SHELTERING OUR HOMELESS:
INDIVIDUAL AND INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSES
TO THE MORAL
IMPERATIVE
by
DOROTHY ANNE FLYNN
B.A.S.,
Boston University
(1977)
SUBMITTED TO THE
DEPARTMENT OF URBAN STUDIES AND PLANNING
ON 23 MAY 1983 IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS OF THE DEGREE OF
MASTER IN CITY PLANNING
at the
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
May 1983
0
Dorothy Anne Flynn 1983
reproduce
The
author hereby grants to M.I.T. permission to
and to distribute copies of this thesis in whole or in part.
Signature of Author
44_4t_--
"51&epartme
Aof Ur
Studies and Planning
Certified by
Donald A.
Schon
Thesis Supervisor
Accepted by
MASSACHS
INSTIT UTE
OF TECHNOLOGY
Donald A. Schon
Chairman, Departmental Graduate Committee
JUL 21 1983
Rotch
UBRARIES
1
SHELTERING OUR HOMELESS:
INDIVIDUAL AND INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSES
TO THE MORAL IMPERATIVE
by
DOROTHY ANNE FLYNN
Submitted to the Department of Urban Studies and Planning
on 23 May 1983 in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the Degree of Master in City Planning
ABSTRACT
Despite
its deep rooting in Judeo-Christian
tradition,
the
feed the hungry, and shelter
age-old call to serve the poor,
the
homeless is one that has been largely ignored by all but
a few individuals.
or
the
poor judgment,
viewed as an accident of fate,
Long
consequence of individual lack of initiative, homelessness is
service
now seen as the spewed-out consequence of a public
the
a market economy that have failed to meet
system
and
needs of the disadvantaged.
by
recent
initiatives
undertaken
With
the
exception of
Governor
Michael
Dukakis,
there
has been
virtually no
governmental
response to homelessness in Massachusetts.
The
Governor's leadership has taken the shape of inquiry into the
system
and its actors.
During the course of this
inquiry,
of
debates
have surfaced on both the form and the substance
sheltering the homeless.
In Boston,
there are a variety of organizations that shelter
Two of these, chosen for their dissimilarity,
the homeless.
Place.
and
Rosie's
Street Inn
Pine
are
examined
here:
Because these two organizations occupy positions on virtually
sheltering
the
poles of the political spectrum of
opposite
for
framework
comparison provides a good
their
homeless,
analyzing
the
debate
over maintaining
the homeless or
reintegrating them into society.
2
Interviews
community
individuals
Boston
conducted with key people in the
of
the
for
analysis
the
basis
form
in
the
system.
Individual
shelter
role
of
backgrounds,
motivation, and ideologies are examined in order to highlight
of
intention
and
the
method
over
debate
the
current
sheltering and to provide a window on the homelessness system
as it currently exists in Boston, Massachusetts.
Thesis
Title:
Dr.
Supervisor:
Donald A.
Sch'o'n
Ford Professor of Urban Affairs
3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
it would be
While
to acknowledge everyone who was
impossible
in the development of this thesis,
instrumental
words
a few
of heartfelt appreciation are in order.
contributed
to my understanding of the
homelessness
issue.
Viviana
Munoz-Mendoza
shared
stand out
Two
have
who
the years
been a number of people over
have
There
in particular:
with me her personal experience with home-lessness and thereby
expanded my knowledge.
Kip Tiernan has shared with me over a
to
several years her "long view" of the struggle
period
of
shelter
the homeless of Boston.
She
has been an
inspiration
to me.
I
had
have
State
system
homelessness
Dukakis.
I
been a valued
Planning,
the opportunity to have a special view
while
the State
under
the
has
been
of
leadership
owe this opportunity to
and who
has been very candid
of
Governor
S.
Jones
of
the
schedule
Department of
Urban
4
and
State.
Studies
and
in accomodating my
in a community development course
have been Teaching Assistant.
who has
about his own view of
Planning, MIT, has been very helpful to me
hectic
on
Michael
Urban Studies
the process--which he has been coordinating for the
Frank
the
action
taking
Langley Keyes,
teacher at the Department
of
in which
I
There
for
are
several people whose participation was
different
friend
given
and
reasons.
Bernestine
attorney for the Boston
Singley,
Housing
a
critical,
treasured
Authority,
of her professional expertise and her friendship
Marian
generously.
strong support and access
provided
Most of all,
I would
to
her
to
Donald
to study at
M.I.T.
and
whose insight and approach to systems analysis has
the
discovery
made
learning--a
system--and
of the homelessness
have
tools.
express my gratitude
like to
most
family
important
whom I have been privileged
with
Sch'o'n,
and
Darlington-Hope
has
pleasure.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
A special mention must be made of my uncle,
his
through
innkeeping
childhood,
most
in
set
generous
Bedford,
an
thing
no
ability
unusual
most
Pennsylvania
example
sheltering the homeless--even
had
and
for
me
where
early
in a hotel,
to pay--was an honorable
to do.
5
Edmund
I
in
Flynn, who
method
of
spent
my
life
that
and even when they
and
a
reasonable
the eye regards the
heart, a Western view
the heart regards the
eye, as the Chinese
say
and the great world
between
known both by caliper
and transfusion
rigor and gift
I had rather, if I
must, choose among
methods.
but I cannot
- Daniel Berrigan,
(published in Absurd Convictions,
House, New York, 1972)
5-A
S.J.
Modest Hopes;
Random
INTRODUCTION
Homelessness
has
recently
become
a
household
word,
particularly in Massachusetts, where Governor Michael Dukakis
of
growth
unpopular
is
initiative to ameliorate the
launched an
has
a
idea of
the
recent
concurrent
and
nationwide
long
The
as
idea
in good
currency
phenomenon.
And,
although
issue might lead
something new,
that homelessness is
believe
as an
attention to the
media
--
eliminating homelessness
its victims --
as were
problem.
that
one
to
is not the
case.
--
History
ancient
homelessness.
Though
the disruption,
names,
has
and modern --
remained constant.
beginning,
been
From the beginning,
oppression.
relieved
poor
by
message
to heed the moral
chosen
have
sheltering
offers
promise of
of
misery, and alienation it has caused
compassion of concerned individuals
who
tales
homelessness has been called by other
been inextricably linked to
the
with
is filled
the homeless.
not only the call
reward:
6
It has also,
from
initiative
and
the
by
homelessness has
(and their organizations)
imperative
For
them,
to action,
serve
to
the
but
the
age-old
also
the
...Loose the bands of wickedness, undo the bundles that
and break
oppress, let them that are broken go free,
asunder every burden. Deal thy bread to the hungry, and
When
bring the needy and harborless into thy house.
thou shalt see one naked, cover him, and despise not thy
Then shall thy light break forth as the
own flesh.
and thy
thy health shall speedily arise,
morning, and
and the glory of the
justice shall go before thy face,
Lord shall gather thee up...
When thou shalt pour out thy soul to the hungry, and
shalt satisfy the afflicted soul, then shall thy light
rise up in darkness, and thy darkness shall be as the
And the Lord will give thee rest continually,
noonday.
and will fill thy soul with brightness, -and deliver thy
bones, and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like
a fountain of water whose waters shall not fail.
Isaiah 58: 6-8, 10, 11
It is a fact, confirmed and re-confirmed
of
thousand years
or three
two
during
religious history, that the ultimate Reality
is not clearly and immediately apprehended,
except by those who have made themselves
loving, pure in heart and poor in spirit.
Aldous Huxley,
in The Perennial
7
Philosophy
Homelessness has grown
years,
a
as
Congressional
tradition
the
In
on Banking,
Finance
December
in America was
and Community Development
Gonzales
historical
well as local level.
Hearing on Homelessness
Housing
Committee
Henry
in
recent
provoking unprecedented media and public attention on
national
by the
in complexity and magnitude
pointing
reminders which are basic to the
of
caring for the poor and
the
Chairman
to
several
Judeo-Christian
oppressed,
from
which
notion of sheltering the homeless cones.
in
all
know the story of Moses, who was born
We
feared
and
despised
Egypt
at a time when Pharoah
the
Because Pharoah so feared
the Hebrew people.
he eventually ordered that all their male
Hebrews,
children
be put to death.
So it was that
Moses
a
He was set adrift in
became a homeless person.
than
basket and rescued, then adopted by no less
Pharoah's daughter.
We all know the rest of the story. And we all know
the story of Mary and Joseph, who found themselves
-- people
in
a strange town with no place to stay
They were
were temporarily without a home.
who
taken
in by a kindly innkeeper,
who allowed
them
call
the
use of his stable -- what we might today
an
emergency shelter.
We also know the
rest
of
that story.
It is important
Homelessness is not a new problem.
to
understand,
as these Biblical
stories show,
chronic
are not only the
that
the
homeless
dependents,
the skid-row destitutes, the cast-offs
of mental institutions.
Moses
was the classic victim of
oppression;
Mary
and
Joseph victims of a temporary
shortage of
housing. Just so, a great many of today's homeless
are people who have come to strange places,
looking
looking for a life free
for
a decent opportunity,
of oppression, people looking for hope. 1
8
a
convened
Subcommittee of
and Urban Affairs.
opened the hearing by
1982,
If
measure of a just society
the
glaring
a
is
homelessness
then
poor,
shortfall of justice in American society.
exponentially
grown
indicator
in
for
its
of
the
This shortfall has
population
apparent as the homeless
more
ever
become
cares
is how it
types
both numbers and
of
has
people
affected.
the fact
Despite
yet successfully come
we have not
the
problem
implementing
the December
In fact,
effective
1982 Congresstonal
hearings marked the first effort by that body to examine
phenonmenon
of
society,
on
Reflecting the
migrant workers during the Great Depression.
larger
the
held
were
since hearings
homelessness
us,
to grips with understanding
and
or with designing
to it.
solutions
that homelessness has always been with
by
the Congressional record on this issue,
and large, has been dismal.
