Massachustts officials attack worsening shelter shortage FWD
Tom Boland (wgcp@earthlink.net)
Thu, 29 Oct 1998 08:51:29 -0400
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=46WD Boston Globe 10/28/98 page B01
STATE TACKLES SHELTR CRISIS
May use YMCAs, YWCAs for rooms
By Zachary R. Dowdy, Globe Staff
=46aced with a shelter system that has become overcrowded earlier in the
season than ever before, Massachusetts officials are considering using
rooms at YMCAs and YWCAs on an emergency basis to ease the worsening
crisis.
Also under consideration is a drive to create 500 shelter beds to head off
an expected surge in the homeless population as people on welfare begin to
lose benefits after the state-imposed deadline for recipients to find jobs
passes.
William O'Leary, state health and human services secretary, met yesterday
with directors of 10 YMCAs and YWCAs across the state to discuss a proposal
offered by Philip Mangano, executive director of the Massachusetts Housing
and Shelter Alliance.
Through a spokesman, O'Leary said after the meeting that he supports the
concept of moving homeless men and women to the Ys.
``The secretary thinks it's the right approach,'' said David Ball. ``We
have a good track record of working with the Y, so it's natural for us to
embark on something like this.''
However, Ball said, O'Leary is not sure which source of funding would be
tapped to finance the plan. ``We like it and we're going to study it,'' he
said.
O'Leary mulled over the project as homeless men and women at a downtown
shelter, St. Francis House, grilled representatives of Acting Governor Paul
Cellucci and gubernatorial candidate Scott Harshbarger on what each of them
has done or will do to help them find homes and jobs.
Mangano yesterday served as moderator of the forum between state
Representative Alice Wolf, a Cambridge Democrat representing Harshbarger,
and former health and human services undersecretary Linn Torto,
representing Cellucci.
``Every time construction goes on it's to build new parking lots or
malls,'' said John Butler, who has been homeless since 1992. ``That's not
getting homeless people off the street.''
Mangano's proposal calls for state funding to move people from overcrowded
shelters into relatively inexpensive rooms managed by the Young Men's
Christian Association and Young Women's Christian Association. Those
agencies would make available up to 200 units of housing over the next two
years in drug-free environments already equipped with a host of services
and 24-hour staff.
The initiative would cost an estimated $660,000 for rooms that now each
rent for about $87 per week. Mangano, in his proposal, argued that the plan
makes economic sense because it often costs between $30 and $40 per night
to house one person in an emergency shelter.
``This year is the first time ever that we've had this kind of overflow
this early in the winter,'' Mangano said, adding that the state's shelters
accommodated overflow populations of an average of 250 each night through
the first half of October.
Mangano proposed that the state immediately tap its $1.6 billion in ``rainy
day'' surplus funds, a pool that legislators say should be used in
emergency situations.
``The key concept for us is it's raining on some people already,'' Mangano
said. ``So if this rainy-day fund is for emergencies, well, there's an
emergency. Let's take some of that money and get people inside.''
Joe Nogelo, executive director of the YMCA of Greater Boston's Central
Branch on Huntington Avenue in Boston, supports the proposal.
``It's a good fit for the Y, and I think it definitely can work,'' he said,
adding that the Y already rents 65 of its 271 units to Mangano's group,
another 22 units to homeless families, and 66 long-term units to single
adults. Those units are paid for through a variety of state or city funding
sources.
Another 88 units are rented by Northeastern University to house students.
That contract ends next summer, freeing more potential housing for the
homeless.
Under the proposal, about 90 Y units would become available over the course
of the winter and early spring, and another 110 units would be open by the
end of next year.
Mangano has said there are more homeless adults in Massachusetts than ever
before. He said the state must act to also pay for 500 beds to house the
overflow population showing up in greater numbers at shelters nightly.
Ball said that O'Leary is concerned about that problem, too, and that the
proposals are being viewed as a package.
Last year, when the homeless population rose rapidly, the state created 440
such beds with the supplemental budget. Ball said yesterday that the
supplemental budget could be used to pay for the additional beds this year,
too.
