Suffolk hosts Fall Public Policy Forum

By Sandra Miller
Beacon Hill Times
When a bullet recently lodged into the State House, police began enforcing a nighttime curfew on Boston Common to clear out drug dealers. They also shooed away the homeless, but that only moved them to other areas of the city.
The city's census in December counted more than 6600 homeless persons, 306 living on the streets.
Nearby, those on Beacon Hill and Back Bay are not only affected by those seeking shelter in their doorways and alleys, but many are seeking ways to help.
“[The curfew] really brings it closer to home the issues of homelessness,” says Robert Whitney, a board member of the Beacon Hill Civic Association and chair of the Boston Ward 5 Democratic Committee. “People in Beacon Hill and Back Bay are pretty secure, but within a stone’s throw, there are people who are homeless. This is not other peoples’ concern, this is our neighborhood. It’s real, it’s right here and we need to find new ways to help.”
When Rep. Byron Rushing visited the Ward 5 group recently to discuss the state’s new initiatve to end homelessness, Whitney and his group decided to make that the topic of its annual fall forum on local public policy topics.
The Boston Ward 5 Democratic Committee will host “Ending Homelessness in Massachusetts: New Thinking on an Age-Old Problem,” Monday at 6:30 pm at Suffolk University Law School from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Suffolk University Law School’s Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service is a co-sponsor of the event.
“The Rappaport Center seeks to bring together policy makers, academics, and community activists together to address current public policy issues that affect people at the state and local level,” said Susan Prosnitz of the Rappaport Center. “Homelessness is exactly the kind of issue the center, using its convening power, hopes to raise awareness about. This forum will educate people about the ongoing and most recent efforts of the state, and the Patrick administration’s efforts to proactively and strategically address the issue.”
Whitney reviewed a recent state report on homelessness, and thought many of the ideas were worth discussing.
In 2007, the Commission to End Homelessness came up with a broad five-year budget and housing plan that recognizes service needs to end homelessness in the Commonwealth. The recommendation guides the Executive, Administrative and Legislative branches in their effort to implement a housing and support services strategy, to help leverage outside resources from federal, municipal and private sources to coordinate homeless services and end homelessness.
“It’s an age-old issue,” says Whitney, who expects 75-100 attendees. “People from the audience will be able to ask questions and see what could be done. We’re trying to find new ideas on how to deal with homelessness issues. Instead of shelters, there could be halfway houses in the neighborhood. We could try to help finance or arrange for smaller units in neighborhoods to transition people. … Our purpose is to just provide a forum for these issues.”
Representatives from state agencies involved in the new state policy to end homelessness in Massachusetts will discuss implementation strategies, the policy and program design, similar initiatives in other states, and how revenues will be re-allocated from shelter services to permanent housing for this new initiative.
The City of Boston will also offer perspective on this new initiative and its impact on the City's homeless population.
Panelists will include Undersecretary Tina Brooks; State Senator Dianne Wilkerson; City of Boston Shelter Commission Acting Director James Greene; Department of Transitional Assistance Director Stephanie Brown; Elder Affairs’ Housing and Assisted Living Director Duamarius Stukes; and Shelter, Inc. Executive Director Tom Lorello; Robert Pulster, Executive Director, Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness, will moderate the panel discussion and Lt. Governor Timothy Murray will deliver the opening remarks.
The public is invited, and light refreshments will be provided.