2008 Woodie Awards
Helping the homeless stay warm in winter
Dion Lim/Beacon correspondent
Issue date: 2/7/05 Section: Lifestyle
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Picking at his dirt-caked, ragged nails in fingerless gloves while darting his dark eyes back and forth, Will reluctantly recalled his first few days sleeping outside. "Hard. Some find storefronts, but they find you. Blankets, more clothes. Do what you can."
Although it is difficult to estimate, there are about 6,000 homeless people, just like Will, who would not disclose his full name, living in Boston, according to the 2003 to 2004 Annual Census Report of Homelessness in the City of Boston. And where those people are sleeping is another problem Boston-based organizations are working to combat.
Boston's Emergency Shelter Commission, the Department of Neighborhood Development and the Homeless Planning Committee have set aside $38 million for homeless services and housing around the city before the snowstorm. Representatives were unavailable for comment from the commission.
The Emerson community is trying to encourage more of the homeless people to take comfort in shelters rather than sleeping on the hard pavement or beneath a tree in the Common.
David Rosen, Emerson's vice president of Public Affairs, does not suggest students take matters into their own hands directly. "There are procedures for students, staff and faculty who see a homeless person to report it to public safety and they'll call the Boston Police Department to take care of the matter," he said.
Some Emerson students, however, are not sure this new encouragement will result in more check-ins at shelters. Shellie Beeker, a senior television/video major, thinks some homeless people will not go to a shelter willingly.
"I do know that some of the homeless folk in our area are adamantly opposed to shelters from bad past experiences in them," Beeker said. "In addition, it's hard to tell someone else what to do."
Sophomore political communications major Katherine Wheeler agrees and believes confrontation from authorities could be intimidating.
"I guess it would be effective, but I would feel very awkward doing it ...it would feel wrong to have people reported and then put them in a situation where they could just be carted away to some shelter, whether or not they want to," Wheeler said. "I can't think of a reason they wouldn't, but a lot of homeless situations are very complicated, and I would just feel paternalistic and wrong calling someone in like that."
Although it is difficult to estimate, there are about 6,000 homeless people, just like Will, who would not disclose his full name, living in Boston, according to the 2003 to 2004 Annual Census Report of Homelessness in the City of Boston. And where those people are sleeping is another problem Boston-based organizations are working to combat.
Boston's Emergency Shelter Commission, the Department of Neighborhood Development and the Homeless Planning Committee have set aside $38 million for homeless services and housing around the city before the snowstorm. Representatives were unavailable for comment from the commission.
The Emerson community is trying to encourage more of the homeless people to take comfort in shelters rather than sleeping on the hard pavement or beneath a tree in the Common.
David Rosen, Emerson's vice president of Public Affairs, does not suggest students take matters into their own hands directly. "There are procedures for students, staff and faculty who see a homeless person to report it to public safety and they'll call the Boston Police Department to take care of the matter," he said.
Some Emerson students, however, are not sure this new encouragement will result in more check-ins at shelters. Shellie Beeker, a senior television/video major, thinks some homeless people will not go to a shelter willingly.
"I do know that some of the homeless folk in our area are adamantly opposed to shelters from bad past experiences in them," Beeker said. "In addition, it's hard to tell someone else what to do."
Sophomore political communications major Katherine Wheeler agrees and believes confrontation from authorities could be intimidating.
"I guess it would be effective, but I would feel very awkward doing it ...it would feel wrong to have people reported and then put them in a situation where they could just be carted away to some shelter, whether or not they want to," Wheeler said. "I can't think of a reason they wouldn't, but a lot of homeless situations are very complicated, and I would just feel paternalistic and wrong calling someone in like that."