Feeling a considerable rise in the city’s homeless population, Boston shelters and charities attempted to bring holiday spirit to their guests, while worrying about the potential effects of state funding cuts on their projects.
According to a Dec. 14 article in The Boston Globe, the number of homeless people in Boston has risen three percent in the past year, to 6,210, a 41 percent growth since 1992.
As one of the Boston groups working to combat this trend, the Pine Street Inn provides the homeless with shelter, refuge and the tools needed to reconnect its guests with work, affordable housing and a community.
But it is extremely difficult to accommodate the dozens more people waiting outside their door each night, said Shepley Metcalf, one of the Pine Street Inn directors.
‘The number here is up by over 100 people from last year,’ Metcalf said. ‘We are always over capacity. But all the shelters are like this it’s a strained system.’
Attempting to overcome these strains during the holiday season, volunteers at the Pine Street Inn helped serve dinner to guests for Thanksgiving, dressing tables with cloths and china and serving a full meal with entertainment.
There were special meals and decorations at Christmas, too, and every guest received a gift. The increasing problem with homelessness burdens the celebration with challenges, though, Metcalf said.
‘Christmas is a bittersweet day here,’ Metcalf said. ‘It can be a sad day.’
Pine Street Inn is concerned about the $2.2 million state budget cut, which directly deducts from the shelter’s emergency services, Metcalf added.
The Boston Rescue Mission, a Christian organization offering recovery services to homeless and impoverished people, is also concerned about the rise in homelessness and budget cuts.
John Samaan, president of the non-profit, said volunteers provide meals, clothing, training and service for more than 200 visitors daily, but funding cannot support the increase.
‘There is an increasing rate of people, but decreasing funding,’ Samaan said.
‘We have been impacted by the state budget cut in a drastic way.’
According to Samaan, a project that would provide 328 beds for many shelters was totally abolished due to the cuts. The Boston Rescue Mission saw 15 percent of its own budget cut also, he said.
‘This year there were 7,000 different people in and out of the shelter,’ he said. ‘As the traffic increases there is a higher demand for our services, but with the cuts it is rough.’
Eliza Greenberg from the Shelter Commission said that Boston has typically been supportive of homeless shelters, and is nationally recognized for its strong infrastructure.
‘But in the last year state funding cuts have been troubling,’ Greenberg said.
Her solution is to continue pressuring the state in the future, she said. The Shelter Commission plans to identify new resources for funding and to encourage the contribution of non-public dollars.
‘There is new money around the chronically homeless in permanent housing. Half a million dollars went to housing last year,’ Greenberg said.
In addition, Mayor Menino has taken action by creating security deposits and an overflow of beds to shelters around Boston, Greenberg added.
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