When Governor Michael Dukakis began his second term of office
in 1983, he
chose
to make the elimination of
"top priority" of his new administration.
focused
the
homelessness
problem
the
and
first governmental
attention
in at least a decade.
The
homelessness the
By so
in Massachusetts on
complexity
its massive growth necessitated an
homelessness system:
that
institutional
which homeless people find themselves.
9
he
doing,
the
of
inquiry
into
environment
in
has
The very inquiry initiated by the Dukakis administration
given
rise
to
encompassed
the
numerous
definitional
population,
problem,
that
and
solutions
to
solutions
to the problem is the highly politicized
of
whether
homelessness.
the
debates
Central
homeless people ought to
to
the
have
possible
issue
of
question
be maintained
in
their
homelessness, or reintegrated into a more fully participatory
position
in
society.
appropriate
The position taken
in
this debate over
remedies has major implications for
policy
and
for program cost and effectiveness.
To effectively address the difficult definitional
it
is
necessary
to examine
the shelter community
individuals who have made it a reality.
burden
of
America's pariah -based,
to
community
reasons,
the
poor
Traditionally,
the
the
homeless
--
community that has grown
out
of
initiative.
grassroots
Key
the
has fallen primarily upon a neighborhoodshelter
nonprofit
and
for caring for
responsibility
questions,
the
development and sustenance of
have
been
individuals
who,
have responded to the moral
in
the
face
of
neglect.
10
for
such
a
a
shelter
variety
of
imperative to care
for
abandonment
and
institutional
Such
a
community
While
Boston.
the homeless,
shelters and
all are
engaged in
individuals
service
to
position on the
to
intent among
of
factors,
its funding that
the proportion of
is
in
A shelter organization's
spectrum.
spectrum is dictated by a number
the least of which
exists
the poor and
the difference between method and
the political
them spans
not
of
comes from government sources. A given shelter organization's
on
position
the
is a
spectrum
of
function
way
the
it
perceives its role and behaves in the homelessness system.
Modern organizations such as shelters for the homeless, serve
social
broad
instrumental
2
produce
For
relations.
As
political interests.
communicative
practical
the
and
not
organizations
action,
results,
structures
but
also
reproduce
only
social
upon
shelters that are dependent
instance,
likely
system for their continued survival are more
of
to
reflect, and less likely to challenge that system.
can be
Much
the
learned about the homelessness system and
we care
way
for our poor by examining the
history
status of shelter organizations occupying
current
about
and
different
positions on the political spectrum.
Boston
and
which
have
the home of two shelters --
is
Rosie's
have
had
Place --
which share
survived through the
the most notable
the Pine
Street
Inn
a common neighborbhood
and
institutional
shifts
impact upon the city's
11
poor
that
and
There,
however,
Rosie's
Place
political
the
similarity stops:
Pine Street
occupy decidedly different positions
spectrum of sheltering the homeless.
will explore the development of the shelters,
to sheltering,
their
role
Inn and
on
This
the
paper
their approach
their relation to the homelessness system, and
in
current efforts to
reduce
homelessness
in
Massachusetts.
Because
Inn
institutions
cannot
individuals
timeless
exist
such as Rosie's Place
without
and
leadership
the
Pine
of
Street
concerned
who have struggled to chart new solutions
problem,
this
paper
is
also a
individuals who have made a difference,
story
to
of
a
those
for the homeless and
for us all.
The
experiences and the vision of
cutting
us
with
edge
of the battle against homelessness can
the window through which we
understand
through
those who have been on
the homelessness
such
can begin
system and
understanding
can
homelessness become a reasonable goal.
12
our role
the
to
in
the
provide
see and
it.
elimination
to
Only
of
THE HOMELESSNESS SYSTEM
As we have become more concerned with the adequacy
of
our
social
services--particularly
those
affecting
the
poor,
the disabled,
and
the
neglected--we have begun
to learn not
only how
difficult
it
is
to
change
inadequate
service
systems
but also
how difficult
it
can
be
to
understand them in the first place.3
If
one
to make sense of homelessness,
is
understand
the nature of the
and
socioeconomic
homeless exist.
While
and
upon
the
within
which
the
the homelessness system might be more
called a nonsystem,
aptly
context
historical
first
and
homeless
the
must
relationships
institutional
upon
impacting
phenomena
one
it
however
is,
loosely woven,
a
3
system.
responsibility
public
however,
indirectly
One
view
series
system,
It
root
central
no
is
There
for
the care of
the
and private sector
agency
or
institution
having
are,
There
homeless.
entities which directly or
serve the homeless.
is
that homelessness
is the
of
result
ultimate
a
of falls by an individual through the "cracks" in the
escaping the shelter of
is possible,
causes
interrelationships
the
based on available data,
of
homelessness
among
to
institutions
net.
13
net."
so-called "safety
to
attribute
the
forming
the
structural
the
safety
realizes that we
When
one
both
local
national
and
are bereft of
providing
education and housing
control;
and
Massachusetts
that
that
mental
health
of
the
It is not only that
the dynamic
the
under
service
in
environment
court
delivery
one begins
in
to get an
homelessness
which
safety net has
interaction of the
on
institutions
local
for Boston are
is--at best--insufficient,
understanding
occurs.
that
levels;
policy
housing
but
holes,
interorganizational
field
4
creates
spewed-out consequences.
A more cynical--and very popular--view is that
is
designed
protect.
to
Carol
the Homeless,
exclude those
Johnson,
shares
whom by
right
the
it
safety net
ought
to
of the Masachusetts Coalition
for
this view:
I've realized that people
In
the past few years,
delivery
of
the
through
the cracks
don't fall
system, but in fact are pushed out of
a very forceful
in
to
resources
access
their
way...homelessness is the final outcome of the way
that
we're organized on earth...it's really awful
social
every
out of
be pushed
can
people
relationship they have....
It's
It's the passivity that allows it to happen.
going
the standing around while the rape was
like
standing
us,
in New Bedford...this is all of
on
"Shelters are okay for people who
saying,
around,
don't have anything; let them wander around...."
generate
that we
failure to recognize
It's
the
hopeless...and
that
people
who are helpless and
hopeless,
because
therefore, we're helpless and
we're
locked
them.
5
in
a system
14
that
keeps
generating
One
of
the
ways
is
communities
encouragement of
considered
as
(and,
economically
to
we
generate
homeless
and
public
through
real estate speculation.
be
such,
the
is
also
at the expense of
in
What
our
sector
private
is generally
market
free flow of normal
sacrosanct)
advantaged
people
growth
activity
for
the disadvantaged.
the market
up against this notion that
You come
live.
should
people
should decide where
forces
That's like saying that the doctors' private market
That's
economy should decide who gets health care.
fundamentally wrong...if a third of Boston is lowincome, then a third of Boston
should be
low-income
formula
should be a housing
housing...there
That's what we're talking about.
that.
for,
in
the
coming up against the cotton people
We're
The real estate people realize
slavery movement.
if
tenants'
interests are threatened
their
that
rights are favored. All the City Councilors receive
the Mayor
money from real estate interests.. .and
obviously gets a ton.
It's not 'the evil rich guy' against the 'good poor
It's that the way the
It's not that way.
person.'
is set up produces more of the same kind of
system
between
difference
the
like
It's
activity.
Both of them are
institutional racism and racism.
evil, but some kid who's raised in the South, where
facilities...it
fountain
separate
were
there
becomes part of his life; it's very hard to undo.
It's all
It's not a good or bad mayor or governor.
the
world--our
way of viewing
and our
of
us
shrinking
a
assumptions...given
fundamental
resource,
we're
going
to have
to decide
whether
vs.
stronger
going to leave it to the
we're
we're going to intervene
or whether
weaker,
what's just and fair.
the
for
of
the purpose
to be able to say that
We have
sacredness
is...human beings...and the
government
of
life... and
you have to
organize
'well,
not say,
principle, and
after you have a strong economy.'
15
the
around
that
that comes next,
It's very hard.
happen.
We may
people
live
in
homeless people.
We may not ever be able to make it
just die off,
or have millions of
abject deprivation,
like all
the
6
-
To some great
other
extent,
more than
or
technology and
is
that
attitude
generally
themselves,
thereby
deviant
in
adopt
homeless people often
virtue
be
easily
tragedy of homelessness
about
each
In such a world, an
or
homelessness--may
Part of the
expendable.
handicap
mental
as
behavior--such
societal
serve
they serve human needs.
physical
elsewhere
institutions
who can be perceived as non-productive by
individual
of
Carol Johnson
deemed
Boston or
same
this
accelerating
their downward spiral.
in
of 1983,
a homeless man
the winter
During
who had conceived of himself as an ally of
Chicago
trash
refuse when the
finally became
refuse
in which he had been sleeping for weeks
compactor
compacted him.7
It
against
and economic
oppression
think of themselves as garbage.
view
of
"the
institutional
deserving
poor."
interrelationships
social service environment,
which
exist
historical
in
the
to
injustice,
This,
evolves
too,
among the
struggle
people
have
The notion of the
a portion of our population
worthlessness of
the
a nation founded on
even in
possible,
is
presumed
from
derives
population,
continuum.
16
environment
and
from
the
all of
and the delivery system,
political
the
on
the
I don't think that people are entitled to services.
