Boston Mayor Martin Walsh led a group of hundreds of volunteers — city and state officials, community and civic leaders and homeless providers — to conduct the city’s 39th annual homeless census Wednesday night, according to a press release from the Department of Neighborhood Development.
The mayor demonstrated leadership and, at the same time, a commitment to solving homelessness by going out on the streets himself. In doing so, he proved to be a role model for the city of Boston.
Last year, the city disclosed that there were 163 residents living in Boston without shelter, which was 23 fewer people than the year prior, according to a WBUR article. They are a part of the roughly 6,000 people who are facing homelessness across Boston.
“We have prioritized ending chronic homelessness since day one, and making sure that everyone has a place to call home,” Walsh said in the release. “Besides providing critical insight to guide our efforts to end homelessness while offering immediate assistance to individuals in need of shelter, the homeless census is always an opportunity to embrace who we are as a community, the values we share, and how deeply we care about one another.”
In 2017, Boston had the lowest percentage of unsheltered residents living on the street of any U.S. city that conducted a homeless census, according to the release. Last year, fewer than 3 percent of Boston’s homeless population was sleeping on the street.
Out of U.S. cities, Boston has the ninth most homeless persons, even though it is the 22nd most populous city in the United States. That said, it is difficult to compare the homelessness issue in Boston to that in cities with warmer climates such as Los Angeles or Seattle, where it is more feasible to live on the streets year-round.
Cold winters certainly play a role in the low rate of homeless people who live on Boston’s streets.
Between 2016 and 2017, Boston reduced chronic homelessness by 20 percent. Nationally, the rate of chronic homelessness increased by 12 percent over the same period.
The city’s efforts in combating homelessness are admirable and are important steps in making Boston a more inclusive place for all its people. As temperatures drop to record lows, though, and the winter season trudges on, it is important that all Bostonians play their part in this vision.
We must take action to volunteer, advocate for and improve the conditions of every person who resides in this historical city.
