City aids individuals affected by homelessness during cold months

With winter storms and freezing temperatures approaching, the City of Boston has been working with numerous city agencies, homeless shelters and other community partners to provide resources and services to aid the individuals affected by homelessness this winter.

A Nov. 22 tweet from Boston Mayor Martin Walsh’s account urged residents to aid those at risk during periods of inclement weather.

“Extreme cold weather and winter storms can put homeless people, who may suffer from medical and behavioral health conditions, at risk,” the tweet said. “If you see one of our neighbors in the cold today please call 911.”

In a statement released in 2016, the City announced that the Department of Neighborhood Development, the Boston Public Health Commission’s Homeless Services and the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Services are coordinating efforts with a goal to ensure the safety of people who are homeless.

The City said these groups would work together on emergency shelters, outreach providers, substance abuse services and other community or municipal partner agencies.

BPHC stated that winter storms and extreme cold weather pose dangers to individuals who are homeless and suffer from medical or behavioral health problems.

In an October Executive Summary report, titled “Coastal Resilience Solutions for South Boston,” Walsh acknowledged the broader impact of climate change beyond the environment and atmosphere in regard to the toll it can take on communities.

“Boston is proving that climate resilience doesn’t just protect us from storms and rising tides – it also enhances our neighborhoods and improves quality of life all year round,” Walsh said in a letter in the report. “… In 2018, we all felt the effects of climate change in our neighborhoods. We saw stronger rains and higher flooding along our waterfront during three big winter storms.”

The City is continuing last year’s collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services to make a shelter bed accessible to every person in need of one this winter.

BPHC lists key public health and public safety partners as the Emergency Shelter Commission, Boston Emergency Medical Services, Boston Homeless Services, Boston Police Department, Boston Park Rangers, Boston Health Care for the Homeless, Bridge Over Troubled Waters, DMH Homeless Outreach Team, MBTA Police, Pine Street Inn, New England Center and Home for Veterans, Rosie’s Place and FamilyAid Boston.

Michele Chausse, director of communications at Rosie’s Place, a shelter for homeless women, said the organization has been expanding the breadth of their aid.

“Our job is to provide a safe place and opportunity for our guests,” Chausse said. “We serve thousands of women a year who look for a wide range of services, and our services continue to expand.”

Chausse also spoke of the efforts at Rosie’s Place to make the shelter a more accessible resource for women in Boston, as well as one that avoids special interests.  

“We are out in the community reaching the same kind of women we see who possibly can’t make it to where we are located, so we have outreach in Boston Public Schools, in local courthouses and also at a housing development,” Chausse said. “We receive no government money, so we really can listen to the women we serve.”

Barbara Trevisan, vice president of marketing and communications at Pine Street Inn, a New England organization that provides housing and other services to people who are homeless, wrote in an email that outreach teams are sent out to canvass the city and urge homeless people to come inside.

“They bring blankets, hot food and warm clothing to those who choose to stay outside. Our goal is to move people off the streets, out of shelter and into permanent housing where they can be become stable,” Trevisan wrote in an email.

Nicole Berry, 39, of West Roxbury, said she thinks one way the city could help people who are homeless cope with the cold weather is by putting out free jackets or backpacks in public for those who need them.

“The homeless are people, too,” Berry said. “We should help our fellow man.”

Amy Brown, 39, of West Roxbury, said she supports the city’s efforts to help individuals who are homeless during the winter.

“I like what the City does, because I don’t think people should be in the streets because of the cold,” Brown said.

Ayodele Abinusawa contributed to the reporting of this article.