I don't believe that there is any entitlement, any
basic right to legal services or any other kind of
services...I don't accept that equality is a moral
principle. 8
David Stockman, Director;
United States Office of
Management and Budget, 1981
The
development
came
institutions
institutionalizing
the
and
mental
the
poor and
the
Later,
of
mental
problems
the
frend
mentally
ill
the pendulum of
direction,
change would swing in the opposite
deinstitutionalization
Massachusetts
social
Consequently,
eventually resulted in warehousing.
institutional
and
out of a system that originated with
health problems as deviants.
toward
homeless
tradition of punishing victims of
European
and
shelters for the
of
health
patients
would release thousands of hopeless,
in
helpless
people onto city streets, with no place to go.
On
local,
state,
orchestration
and national levels,
shortage of decent,
Reaganomics,
been
that has worked to punish the poor in
and the homeless in particular.
requirements,
there has
the
general
Inflation, unemployment, the
affordable housing,
failure
an
of
Welfare eligibility
deinstitutionalization,
and Proposition 2 1/2 have all played a role in
assembling the pool of people known as "the homeless."
17
Institutional
in
changes
Recent
individual
spewed
shifts,
relationships
and
their
breakdown
community.
In
in a culture
of
a breakdown of the
we
outside our own
safety net of
"me generation,"
rarely
consider
spheres of
social
has
instigated
narcissim,
address
of traditional social values
The
through the
have
responsibilties
the way we
out consequences affecting
and
structures
social
traditional
problems.
moving
are only part of the story.
however,
nurtured
the
fate
of those
who
influence.
community
tight-knit
in a very
up
grew
I
(Charlestown, a predominantly Irish neighborhood of
I was
everyone knew everyone.
where
Boston),
startled when I got to the South End at the amount
of anonymity....
of
side
if I was on the other
I was a kid,
When
'What are you doing here?
people would say,
town,
The cop on
People knew the boundaries.
Get home!'
the beat was a friend of my father's.
you had
you had police;
you had the Church;
So
community,
of
other families maintaining that sense
in my
another...'Bums'
of
watching out for one
The only time they were out
had homes.
community
it
they didn't make
street was when
the
in
husband--someone's
someone's
were
home...they
community would
The
father.
brother--someone's
Some communities still do that.
maintain them.
for
line
not a bottom
drunkenness was
Constant
There was enough alcoholism
disposing of someone.
line
was
in
the community that the basic bottom
that it was a way someone would have no income, but
people supported one another...
18
are
Even mental illness was never named as such; it was
or
"weird,"
Sort of
"craziness."
called
never
something
for
or whatever...except
"unusual,"
the
in
be maintained
it would
bizarre,
really
community. There was not a view of looking outward
for whatever it was...9
-
Eileen Brigandi
Key
to the
dissolution of community
the
change
in
altered
drastically
economy,
urban
the
demand
for
uses
has
profitable)
(more
"higher"
systems has been
Increased
central city land use.
land for
city
center
support
reducing
thereby
availability of jobs and housing for low-income, elderly; and
Just
residents.
minority
urban
provided
affordable
buildings
as
that
once
for
low-
(as rooming houses)
housing
income people are now being converted
to condominiums for the
rich, entire neighborhoods are being converted for use by the
upper
income
alternatives.
poverty--and
The
leaving the poor with
groups,
More
and more,
people are
slipping
out
inadequate public
implications for the shelter community as well.
struggle
precluded
to
of
into homelessness.
flood of homeless people upon an
has had
available
few
provide
basics
the
opportunities
for
for
survival
organizations to
The
often
learn about the
changing population and problem of homelessness.
19
has
system
THE HOMELESS POPULATION
Envision,
an infinitely long line of
if you will,
five, ten, twenty abreast --
people,
stretching --
as
as the eye can see.
far
millions
of
them
--
men,
There are
literally
and
children.
women,
Slowly, painfully, some walking, others shuffling,
limping, crawling, they pass before you. These are
pariah:
America's
our nation's untouchables.
They are the
disposable, surplus.
invisible,
destitute homeless.
and
long hair
Some are old, all rags and bags,
bushy beards stained yellow with dirt. The pockets
of their tattered overcoats and their shopping bags
stuffed and bulging with all the little rubbish
Filthy and suffering.
Bent and
they live on.
hunger,
of
downward curve
the
by
twisted
want.
and
desperation,
Others alcoholic. There are the
Some are senile.
autistic, and there are those who talk to God -There are many who cannot even
and to themselves.
There are
tie their shoelaces without assistance.
There are
the amputees and the double amputees.
the halt, and the blind. Bodies broken,
the lame,
spirits equally disfigured.
There are the displaced, the disenfranchised, the
Madonnas with no child, for whom
dispossessed.
there is no rest and no inn.
Some are children, living alone in a cruel, hard,
violent, and selfish world, destined themselves to
become cruel, hard, violent, and selfish.
Many are young. Most are black or brown or Latino.
Able. Unemployed. Unabsorbed.
Willing.
Strong.
Scarred, inside and out, with the
Overexposed.
and our
jagged wounds of our dirty little war,
Like fuses, they burn, slowly
dirty little world.,
and surely, fueled by hate, bitterness, and fury.
the
This is the vast army of America's homeless:
indifference, our
progeny of our ignorance, our
for
and
our pathological demand
insulation,
conformity and productivity. They are a reflection
of our unwillingness to confront difficult problems.10
20
Because
of
systems,
mystery
the
prerequisite
lack
of
homeless as a population
(which
is
exact
connectedness
presence
a
is
not
pointed out that
the
number of homeless people is perhaps not so
is
to
remain somewhat of
not to say that their
A recent Boston Globe editorial
felt.)
as
their
important
the process by which we begin to understand who
they
11
are
and why they are homeless.
widely disparate,
in the Commonwealth
While estimates have
a range of 4,000 is
6,000 homeless
the most oft-quoted
persons
figure.
in isolation,
for the Globe to call me every
Just
other day,
as they did in the fall,
and say, 'How
cares?
There's
are there?'
Who
many homeless
in
beds
1,000
shelter
fill
the
to
enough
They're all turning
Boston...we already know that.
a
have
to say we
That's enough
away.
people
problem.
'What is the nature of
What I want them to say is,
interventions
that have been done
so
far?'
and
"what do you have in mind that should be done?' and
then do stories about the dynamics of homelessness
and what's changed about it.. .just like we get this
dynamic weather report every morning, we ought
to
be getting
a report each day on
how we're
all
or not surviving...what's
surviving
in this city,
the rental market like?
... But
I
think
it's
important
to
notice
the
I think
in order to be able to plan.
dimensions
in
it was
reason
no one noticed was that
the
Now that
nobody's best interest before to do that.
the State is going to be forced into paying General
Relief to people who are homeless, they're going to
because they're going
find out how many are there,
to want to
know... 12
21
been
Recent
attention
interest
extent
cost
in
of
to
the homelessness
counting the homeless,
the problem
remedy it.
to
United
and to begin
Planning
Association
some specific
in Boston and Cambridge.
evening
will
by
conducted
(UCPC)
Health
the
it
to estimate what
Mental
homeless who
the
about
available
prompted
to determine
Corporation
for
1983,
of February 25,
night
in order
has
As a result of a census
Community
Massachusetts
issue
and
(MAMH)
the
on
the
is
information
shelters
that
Census takers found
1032
were
in
individuals in 14 shelters and 44 families in 9 family shelters.
No count was made of homeless
in
shelters--were
cars,
individuals who--though not
abandoned
buildings,
in
doorways,
alleys, and subways.
"Where do
shelter?"
you sleep when you don't go
to
a
the
"...Mainly,
I just
tries to get out of
then
is good;
wind...up against a building
you're less likely to get robbed or beaten."
-
(author's) conversation with
man, Boston, winter of 1983
findings
Principal
of
outnumbering
females
interviewed,
however,
the UCPC/MAMH
by four to one.
36 were
single
a homeless
study
Of the
include
44
families
parent families.
of the children in the family shelters were under five
of
age;
ten
group was
were infants.
between
25 and
The
44.
22
males
Half
years
largest shelter population age
Estimates
made
by shelter staff were that 42%
guests exhibited signs of chronic alcoholism and
of
the
31% had
"psychological problems."
With
to duration of
regard
found
41%
of
the
homelessness,
census
shelter guests had been homeless for more
than a year and 27%
had been homeless for less than
six
months.
At
the
same
considered
who
stay
time,
more
"regulars"
at
those
regulations permit.
than
half
of
the
guests
--
at the respective shelters
shelters
as
consistently
as
were
guests
shelter
Some shelters, because of the problem of
demand for beds far outstripping supply, set limits on number
of
consecutive
"rotate"
nights
from one shelter
of
stay
permitted.
to another.
"...Each day you stay in the emergency
shelter system,
-
you're more debilitated."12
Carol Johnson
23
People
will
is no time to soften
And, we say, this
Whenever
Isn't it?
the human heart.
it is the hardest, that is the best
When is the time?
time to get at it.
-
Clarence
Attorney
Darrow, published
for the Damned,
Simon and Schuster,
24
1957
in
The
UCPC/MAMH
causes
of
concluded
homelessness:
problems,
fire,
study
domestic
that there
inadequate
turmoil,
four
income,
and housing
main
behavioral
problems
such
as
eviction and condominium conversion.
For
people
Suicide
who
there
of color,
is
also
the burden
grow
weary
of trying
Homelessness
to beat the
is becoming
in
a hostile environment;
very
statement
doesn't
against
early
No
age.
could be made
care whether
and
rearing
is,
their
clearer
for
children
some--perhaps the
or
most
homelessness
more
devastating
to minority youth than that
there
men
the VietNam war;7some
group of all--who are slipping into
endangered
a
odds
women with the responsibility of
are
alone
history.
another familiar route
young black people--some of whom fought
who
of
is the leading cause of death among young black
success.
at
were
literally, a place
society
for them to
be.
'What up with
-
this City?!'
17, Boston, when asked about
Andres Borden,
how he felt about being homeless as a result
conversion
condominium
of
his
family's
rapidly
eviction from their apartment in the
gentrifying area near Copley Place.