END FORWARD
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receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. **
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=46WD Boston Globe 10/28/98 page B01
<paraindent><param>right,left</param>STATE TACKLES SHELTR CRISIS
May use YMCAs, YWCAs for rooms
By Zachary R. Dowdy, Globe Staff
</paraindent>
=46aced with a shelter system that has become overcrowded earlier in the
season than ever before, Massachusetts officials are considering using
rooms at YMCAs and YWCAs on an emergency basis to ease the worsening
crisis.=20
Also under consideration is a drive to create 500 shelter beds to head
off an expected surge in the homeless population as people on welfare
begin to lose benefits after the state-imposed deadline for recipients
to find jobs passes.=20
William O'Leary, state health and human services secretary, met
yesterday with directors of 10 YMCAs and YWCAs across the state to
discuss a proposal offered by Philip Mangano, executive director of the
Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance.=20
Through a spokesman, O'Leary said after the meeting that he supports
the concept of moving homeless men and women to the Ys.=20
``The secretary thinks it's the right approach,'' said David Ball. ``We
have a good track record of working with the Y, so it's natural for us
to embark on something like this.''
However, Ball said, O'Leary is not sure which source of funding would
be tapped to finance the plan. ``We like it and we're going to study
it,'' he said.=20
O'Leary mulled over the project as homeless men and women at a downtown
shelter, St. Francis House, grilled representatives of Acting Governor
Paul Cellucci and gubernatorial candidate Scott Harshbarger on what
each of them has done or will do to help them find homes and jobs.=20
Mangano yesterday served as moderator of the forum between state
Representative Alice Wolf, a Cambridge Democrat representing
Harshbarger, and former health and human services undersecretary Linn
Torto, representing Cellucci.=20
``Every time construction goes on it's to build new parking lots or
malls,'' said John Butler, who has been homeless since 1992. ``That's
not getting homeless people off the street.''
Mangano's proposal calls for state funding to move people from
overcrowded shelters into relatively inexpensive rooms managed by the
Young Men's Christian Association and Young Women's Christian
Association. Those agencies would make available up to 200 units of
housing over the next two years in drug-free environments already
equipped with a host of services and 24-hour staff.=20
The initiative would cost an estimated $660,000 for rooms that now each
rent for about $87 per week. Mangano, in his proposal, argued that the
plan makes economic sense because it often costs between $30 and $40
per night to house one person in an emergency shelter.=20
``This year is the first time ever that we've had this kind of overflow
this early in the winter,'' Mangano said, adding that the state's
shelters accommodated overflow populations of an average of 250 each
night through the first half of October.=20
Mangano proposed that the state immediately tap its $1.6 billion in
``rainy day'' surplus funds, a pool that legislators say should be used
in emergency situations.=20
``The key concept for us is it's raining on some people already,''
Mangano said. ``So if this rainy-day fund is for emergencies, well,
there's an emergency. Let's take some of that money and get people
inside.''
Joe Nogelo, executive director of the YMCA of Greater Boston's Central
Branch on Huntington Avenue in Boston, supports the proposal.=20
``It's a good fit for the Y, and I think it definitely can work,'' he
said, adding that the Y already rents 65 of its 271 units to Mangano's
group, another 22 units to homeless families, and 66 long-term units to
single adults. Those units are paid for through a variety of state or
city funding sources.=20
Another 88 units are rented by Northeastern University to house
students. That contract ends next summer, freeing more potential
housing for the homeless.=20
Under the proposal, about 90 Y units would become available over the
course of the winter and early spring, and another 110 units would be
open by the end of next year.=20
Mangano has said there are more homeless adults in Massachusetts than
ever before. He said the state must act to also pay for 500 beds to
house the overflow population showing up in greater numbers at shelters
nightly.=20
Ball said that O'Leary is concerned about that problem, too, and that
the proposals are being viewed as a package.=20
Last year, when the homeless population rose rapidly, the state created
440 such beds with the supplemental budget. Ball said yesterday that
the supplemental budget could be used to pay for the additional beds
this year, too.
END FORWARD
=20
** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is=
distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in=
receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. *=
*
HOMELESS PEOPLE'S NETWORK <<http://aspin.asu.edu/hpn/> Home Page
ARCHIVES <<http://aspin.asu.edu/hpn/archives.html> read posts to HPN
TO JOIN <<http://aspin.asu.edu/hpn/join.html> or email Tom <<wgcp@earthlink=
=2Enet>
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