not.
Monday, July 12, 2021
Invisible Stories - #1 - "We Can't Let Homeless People Die: USC Street Medicine on Skid Row"
Invisible Stories is a mini-doc series that goes beyond the rhetoric, statistics, political debates, and limitations of social services to examine poverty in America via a medium that audiences of all ages understand and can't ignore.
Link to the first of the series: https://youtu.be/RWVt_arzYoA
Link to the series: https://t.co/Y0NRNIujar
Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/hardlynormal/status/1414284287034155020Note: I met Mark at a social media conference many years ago and have been following his work. This series is very well done. Yes, the series is set in LA but homelessness is an issue all around us whether visible or not.
Invisible Stories - #1 - "We Can't Let Homeless People Die: USC Street Medicine on Skid Row" |
Sunday, October 11, 2020
Invisible People: "‘American Dream’ Takes Final Blow"
"Our nation is on a trajectory to experience exponentially more homelessness. Yet this didn't occur overnight.
Over the past 40 years, unequal income distribution has allowed the top 1% of earners to take roughly $50 trillion from the bottom 90%. "
Read more https://t.co/BAXtZvX55F
Invisible People: "‘American Dream’ Takes Final Blow" |
Sunday, August 9, 2020
"Worcester is first in state to build modular micro-units for chronically homeless"
From the Mass Municipal Assoc, we share this housing for the homeless article:
"The city of Worcester and the Worcester Housing Authority received funding from the Department of Housing and Community Development to help build the state’s first modular micro-unit housing for the chronically homeless.
The project, estimated to cost $3 million, was approved by the state for $2.2 million in funding. An additional $200,000 is being contributed by the city, and the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance is providing $100,000. The remaining cost will be covered by a mortgage held by the housing authority.
The project is one of many actions that resulted from 26 recommendations made by the city’s Task Force for Sustaining Housing First Solutions, convened two years ago. The task force was charged with reenergizing the city’s “housing first” focus for the chronically homeless, with an emphasis on sustainability and resources to maintain supportive housing over the long term."
Continue reading the article online
A rendering depicts the modular micro-units housing being developed by the Worcester Housing Authority for the chronically homeless. (Photo courtesy Worcester Housing Authority) |
Friday, April 10, 2020
MA Legislature Passes Bill To Help Vulnerable Residents, Support Schools Amid The COVID-19 Public Health Crisis
"The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges that require ongoing collaboration at all levels," said House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R – North Reading). "By addressing education testing, housing assistance and the MBTA budget, the House and Senate are building on the steps we've already taken to facilitate municipal governance and make unemployment benefits more accessible. There is still much more to be done, and we must continue to work together to help ease the burden on the Commonwealth's residents during this public health crisis."
MA Legislature Passes Bill To Help Vulnerable Residents, Support Schools Amid The COVID-19 Public Health Crisis |
Sunday, March 15, 2020
Town Council meeting Feb 12, 2020 - recap
- Plastic bag prohibition finally approved
- Zoning changes to reduce solar farms introduced
- Zoning changes on continuation of plot line clean up first hearing
- Transitional assistance and homelessness discussed
- Municipal aggregation deal announced (effective Nov 1, 2020)
- First discussion on 'civil discourse pledge'
Audio segment on municipal aggregation https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HVJSJ7GX
Audio segment on 'civil discourse pledge' https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/Hy6gCj6X
Audio segment on Transitional assistance and homelessness
https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HcdPW36X
Additional details can be found in my notes recorded live during the meeting
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/02/live-reporting-town-administrators_12.html
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/02/live-reporting-legislation-for-action_12.html
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/02/live-reporting-housing-and-transitional.html
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/02/live-reporting-town-council-feb-12-2020.html
Town Council Chair Tom Mercer with proclamation recognizing the FHS student for their work on the plastic bag prohibition |
Thursday, February 13, 2020
In the News: homelessness topic at Town Council meeting; Wasik candidate for Natick principal
"The town, like so many other communities in Massachusetts, is struggling to find homes for the poor and disabled, underscored by the local housing authority’s waiting list of 3,500.
“The numbers are crazy – there is just not enough housing in the state of Massachusetts, in the town of Franklin and in the country for the people who need it,” Authority Executive Director Lisa Audette told the Town Council on Wednesday night. “The incomes have gone up, (and) people who are born and raised in this town, they go off to college, come back to this town – they can’t live here. You can’t afford the rent, you can’t afford to buy a house. A lot of those people with college degrees would be qualified for public housing.”
Social services coordinators from the Franklin Senior Center also spoke about transitional assistance available, saying they’ve assisted 14 Franklin families in the last year, 11 of them being adults with no children. Causes of their homelessness ranged from having mental health, substance and medical problems to joblessness. Many are left without a place to live because of natural disasters like fires or personal tragedy like being the victims of domestic violence."
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200212/franklin-seeks-answers-to-homelessness
For my notes from this segment of the meeting Wednesday night
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/02/live-reporting-housing-and-transitional.html
"A Franklin elementary principal is a finalist to be the next principal of Lilja Elementary School in Natick, interim Principal Robin Welch announced Wednesday.Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
Stefani Wasik, principal at the Davis Thayer Elementary School, is in the running for the Natick job with two other candidates. She is in her second year as principal of Davis Thayer, after serving as its assistant principal for the previous five years. She is expected to visit Lilja Elementary on Feb. 26, spending most of her day there before going to Town Hall to meet with Superintendent of Schools Anna Nolin and other administrators.
Wasik began her career teaching second grade in Somerville, then fourth grade in Milford and Dover. She holds a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Massachusetts Boston and a bachelor’s of arts in elementary education and psychology from Saint Michael’s College in Winooski, Vermont.
In September, the Franklin School Committee voted to hire an outside consultant to analyze whether Davis Thayer should be closed, with Superintendent of Schools Sara Ahern pointing to the building’s age and the district’s declining enrollment."
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200212/franklin-principal-stefani-wasik-finalist-for-top-job-at-naticks-lilja-elementary