Over time,
the population has changed quite a lot.
stereotypes of shuffling,
street-corner alcoholic
The old
-- someone
who should have "known better," and the female counterpart of
"bag
lady"
--
a
disoriented
25
has-been
with
delusions
of
grandeur
concocted memories of better times
and
past....no
longer represent the definitive image of the homeless person.
Although there have been massive changes in the makeup of the
homeless
population
individuals'
fall
organizations
necessarily
shelters
into
which
and
the
the
attend
factors
homeless
to
offer
state,
their
changed their approaches
still
which
a program that
to
needs
influence
the
shelter
have
sheltering.
provides
a
not
Some
homeless
person with basic maintenance and little else.
shelters recognize that the needs of the homeless
Other
growing
must
and
changing,
and that organizations serving
be involved in a constant process of
redirection.
26
reassessment
are
them
and
THE SHELTER ORGANIZATIONS
But
They have no need to go.
Jesus said to them:
Give
you them to eat.
They
answered
We have not
him:
here
but
five
loaves and two fishes.
He said to them:
Bring them hither to me.
he had commanded the multitudes to
sit
he took the five loaves
and
And,
when
down
upon the grass,
the
two
blessed
fishes;
and
brake
looking up
and
and gave
the
to
heaven,
loaves
to
disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes.
And this they all did eat and were filled.
Matthew 14:16-20
27
. .
he
his
THE
PINE STREET INN
late publisher of The Catholic Worker newspaper
Dorothy Day,
and
the Catholic Worker movement which made
leader of
coffee
never
room."
One
so good as when coming
tasted
Street
Pine
carries
a
influences
from
cold
a
Street
felt very comfortable
decidedly
of
there.
Worker
Catholic
its organizational history many
The Inn holds in
influence.
the
Inn
in
cup
when visiting the Pine
feeling,
has the
"A
once said,
its mission,
that Dorothy Day would have
Inn,
of
the poor
sheltering
and
feeding
services as we know
that have shaped human
them.
Pine
Men
Inn opened
Street
at 8 Pine Street,
to
hotel
to his son,
having
spent
were
Revere
on
his
Charles Dawes
Boston.
of William
ride
in 1775,
Dawes
Charles
for
erected
the
for homeless
who died
Rufus,
his life serving
descendants
Hotel
1916 as the Rufus Dawes
low-cost housing
provide
tribute
in
as
a
in a drowning accident,
the poor.
Dawes,
The
who
Dawes
Peace
family
accompanied
prominent
and were
eventually won the Nobel
men
Paul
citizens.
Prize and
served
as Vice President under Calvin Coolidge.
From
its
transferred
origins
of noblesse oblige,
Pine Street
to the Union Rescue Mission during
28
the
Inn
was
Progressive
or
for a dollar.
provided with an added
was
of
Era
Under the
religious
The
influence.
intent
but as American citizens," has been
throughout the history of
The Pine Street
shelbter
"considered not as a class
the Dawes family to have guests
species apart,
Mission,
held
shelter.
the
Inn Philosophy
shelter
The
Pine Street Inn offers temporary
to the homeless men and women of the city. We
that everyone has the right to a roof
believe
stomach,
and
food in their
over their head,
goals
Such simple
from bodily harm.
safety
Very few
are presumed but forgotten by most.
these
ever been without any of
of
us
have
takes
basics for more than the few moments it
to
8,000
for 5,000
them.
But
to
acquire
such basic
homeless men and women of Boston
human needs are beyond their grasp.
world's
the
The
Inn
is not a treadmill of
are
Here men and women know they
offcasts.
We offer
welcomed
by staff and volunteers.
needs:
people the basic human
all
homeless
all,
most
of
safety,
and
shelter,
food,
respect for their sacredness as a human being.
the
respect
person is treated with all
Each
that is
due them as individuals. 13
In 1969,
inner
the
city land and was slated
Cove
South
did not
Urban Renewal
resist and asked
Realizing
that
Inn became caught
time,
that
in
The
Union
parcel.
leave the homeless men
Pine Street did not provide
shelter
the
Rescue Mission
early acquisition of the
such action would
29
interests for
for demolition as part of
Project.
for
the competing
(at
for women) of
Boston without
plan
to
could
shelter,
acquire the
become
Inn and continue
self-sufficient.
Pine
as
informally
the Boston Urban
Inn
Street
Priests developed a
its operation until
The
shelter
operated
time;
it
numbers
of
some
for
incorporated as such in 1973.
the
to
released
health patients were
mental
deinstitutionalized
deinstitutionalized,
The
people
of-
more
created
sandwich for resolution, with
and a
them
influx
problems that required more than a
complicated
coffee
Street Inn.
disoriented
being
and many of
streets of Boston,
their way to the Pine
made
large
1970's,
early
the
in
Also
cup
of
the resulting
change creating frustration for the shelter staff.
Almost
was outgrowing the
population
It was clear that the
The decision was made
staff.
and Assistant
Director
There
existing facility.
for more professionalism among
was also a need perceived
the
the
immediately after the transfer of ownership,
search began for a new building.
would
that the then Director
put all of
their time
into
a search for a new building.
The process of moving
was
extremely
worked
perform
to
the new Bristol
taxing for
Director
Paul
much as 100 hours weekly
as
his
negotiating
and
administrative
duties
and
Street
continued
doing
lobbying necessary to ensure the
30
facility
Sullivan,
while
it
who
to
the
was
cooperation of
the
all
acquisition
the parties that would be
of
the
new
facility.
involved in
Eventually,
Sullivan would take a leave of absence from the Inn
due
to exhaustion from the overload.
Obviously,
How do you look at these things?
it's dedication, commitment, and all that...I
our own
we
throw in a little bit of
guess
needs along the way, and that's how
personal
Paul put a lot in, and
these things work out.
I guess he wasn't
needed to be done.
that
and
for
at the
time,
doing
anything else
someone who was a recovering alcoholic, you go
to A.A.
or you get a hobby,
meetings,
or you
for
the
work hard...there was really a need
work
to be done, and he rose to the occasion
90, 100 hours a
Paul worked 80,
and did it.
week, from day one up until recently, and that
gets you after a while.
Our nurses' clinic got started as a result of
talking
with
a lot of time
Paul
spending
friends on the Accident Floor at (Boston) City
Hospital...he mixed his work and his personal
life...he'd bop over there and bring ice cream
or fresh coffee--that was great at 1:00 in the
He'd talk about his guests...I think
morning.
understanding
started having a way of
people
troublesome
than dirty,
our guests as more
Nurses got together and said, 'what can
guys.
Pine
to
nurses came
do?'...volunteer
we
and we could back up our van into the
Street,
ambulance bay, and supplies got loaded onto it
every time we needed
them.
At some point,
it
It was
got
formalized.. .but Paul did that.
and it was good for the place.
good
for him,
14
Patrick Murphy, Assistant
The
decision to obtain
upgrading
of
Director
a new building prompted a
including
services,
31
improved
full-scale
management
transportation.
and
in
the changes
In the new
Pine Street's homeless clientele.
300 men.
patients required more service
The deinstitutionalized mental
and
from
shelter would be provided for 50 women in addition
building,
to
adjustments arose
internal
These
and
counselors who made referrals,
a clinic,
program,
clothing
food
a
professionalism,
staff
increased
techniques,
and some of
supervision,
to handle the most basic life
the
Staff had
problems.
ability
to concern
the reality that many guests did not have the
themselves with
mental
the patients lacked
to determine whether
capacity
to wear
wintertime, and therefore were in danger of
There's a lot of blood--on a lot of hands.
-
in
coats
the
freezing.
15
Patrick Murphy,
on deinstitutionalization
Security was also a major
The
issue.
by staff as being "like
described
Row population was capable of being
violent,
and
compounded the
that
detail was added,
of security.
32
Street
the Wild West."
which
Inn was
The
Skid
very disorderly and often
One scuffle resulted
eventually led to a death.
hour police
Pine
deinstitutionalized
the addition of
problem.
old
After
that,
patients
in a shooting
a twenty-four
improved everyone's sense
Deinstitutionalization also created
The
in obtaining a new building.
a
like
because
of such
search
for
these
in
the
their
The fact
that Pine Street
Inn's
a new facilty coincided with
neighborhood as
city
center
than
homeless population was not insignificant-.
of
more
in
the changes
"those drunks from Pine
Street,"
Street."
from Pine
the types of people
The numbers have changed;
The issue has changed, in that
have changed.
that
so
there's more public awareness of it,
It's more
support.
public
more
there's
because of the economy, and of
complex,
There's even this
denstitutionalization.
up
wrapped
element of politics we're
whole
way.
in a major
with now in public policy,
drunks,
of
taking care
from
changed
It's
mission-style, to a major issue.16
-
In
addition to
Patrick Murphy
the 300 male and
50 female guests,
Street Inn houses a live-in staff of
who
run
the
housing operation
33
in
40 men and
return for
Pine
10 women
room
the
thought
Formerly
shelter residents quickly became categorized as "those
people
a
the issue is particularly
areas tend to get
facilities.
been
has
some
In
one.
like the South End,
neighborhoods,
volatile
issue of placing a facility
residential neighborhoods
difficult
particularly
share
in
shelter
shelter
the
problems for
and
crazy
Many of
and minimum wages.
board
formerly
Pine
at
guests
the
live-in staff were
are
There
Street.
administrative and supervisory staff as well.
the
of
the characteristics
When defining
one can only say
at Pine Street,
population
(In 1978) it was
it is ever changing.
that
to be approximately 80% alcoholic and
thought
At
elderly.
and
mentally disturbed
20%
Unit
Men's
the
in
appears
it
present
are
are alcoholic and 50%
50%
approximately
social
young
or
elderly
mentally disturbed,
it appears to
In the Women's Unit,
misfits.
alcoholic,
10%
mentally disturbed,
90%
be
battered.
and
social misfits, elderly
young
Guests
range
90,
in age from 18 to
one
and
Hispanic, Oriental, and
finds Indian, Black,
The men and women at Pine Street
Caucasian.
they are
one commonality:
share
all
Inn
homeless.17
Despite
large
the
of
numbers
deinstitutionalized
patients, the only support Pine Street
the
in the
a psychiatric nurse for the clinic.
for
Welfare,
the
salary
The shelter's
Public
which pays Pine Street a total of $1.9
million
comes
shelter of
and on the floor.
