City of Boston

Mayor's Weekly Column
Column of Mayor Thomas M. Menino
Week of August 26, 2002

This past Friday, I was joined by 600 homeless advocates and providers who are just as concerned as I am about recent state budget cuts that increase the risk of homeless people on the street this winter. I will not let that happen.

The recent state budget cuts funding for the homeless and makes it harder for working for families to find shelter. I am calling on everyone to let their state legislators know that these cuts are unacceptable.

I've cared about the issue of homelessness for a long time, and what I'm seeing now deeply disturbs me. More homeless families and individuals are trying to find shelter. More homeless people are on the street - not just downtown, but in the neighborhoods too.

The state budget cuts are coming at the worst possible time. The cost of housing in Boston, and throughout Massachusetts, has gone through the roof. It's not just low-income people who are worried about their housing, but middle class people are worried as well. Sadly, more working families are becoming homeless. Just as the need for shelter is increasing, the state government wants to cut the supply. It just doesn't add up.

The Legislature has passed a budget that has already put more men, women and children on the streets. The recent budget makes it more difficult for families in need to get shelter. By changing the eligibility requirements, the legislature could force more hard working people and their children out onto the street. Already shelters are losing beds. For example, the Rescue Mission has had to cut 120 overflow beds, which are a vital resource that help countless homeless people get back on their feet.

The budget also cuts the Rent Arrearage program that helped nearly 10,000 families avoid eviction last year. This year, those families could end up on the street. Providing shelter for these displaced families is triple the cost of the program that was cut in the first place. It just shows that with these cuts, nobody wins. These cuts make tough times even tougher. They take the most from the people who have the least. And that just isn't right.

This isn't just a Boston problem. In the last few weeks, homeless people have called for help from Saugus, Brockton, and Wellesley. The bottom line is that people in communities all over Massachusetts are hurting.

There are those who try to justify these cuts by saying that we have to save money. Well, let's put it in perspective: what we are talking about is less than 1 percent of the budget.

If given the choice between saving a small amount of money or saving countless lives, I know the people of Massachusetts will choose to save lives. We all have to take responsibility and make sure that these outrageous cuts are reversed. If we don't act now, when winter comes we will have more homeless individuals and families on the streets.

So many of us have walked by homeless people on the street and thought, "I wish there was something I could do." But we just kept walking. Now is the time to stop. Now is the time to help. Now is the time to call and write to your state legislator. Now is the time to call and write to the Speaker of the House, to the Senate President, to the Governor.

We need to tell them to restore the funding for adult shelters and the Rent Arrearage program. We need to tell them to change the eligibility for families in shelters back to 130 percent of the federal poverty line. We need to tell them to do this before winter comes. Before it's too late.

If we speak with one voice, we will be heard. Working together, as one team, we will make a difference.

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