People experiencing homelessness in Boston are expected to begin receiving coronavirus vaccines within a few days.
The first vaccine shipment for the city s homeless community will be 100 doses developed by Cambridge-based Moderna, according to Dr. Jim O Connell, president of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, which will administer the shots.
O Connell says he s confident in the organization s chances of getting a large percentage of the community vaccinated, given its long history administering single-dose vaccines for other illnesses, such as meningococcal disease. We ve had good luck at getting homeless people living in the shelters to trust us enough to get the vaccine. But that s always been with a single dose, O Connell said, The challenge for us now, I think, is going to be . once they ve had the first shot, make sure that 28 days later or thereabouts, we can find them and that they re still willing to have a second shot.
Homeless Shelters Scramble To Meet Winter Challenge
Homeless Shelters Scramble To Meet Winter Challenge As Number Of People On The Streets Appears To Rise
Winter weather is always a hazard to people who are homeless, but the coronavirus has made it harder to find shelter.
Michael Dwyer/AP
Homeless Shelters Scramble To Meet Winter Challenge
Most of the commonwealth s homless shelters are already operating at reduced capacity. Now they could be overwhelmed by impending winter weather, the latest surge in COVID-19 cases and a potential wave of evictions, according to shelter operators, advocates and local officials.
Many say they are already seeing more people living outside than at any time in recent memory whether alone, in small groups of tents on city streets or in larger encampments, often on the fringes of urban centers.
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Dec. 20, 2020
On Tuesday, January 5, Newton Police Task Force Chair Sonja Spears will give an on-line talk exploring how her own experiences inform her work as a social justice advocate and give her hope in the restorative powers of justice. To register for the free presentation, visit www.newtonschoolsfoundation.org/newton-inspires.
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Spears 7 p.m. talk is part of the 10th annual Newton Inspires: A Celebration of Ideas and Community, a fundraiser for Newton Schools Foundation. Once a month Newtonians present and former share their interests and passions via Zoom.
While a judge in New Orleans, Spears was wrongfully targeted for criminal prosecution. After two years of investigation, no wrongdoing was discovered so she was cleared and never charged, but the impact of this experience was devastating personally and professionally. After retiring from the bench, she re-dedicated her life to issues of racial justice and equity and now works as the chief equity and
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Promoting the power of kindness
In 2000, as part of a response to bullying, Modesto, California s Johansen High School instituted a course in world religions. Sherry McIntyre said she was the only instructor willing to teach it. To be quite honest, a lot of people were afraid of it, she said. Why were they afraid? asked correspondent Mo Rocca. Because it s a very delicate subject, McIntyre replied. And if you don t do it right, there s a lot of fallout. And wars are fought over this stuff, so it s a pretty scary topic to teach. But I m pretty much not afraid of almost anything, she laughed.
Welcome Home offers curbside pickup for gently used housewares
By Ali Audet Boston University journalist,Updated December 17, 2020, 5:31 p.m.
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Lisa Porter, left, a volunteer at Welcome Home, hands a bag of requested items to a client outside of Welcome Homeâs space at Trinity Parish of Newton Centre.ALI AUDET (Custom credit)
With no end in sight for the COVID-19 pandemic and the holidays upon us, a local home goods pantry has found a new way to offer their services to clients.
Welcome Home, a nonprofit that distributes âgently used housewaresâ to people free of charge, emphasizes the importance of clients choosing their own items, said Julie Plaut Mahoney, the organizationâs founder and director. The pantry has now moved to a curbside only model, where clients can request items by email or through a caseworker and pick the items up at a specified time.