General
form of
from
of
support
public
for
is
Health
Department of Mental
Inn receives
Relief
from the
Department
people who sleep there,
This funding is
benefits
to the
both
in
beds
in lieu of payment of
clients
themselves--a
subject of some controversy these days.
than
any
contract Pine Street
Inn
receives more public money
Pine
Street
Inn
other
shelter
in Boston.
The
34
has
with the
Department of
the
purchase
of services
The Inn is paid,
people.
for
Public welfare provides
from Pine Street to
from General Relief
for
homeless
monies,
persons sleeping either in beds or on the floor
of
the shelter.
Pine
Street
Massachusetts
that
for
Inn,
although
not
member
Homeless,
Coalition of the
group's efforts
a
to obtain General
has
Relief
of
opposed
benefits
homeless people that would be paid directly to
individual,
Assistant
and
not
Director,
to the
shelter.
Patrick
Murphy,
Pine
the,
Street's
offers
explanation:
too much
Relief
not used General
have
We
we end up
people
the
in most cases,
because,
and
income,
of
sources
working with have other
find
you
when
had
be
to
more
there's certainly
a Veteran and link him up with those benefits.
A lot of times, it's sorting out benefits that
reason...a guy
cut off for some
have been
the checks go back; he
disappears on a drunk;
up
and we have to start him
gets cut off,
again....
The whole move afoot now, this thing of making
a permanent address to get General
shelters
a
it's
that one time;
had
Relief...we
I think it should be
a real mess.
nightmare,
for places like Rosie's--places that are
done
places,
For State-funded
State-funded.
not
There's the
it's a whole different situation.
double-dipping,
legitimate issue of the
real
and how do you deal with that?
35
the
an
a
I don't think that we want to get between
guest and his money in any way, because it's a
understand
They don't
situation.
no-win
Relief
a person to receive General
it...for
us to have to take a certain
here,
and
for
the
expense
amount
from his check to cover
that GR would
take from
from our
regular
do
complicated.
We have to
contract,
it's
that, as opposed to them doing that... 18
-
Patrick
Murphy
(interview)
Other members of the shelter community in
different
join
view
of
Pine
Street's reluctance
the Coalition for the
General
Boston have
Homeless or to
Relief payments to homeless
to
either
advocate
individuals.
the
shelter
a certain mentality in
There's
be
to
do have
people
that
these
world
handle General
they can't
that
protected;
We tried to get Pine Street
Relief benefits.
Relief
General
to
back us on getting
Inn
if
they
I don't know
for people.
benefits
Street
they
[Pine
face the fact that
could
Inn's]
all knew that their [Pine Street
Inn]
Inn's
income depended upon their [Pine Street
The
Relief.
not getting General
guests]
General Relief now goes to Pine Street Inn.
this secondary idea
They also have this idea,
from the
economic organization,
that
comes
money.
it's not good for people to have
that
They're
all going to get mugged.. .which is
after years of
But that's because of,
true.
not getting their money, they are so disabled
that they can't handle things.
It's like the back wards.
can't handle...
You create what you
a
I was at
When
I was a student nurse,
State
Toledo
the
called
hospital
One
of my
for the Insane.
Hospital/Asylum
jobs was to hose people down who were chained
in
1963...this
their
chairs...this was
to
the
center,
in
floor
with a hole
concrete
where
all the waste went...we went around and
36
a
for
fed people porridge out of pots,
they were chained to their chairs.
we were
told, 'Watch out for violence.'
while
Then
Well, suppose you went in there and tried
group
do
Nurse and
Sally
be
to
It isn't going to work;
psychotherapy.
people don't even know how to talk to
They've learned
each other any more.
To be
things they had to do to survive.
to ignore stimulation, or
withdrawn,
themselves
hold
to
just
whatever,
together.
So
they
were
created
on
the
-
back
ward...then you would say, 'Well, this is
impossible...they aren't regular people.'
But you've added all this baggage to
their lives.
I have no quarrel with saying that some
people are organized psychologically in a
way that they don't function well, and
in the
Fine...but
they never will.
to be
have
doesn't
somebody
meantime,
wear
to
able
be
not
and
humiliated,
to...make
able
be
not
and
pants,
decisions within the limited scope that
It's
they're able to make decisions.
you're
money,
have
If you
outrageous.
not treated like that.
'Well,
...[Pine Street]is always saying,
our people are drunks..our people are
bums...they can't handle money....
And Pine Street has
that's true.
Well,
in making them that way.
participated
Not on purpose---they've done their best
as they've seen it, but we are now beyond
the days of primitive shelter. Primitive
shelter now is not helpful. The Shattuck
and Long Island (opened temporarily in
winter, 1983) are already better than
They aren't
Pine Street in that sense.
somewhat
are
they
but
best,
the
transitional in nature, in that they
adopt people who are there and work with
them on their problems. They are capable
of being able to expand to do a full
37
advocacy component.
am so
I
[at
angry
Pine Street
Inn]
for
not developing more of a consciousness.
angry at them, but I shouldn't,
I get
It
really, because it's an institution.
the alcoholic
old solution for
an
was
guy, and it ballooned into meeting modern
and bigger
day needs by getting bigger
It can't help itself.
and bigger.
look
...As we
population, we
little
its
and
at Pine Street
a
Pine
hold
begin to
more accountable.
They've
been
They get money
getting a lot of money.
for people who have to sleep on the
even
complain
why they don't
That's
floor.
floor.
the
on
sleeping
people
about
shelter
the
of
danger
the
That's
industry.
industry.
the state hospital
like
It's
The mental health workers want patients,
They're not
and so do the psychiatrists.
state
to deinstitutionalize the
trying
hospitals...
Pine
assisting
be
needs to
State
The
that
pieces
dismantling the
in
Street
What they should be
don't work so well.
of
down with the Board
is sitting
doing
"Look. How can we,
Directors and saying,
bring some coherency and
piece by piece,
homelessness
to
response
programmatic
do
the State isn't going to
But
here?
that;
they're saying,
'Hmm...Pine Street
Inn ... 350 beds...'
Pine Street is responsible for the way it
it has always
It does good things;
is.
done good things, but
it needs to be much
more brought into the contemporary
and be
a need-meeting structure,
part of the problem.19
-
Carol Johnson
38
world
and not
is sitting down with the
they should be doing
What
bring
piece,
by
How can we,
"Look.
Board of Directors and saying,
piece
some
coherency
and
here?
But
response to homelessness
programmatic
well.
so
pieces that don't work
the
dismantling
in
Street
Pine
needs to be assisting
State
The
saying,
they're
the State isn't going to do that;
'Hmm...Pine Street Inn...350 beds...'
It
Street is responsible for the way it is.
Pine
it
but
needs
things,
it has always done good
does good things;
to be much more
the
into
brought
contemporary world and be a need-meeting structure,
19
and not part of the problem.
-
The
public
of
portion
funding
quantified
and
and
services,
received by Pine Street
support--on paper.
its
by Pine
received
Carol Johnson
makes
feeds
as
annually.)
volunteer
many
of
Much
support
the
Street and other such organizations
the
in
comes
articles
up the
donations
form of
and
from individuals
groups/social organizations.
support
substantial
is a
A major portion of
Pine Street
Inn
food
as 600 people nightly (over
of
from
not
is
time,
church
this donated
program,
200,000
which
people
Pat Murphy speaks with great enthusiasm about
efforts that maintain a massive
generally keep Pine Street Inn going.
39
the
feeding program and
If we were to
The volunteer support is enormous.
go across the street and open a shelter to provide
this much service without volunteers, it would cost
Right now, it's costing the
us $4-5 million.
Department of Public Welfare under $2 million, and
inflation and all
we're looking at the next year,
is because
that...half of everything we're doing
people are donating. It comes in the form of cash,
and it comes in the form of food and services and
goods...
The food program is enormous. The number of people
involved--I really haven't co.unted, but you figure
1,200 sandwiches a night made by a community group,
and the community group is each family making two
A pound of bologna, two
loaves of sandwiches.
the
sandwiches, put them
loaves of bread...make
There's
someone
going around,7
back
in the bag.
The
picking up from all the community groups.
person who goes to the supermarket picks up the
Someone else who
stale pastries or the day-olds.
made a casserole--someone who hustled up some white
socks...some oranges...and ten or fifteen people
who bring it here...
We have this whole network out there to make these
1,200 sandwiches. It's an enormous number of
people. When you figure out how much it would cost
to feed 550 or 600 people every night of the
A
year...what's it cost to go to McDonald's?
You're not going to get out of
couple of bucks.
or
there with a full stomach for under $2.50
something like that.
And
there's a fish company in Everett..every
Wednesday, we go over and pick up an enormous
amount of fish...And we've got the Stop and Shop
Companies and all these bread companies...and two
picking
or three vans that are constantly moving,
bread
of
amount
enormous
We use an
up bread.
a
bag
of
bagels;
here...Green Freedman Bakery has
and
It goes on and on
we'll pick it up.
on...canned goods drives from the schools...that's
what it's all about.
And the blankets, and the sheets, and all the
clothing...and the nurses, and the people who come
in from the schools who volunteer for a semester
and will walk people through the whole mess that is
Social Security. Go apply for Social Security some
40
If you're on the street and homeless and a
time!
bit off-center because of that, it's a pretty tough
So we have volunteers who actually have to
thing.
It's
spoon-feed someone through the whole thing.
really
that
support
volunteer
of
an enormous amount
makes this thing go. 20
Patrick Murphy (interview)
Inn
Street
Pine
Catholic
has
community
The
Church,
though not formally tied to the
Inn,
played a role in its continued
through
charitable
corridors.
the
in
cheery staff
the
to
highly
a
to be
from the sandwiches catered by
organization,
groups
appears
primarily
success,
rather
individuals associated with the Church,
than through the Archdiocese per se.
The
Boston Urban Priests,
priests
were
Street.
saved Pine Street Inn
which
from
Catholic
Charities
Vincent
lunches.. .St.
provides
Paul
de
liberal
of
demolition,
for
Pine
funds
for
leverage other Church support
to
able
an organization
send
Societies
contributions.
Both
Street
Cardinals
and,
by
Cushing and Medeiros have visited
so doing,
shelter's operation.
garnered
support
for
Pine
the
The late Richard Cardinal Cushing
was a particular favorite of Pine Street staff.
41
Cardinal Cushing used to come here in the old days,
which was a very big thing.
He was a very,
very
influential
person in the community, and when he
arrived
at Pine Street on
Thanksgiving,
everyone
That was an opportunity to come
else arrived, too.
the
and do the good work, whether they were there
other 364 days of the year or not...
a
The
television cameras would arrive--which was
support,
conflict and a dilemma--but it was public
and
the
Cardinal
would
say,
'This is
a good
place...' and people would support us.
That would
and
mean blankets and bedspreads and canned goods
Paul Sullivan would be
food groups, and on and on.
his
Paul would get this drawn look on
there...and
face,
and
people would
think,
'Give this man
people,
When Paul went out and talked to
money.'
he looked the way some of the guys did...
kind
of
that
that we got
is
thing
The whole
Medeiros
from
Cardinal
it
gotten
and
we've
support,
as well,
who is consistently here every day before
You
and it's wonderful.
Christmas to serve lunch,
but
when
person,
know--I'm not much of a spiritual
says,
in--that holy man--and
that person comes
It carries you for a
'thank you,' it's important.
little while longer, and that's nice.
that public support and all those parishes and
So
those
all those priests and all those nuns and all
de
parochial schools...all those Vincent
in
kids
those
Paul Societies and Knights of Columbus...all
all
that
goods and clothing drives...and
canned
awareness...it all builds through the years.
One time, we told people we needed razors. We have
razors...people
this
unbelievable problem with
Usually
around here have a lot of beards to shave.
we're shaving three-day or four-day beards, and you
on
need about four disposable razors to do the job
'Folks -- special need:
we said,
So,
each face.
They
could
It was phenomenal!
we
need razors.'
It was fabulous.
have come in trucks.
that
things
complicated
for more
asked
We've
for
asked
We've
to
deliver.
as
easy
been
haven't
have
We
to
bed.
to
wear
people
for
johnnies
special ones that you have to sew, because we don't
we
a hole in the back...whenever we've said
want
need
things, people are there.
It's great.
Church
has supported us in that way, and we
some
very solid,
active people on our board
the Church.21
-
Patrick
Murphy
42
(interview)
So
the
have
from
Pine
Street
such
goals,
succeeded in
has
own
its
accomplishing
as the move to the new facility on Bristol
Street,
by developing strong working relationships with
elected
officials
private
was
and
key
personnel
sector organizations.
individuals
and
institutions,
and
Cushing was a facilitator
Cardinal
necessary.
Pine
developing
the
survival
move
of
many
late
Richard
for Pine Street when
learned the
that
ties
political
between
difference
has
Inn
Street
Street
efforts
the
and
public
Bristol
by the concerted
possible
made
The
in
and demise
art
can
make
for
a
of
the
shelter
organization.
For
example,
in
the
Dukakis
Pine Street personnel have been very active
to combat homelessness.
Pine Street's Executive
was appointed to the
Richard Ring,
Director,
Directors
Assistant
on which the
Forces,
of
Pine
Director
responsibility
for
Street
Patrick
Pine
Executive and
have
Murphy
Advisory
which split into
Committee established by the Governor,
three Task
Michael
by
initiated
which has been
process
Assistant
served.
has
Street's role
primary
had
in
the
State
process.
In that capacity, Murphy has indicated that he
hasspent
some
thirty
various Task Force
with
the
State
hours weekly since
and Subcommittee meetings
campaign.
43
February
in
associated
Murphy
asserts
that
the Task
Forces are
continue
meeting
suggests
that
expedite
research functions and
staff
responsibility on
Murphy's
program
for at least the
mixed.
Street management
four years,
for the committees
to
be
ease the
to
and
added
to
burden
of
(already overtaxed) shelter operators.
prognosis
is
next
scheduled
for the success of
It is also
the
indicative
Governor's
of the
Pine
philosophy.
Well, my name's Murphy, and I guess I have a bit of
the
pessimist
in me,
and I guess a bit
of
the
optimist,
and I guess I'm an idealistic pragmatist
and a pragmatic idealist.
I know how to work hard,
and I know how to hustle, and I put those skills to
what's
that's
because
for
our guests,
work
I'll take anything I can get.
to me.
important
of
go
to great lengths to hustle up a case
I'll
white socks or to get a food group to come in or to
get a couple of cans of peas.
on
If [Dukakis] wants to throw his hat in the ring
in
I'll be right
work on this issue,
this,
and
We'll
there with him, and so will the rest of us.
do.
to the wall and do what we have to
go
right
beltReagan,
and
and
is politics,
Politics
and everything else...if we don't come
tightening,
that's life.
out of it with the whole ball of wax,
We
do what we can to get as much as we can out of
it; it's as simple as that.
I think he's an
I don't know what he can deliver.
He walks
committed, honorable individual.
honest,
play up
in
circles
where it's a funny game they
there,
politics.
I think his heart's in the right
place, and his head's in the right place, and he'll
do what he can for us.
And we'll back him up to do
whatever we have to do.
We'll roll the
snowballs
if
he wants to
throw them.
That's what
about. 22
-
Patrick Murphy
(interview)
44
it's
all
Pine
involved
the State process.
in
in
efforts.
The process of
has
thus
done
far
Pine
planning
the
will assist
Pine
The
homeless
Pine
a model
order to produce
provide--in
one.
fruitful
a
has been
person--in totality, beyond the basics which
to
planning
reflection on what Pine Street
workgroup has been looking at the needs of
attempts
time
Inn has been
Street
long-range
internal
own
its
involved
its
of
not spent all
has
Street
Street
that
in long-range planning.
Street
has
also
begun
to
consider
the,
possibility of a training program that would enable
formalize the educative role
to
it
with others who wish to either start
played
has
it
shelters or to
learn more about working in shelters.
the ever larger and ever more
Despite
that
people
of homeless
population
Street
Inn
to overflowing every night,
problematic
Pine
fills
Pat
Murphy
feels much progress is being made:
We're winning every day, I guess...600 people under
better
roof every night in February...that's
the
fed.
is...600
sure
It
streets.
the
on
600
than
hopeful.
are
things
boy,
.and
on..
going
lots
And
but
another battle to be won,
that's
DMH--well,
hopeful.
are
things
keep people alive for one
goals are simple:
Our
that goal every single day
reach
we
And
more day.
a more complicated goal,
was
it
If
of the world.
and
it's that simple,
but
time,
we'd have a tough
23
successful.
we're
and
it's that attainable,
-
Patrick
Murphy
45
(interview)
ROSIE'S PLACE
The
face
of
poverty is
ever
growing
more
vivid; that face is the face of a woman.
-
Kip
Tiernan,
Foundress
and
current President, Rosie's Place
Rosie's Place grew out of
of
volunteer energy,
starting
from
dollar
a year,
that
for
on Columbus Avenue
in
the
was
a
Urban
South End
Project Area.
Renewal
generally believed
is
in a storefront
the Boston Redevelopment Authority
leased
It
a prayer and a lot
a dream and
Place
that Rosie's
as a Catholic worker-type soup kitchen,
shelter
for homeless women in
Tiernan
had
social club and
Boston.
something else in mind
originated
when
Actually,
she
started
Rosie's.
I was not
Place,
Rosie's
When
I opened
I was thinking
really, of charity.
thinking,
it made sense to have a place
simply,
that,
without question.
could come to
that women
They simply
They didn't have to be anything.
come
It was a place for them to
were there.
be.
It was
to
and
be who they wanted to
simple; it is still simple.
In the
late
'Fifties,
I went to
Paris...I was
working
for Houghton Mifflin at the time.
for an author they had given
was
looking
46
Kip
I
a
When
retainer to and never heard from again.
I was in Paris, I poked around the city, and I
Pierre
kind of involved...the whole Abbe
got
then.
starting
was
thing
worker priest
I ran around for a while with a group called
They were
Fascinating.
the Little Brothers.
thirtyover
be
could
one
men...no
all
with
relationships
grandson
up
five...they set
to
used
They
Paris.
the abandoned elderly of
hot,
plates
terrific food...make all the
get
and hand-deliver it.
it,
they did
intrigued with the way
I was
into
go
They would
because it was very chic.
these absolute hovels, with these hot, napkinwrapped plates, and present them with a great
They
poor people.
style to these
of
deal
first
them the
like take
things
do
would
strawberries
of
the
season... or
they
anniversary,
out that it was their
find
they'd bring them a bottle of champagne.
would
and
an
is
this
Christ,
thought--Jesus
I
people
extraordinary way of being with poor
I
and making them feel good about themselves.
suppose those are the kinds of things you put
time
when the
back burner...then,
the
on
something
that you say you want to do
comes
like this, you have that kind of history.
I
be.
That's what I wanted Rosie's Place to
be
to
it
wanted
I
elegant.
be
to
it
wanted
best
and the
the best food,
terrific, with
was
it
.so
flowers..
and
everything,
opened.
ever
it
choreographed, before
I started out calling it a Catholic Worker
I knew people would understand
becuse
thing,
Little by
not what I had to say.
that--and
we were
that
people
little, I got it across to
a soup
not
were
that we
not into stale bread,
people
having
into
that we were not
kitchen,
were.
we
lucky
sitting around praying about how
I did not like the imposed austerity that the
I
As a result,
Catholic Worker style has.
I was accused
took a lot of heat from people.
of "pampering" the women. 23
Rosie's
Place has matured
inception.
in the eight years since
It now provides
47
its
ten emergency beds to women
(and sometimes children),
ample,
at
along
with serving nutritious,
and delicious meals that support groups cater
least
hundred
fifty women each day for
twenty
lunch and
up
for
to
one
for dinner each evening.
Last
night, we had
salad,
beef
stew,
and
Some people bring
pie.
bread.
And apple
turkey,
potatoes, vegetables, and some bring
are
mixed
Sometimes
there
lasagna.
like,
ladies
don't
which
the
casseroles,
because everyone gets something different...'I
want a chicken!' 'She got hot dogs!'24
-
Eileen
Brigandi
(interview)
Rosie's Place focuses on quality of service, rather than
quantity of women served.
because
that
at
Rosie's
dinnertime
Because
appealing food,
Place is so
for
program
the food component.
some
Food
line
come
from all over the
are simply poor;
is
served
(for
small
overnight guests),
available
Women
nutritional
is
much of a community event
as
Rosie's
is
as
well
There
Place.
to serve tasty,
however,
as
events
together;
That is not to say that there is an air of
necessities.
frivolity
get
is a time for the wcmen to
social
are
meals
Meals are a special occasion,
family-style,
dinner,
or
for
and
as
make
possible.
beds
are
a large part of
its
to
see
there
anything
48
effort,
and to
(only ten
city--some
some come
an
are
their
homeless;
friends.
is no waiting
else).
in
Whenever
are held.
celebrations
possible,
Rosie's operates on the
to
something
there need
premise
come
that the women who
Rosie's, life
At
celebrate.
is
celebrated.
One of the most striking and significant aspects of
continued
survival of
accepted
or
Another
important
comes
seeking government
reason
funds
for
is that
government
the principle
Rosie's wants to
maintain
its freedom to enter political arenas
advocate
for
poor and
the needs of
theory
the
sought any government funding,
regulation.
of not
it has never
is that
with government funding,
that
being
Rosie's Place
the
and
homeless women.
to
It
has seen other shelter organizations refrain from taking
positions
on
important issues,
for
fear of
losing
or
jeopardizing their funding.
Some
of
the
make
it
such
ideas
that Rosie's started with
a unique
place
have not
and
changed.
that
The
philosophy that says that poor people need to live,
and
leftovers
and
not
just
castoffs,
Rosie's
subsist
on
everyone
else's
stands firm at the center of
the operation of
Place.
I think one of the main things is the attitude
of
acceptance--that what's really
things to change,
for
at right now,
they're
at right now is okay.
lifestyle.
important,
identify where
is to
and that where they're
Whatever their
Fine.
49
you need to
'if you come here,
We don't say,
We say, 'if you come here, we'll
get better.'
And I think once people
take you as you are.'
they can
get a good sense of self-acceptance,
really change. Change is a fringe benefit of
acceptance...
had
we
If
how are you?'
'hi,
can say,
We
I think we'd have to say
funding,
government
Why
you been?
'Where have
things:
other
Where have you looked for
haven't you eaten?
someone
if
the Salvation Army,
At
food?'
won't
they
change,
to
willing
actively
isn't
demand
real
is
a
There
person.
shelter that
you
Street,
Pine
At
rehabilitation.
for
keep
just
You
anything.
to do
have
don't
coming...I think that the number of individual
Army,
people may be higher at the Salvation
because
I think they will try and find options
'Let's
get people back into the system.
to
to
people
get
to
try
They
job.'
this
try
So
system.
the
into
back
work, to assist them
that frees up beds...it's a flow, rather than
the same old people. 25
- Eileen
Rosie's
to
being.
court,
The
--
treatment,
or
seeking jobs or housing
Staff
whatever
Staff
to medical
assistance,
permanent
is necessary for
have
also
and
structure
of
its
principles
women
Rosie's
of
wellto
like.
the
Place
operation.
consistent
with
volunteers
at Rosie's determine policy.
50
housing,
a woman's
accompanied
appointments,
organizational
medical
in obtaining
assist guests
income
benefits,
jobs
with
into performance
is a major part of the routine at Rosie's
advocacy
Place.
(interview)
Place
While women are not pressured
regard
Director,
Brigandi,
They are
is
The
the
Directors
are those
people who have devoted
a great deal
The
of time and energy to the success of Rosie's Place.
shelter is feminist in principle and
is
are many men who are
there
no
becomes. This
the
matter how sophisticated
parties,
fresh flowers,
this commitment,
shortchanged
at
to
organization
the
includes the provision of good
shelter world,
travel;
Place and
committed
is
shelter
for the women who come to
behind
Rosie's
the atmosphere that retains Rosie's special
maintaining
quality,
the
of
Administration
love
friends of
and
volunteers,
its operation however they can.
assist in
sheets,
in practice, but it
there are male
not exclusionary:
of
Board
the
on
"celebrities"
body;
decisionmaking
in
fun,
Rosie's.
which may even
is that the women are
just
friendship, and
The
principle
,ound lavish
seen as
about every avenue of
Rosie's, they will
food, clean
being
life
not be shortchanged.
have been
I think there are some people who
were
door when all the goodies
the
behind
society has
I think that
given out.
being
that
contributed to that feeling of no value
I think politics is how one may
people have.
(I think this is true of
forced to live.
be
theology as well)...
just
than
Unless we are willing to do more
some of us get just what
criticize and gripe,
poor
If we do not stand up for
we deserve.
knees
today, we're going to be on our
women
down the line. 26
-
Kip Tiernan
(interview)
51
in
they
and
"rebhabilitated,"
is
"improved,"
or "upgraded."
important things Rosie's
most
categorized,
be...questioned,
to
not
and
home,
for,
warm, welcome, cared
for women to be.. .safe,
place
is a
probably more than anything else,
Place,
Rosie's
Place
One of
provide
to
strives
the
a sense of community for the women--this applies
The
kinds
serving
for
responsibility
deinstitutionalized
recently,
recognize
abdicated
have
of
group
that
the
who are referred to as
people
mentally ill"
are
may
that
but
services
for
problem of homelessness
the women
of
shifted
have
Rosie's
institutions
mental
from
"chronically
many
Now,
need
their
as the
the years,
changed.
released
to
of women who come
somewhat over
has
the overnight guests.
to
the meal guests as well as
to
--those who are not seen
as
readily "curable."
of the
Because
number
limited
of women wanting them,
that
policy
consecutive
they must go elsewhere,
but
may
recognition of the six-day
creating a hardship for the women.
the
limited
women
in
With the
Rosie's
the city
than Rosie's can
serve
turnover of women enables
to assist more women.
52
return
limit
as
The principle behind
stay is that there are far
limit,
a
six
is
There
later.
instituted
Rosie's has
can only stay for
women
when
nights,
the unlimited
number of beds and
more
homeless
at one
the
time.
staff
at
the
institutions on whom
traditional
The
placed:
historically
been
has
burden
Catholic
Army,
Salvation
churches,
grisly
new,
the
handle
Workers...caf't
mathematics....
to
hunger/shelter/access
of us on the
Those
actually
are
city
the
in
scene
justice
involved
in
triaging
hunger,
homelessness,
legal services, and access.
medical services,
When
is overwhelming.
at hand
task
The
hell
the
what
then
a
priority,
is
everything
27
is a priority?
Kip Tiernan
-
to
Responding
to
band-aids
the call
to
(interview)
do something other
a failed system,
Rosie's
than apply
begun
has
address
the problem of providing permanent housing
women.
Many
of the women who are
Rosie's because no one wants to
for
them.
By providing permanent,
its
move
responsibility
take
supervised housing
crisis facing poor women
some
the doorstep
for some
of
Rosie's hopes not only to help relieve the
guests,
housing
for
the disaster victims
of Boston's housing crisis have ended up on
of
to
women out of
in Boston,
the vicious
cycle
but also to
of
chronic
homelessness.
The
urban
impression often maintained of homeless
areas,
examined,
together"
could
do
when the problem has not been
is of people who,
or
"pull
better.
were they to
in
thoroughly
"get themselves
themselves up by their
The
people
bootstraps,"
reality for the women of Rosie's
53
overlooked
been
dream,
and
didn't
fit
continued
by the
Society,
Great
they
resources
to-day,
Most
into
slip
to
the master
any of
have
plans,
through the cracks in
never
necessary
for successful
they
so
and
system.
the
lives,
their
skills
the
really acquired
of the women of Rosie's
alcoholics.
time
They
and
day-
functioning
in
are poor.
Many are
independent urban living.
handicapped or sick,
the
American
the
the Welfare/social service networks.
Many of them have been doing just that all
and
have
Many of the women
is something different.
Place
Place
and quite a few are old.
Many can't get on Welfare.
system has failed them.
in
"liberate"
institutions,
them
By and
Some have spent
that
when
for one reason or
the
Some are
large,
so
institutions
another,
they
indeed more lost than liberated.
to
'do the women ever want
People say to me,
clean up? Do they ever want to take showers?'
My answer to that is, that's usually the first
and
soap,
Shampoo,
they want to do.
thing
infood--the most
than
are--other
towels
brush
to
want
and
in
come
Women
demand items.
them
so we give
their teeth before they eat,
And, as you say,
toothbrushes and toothpaste.
it's a lack of conveniences.
It's always the sort of middle class folks
ask the question, and I say, "where would
take a shower if you didn't have your home
How would your body
Y membership?
your
clean?"
who
you
and
get
women will
other aspect of it is that
The
smell offensive as a protection, feeling like,
you'll be repulsive,
if you smell bad enough,
54
much
are
The chances of
and you'll be less victimized.
about it, if
think
you
If
rape will be less.
you
enough,
smelly
and
you look dirty enough
it's
So
you.
hassle
hope to God the men won't
If you're going to be
a survival mechanism.
too
look
you'd better not
streets,
the
on
pretty.
a
is not
even matter...rape
doesn't
It
28
hope.
their
But that is
function of sex.
-
(interview)
Brigandi
institutions--rather
by
maintenance
of
even acknowledgement of
or
treatment,
rehabilitation,
kind
than any
in
basic
given
been
have
who
women
Massachusetts,
health
of mental
deinstitutionalization
the
With
Eileen
their particular needs, have been dumped back into their
areas.
Often
permanent
housing
needs comes from
person
offering
Obviously,
shelter where
her
with
she could,
does not
six nights,
a
a
a
"try
that they
suggests
who
for
their
hospital
staff
the only advocacy
catchment
Rosie's
a lead to
woman
an
if there were room,
in
free her
range of options
Place."
emergency
stay
for
any real way or provide
from
which
reshape
to
a
life.
Kip
Tiernan
women
"taking
has often
from the
them
characterized
institutions
to
movement
the
the streets of
from the back wards,
and
of
Boston as
putting them
on
the back alleys."
There
is nothing
humane about this kind
55
of
situation.
It
solves no
are
part of
they
that
institutions that
for the
except
problem,
problems for women
the problem.
It creates
can't handle,
along with a
situation
On a
that
neighborhood
cities
are not prepared to manage.
level,
it creates a situation in which everyone ends up
blaming
the victim,
because no one wants
"those people"
sleeping in their doorways, cluttering
in their alleys,
up their notions of what city life is all about.
Place has been bearing
Rosie's
responsibility
staff
limited
the
for
served.
and
the
organizational
bettering
of
there has been a great deal
life situations,
their
has
in strong advocacy to assist women in
belief
With
it
women
and resources,
of
burdens
substantial
work done by a small handful of people.
workload
The
dealings
being
it
is
with
government as much as
that government
worth had combined to
isolationist mode.
the
involvement,
shelter world.
Pine
put Rosie's
Street
(theory
possible
is more
(This isolationism
avoiding
of
preference
and the general
trouble than
in a
somewhat
is not uncommon
Inn has also had
in
periods
of isolationism.)
Given
to
the workload and
the
tendency
isolationism and the
avoid government entanalements,
expected Rosie's Place to become
56
one might
involved
not
in the
have
Dukakis
campaign against homelessness.
not
to
as great an extent
involved--
It did become
as did
Pine
Street
Inn--but
participated:
I think one of the reasons we got in was that
in
been
were feeling that because we had
we
call
can
you
business for nine years--if
the
a business--and we had some understanding
it
We feel the State and its
about homelessness.
policies have created a lot of the problem.
to
listening
on a daily basis,
you are,
If
policy
State
it's
and you believe
women,
at least
or
a lot of it,
creating
that's
I
preventing them from having services...then
think
the
when
State says,
'I now
have
a
tell me,
come and
for you;
ear
listening
wind...' we
the
in
whistling
of
instead
a real
be
to
appeared
to what
responded
changing
to
sufficient opening
and
welcome
participation in State government. 29
-
Eileen Brigandi
The political
(interview)
separation between Rosie's Place
and the more traditional shelter organizations
highlighted during the State inquiry into
was
its
and
Rosie's
system.
homelessness
the
personnel,
not
being dependent upon the
State
for funding, were willing to push issues, such
issue,
as the General Relief medical benefits
further
than were some of their associates.
a
have
Street
the people at Pine
I think
different
a
and
view than we do,
different
about
We are
than Rosie's does.
philosophy
a lifestyle-to return to
people
enabling
Pine Street's not.
people choose.
whatever
monies
people's
really like to manage
They
They feel that they (Pine Street)
themselves.
they can
given the money, and
be
should
better
and shelter
clothing,
food,
provide
They
than the folks who come to Pine Street.
people would only 'drink it up' if they
feel
got General Relief funds...
57
it
I prefer small shelters, because I think they
300
at
looking
you're
better...when
work
I don't know how you begin
people,
homeless
to
going
you're
who
out deciding
sorting
are
other than those few who
first,
assist
a
in
that
I think
services.
demanding
develop more
people can
shelter,
smaller
trust, that they can stay there until they get
the resources to move on.
a
and
staff
the
in
develop trust
They
can
who
bureaucrat
the
to
going
of
mechanism
It
whatever.
their Welfare benefits or
get
I would
can't happen that way with numbers.
shelters
small
see a hundred
soon
as
just
a
at
people
twenty
take
and
state
the
across
30
successes.
few
a
have
time...and
-
Eileen
Kip Tiernan is
Brigandi
involved
(interview)
in the process
in two
foundress of Rosie's Place, and as a member
of
the Massachusetts Coalition
a member of
the Advisory Board
for the
on
roles:
(and leader)
Homeless;
she
Homelessness.
The Advisory Board...is made up of various and
intimate
some of whom have
people,
sundry
out-front
of whom have
some
and
agendas
agendas, like the Coalition and myself. We're
as well as in shelter.
interested in housing,
of
problem
in taking the
interested
We're
which would
homelessness from a total gestalt,
-- Emergency
Welfare
considering
mean
Medicaid, Aid to
Assistance, General Relief,
Families with Dependent Children...
I'm concerned about the creation of a shelter
And a
system which will be very self-serving.
old
the
It's
answer.
the
not
is
cot in a gym
a
It's
cancer.
on
thing of putting a band-aid
little too late for that...
the second meeting we had with Dukakis,
After
no major
was
to me that there
occurred
it
medical
the
And
subcommittee.
medical
a
that confront (the homeless) are
problems
I recommended at an open
So
scene.
major
that Dukakis attended, that we get a
meeting,
58
as
is
I think that the
So we did.
group for that.
thing had only been touched on by a
medical
number of groups that had agendas, but only as
And it's major--we pay
part of the parcel.
moreO for medical care than any state in the
country.
...We suggested at the meeting a couple of
for
asked
(Dukakis)
when
ago,
weeks
questions...my question was to ask him to
clarify his position on the support of Senate
Chet Atkins;
(Sponsored by Sen.
1886.
Bill
both Atkins and Dukakis had introduced bills;
Atkins' bill, the Coalition felt, was more
comprehensive.)
I felt it would be important, somewhere down
to have his support of it, because
the line,
somewhere down the line, he would have to
cut
or
whether to raise taxes,
decide
I felt the legislation would at
services.
least protect the constituency during his
administration.
...Well. No one thought, when we discussed it
after the meeting, that we had raised a big
But Carol Johnson (Mass. Coalition) and
deal.
I were called by the chairs of the task forces
They felt we had embarrassed
to a meeting.
the Governor.
(They were worried about) dissension among the
ranks...maybe we should consider leaving the
Advisory Board...
...We had a strategy...the Coalition had a
strategy for that particular event...there was
There was no other time
no question about it.
to do it...
(of
With a lot of homeless people, the cost
When we
medical care) becomes excessive.
don't take care of outpatient problems, they
become inpatient problems, which are ten times
It may
I have a fiscal reality.
the cost.
not be sophisticated, but I do know the cost
To me, it makes sense to throw in
of things.
when you have
medical...particularly ng3$
people laid off who have no coverage.
They don't
...they look on it as a hand-out.
the state
hand-outs...of
other
the
of
think
don't
that
highways
the
contracts...of
work...of the pieces of paper on your car that
fall off...of the attache Welfare.
59
attache
the
of
in terms
think
They don't
a
the Senators who get $300,000
Welfare...of
Iacocca
Of Lee
year for not growing cotton.
as
that
They don't think of
Chrysler.
of
son-of-athink of some poor
They
Welfare.
bitch cleaning toilets, and she's on AFDC, so
therefore, she's fraudulent.
is
percentage of fraud among recipients
The
the
But
cent.
per
two
like
something
doctors from Wellesley who get
vendors--the
paid for operations they never performed...the
department
taxicabs...the
dentists...the
stores...That's when I get enraged, and I come
off looking like a "crazy."
I'm
perfectly
providing
we
willing
can
take
to
it
discuss
from
Welfare,
the
total
lady
the
Don't just tell me about
gestalt.
from Blue Hill Avenue, who's cleaning toilets
and who--very unlikely--has $42,000.
this
faith that much of
I have
see,
You
in spite
Governor's Advisory Board will work,
Dukakis
that
so sure
I'm not
itself.
of
us
of
many
as
be
would
there
that
realized
that
interesting
It's
Board.
working on the
stuck
they would single us out...but they're
they're
and
move,
to
going
We're not
with us.
stuck with us. 31
-
Kip Tiernan
60
(interview)
A
TINY RIPPLE OF HOPE
Some believe there is nothing
one man or woman can do
against the enormous array of the world's ills.
Yet many of the world's great movements,
of thought and action,
have flowed from the work of a single person.
A young monk began the Protestant reformation,
a young general extended an empire
from Macedonia to the borders of the earth,
and a young woman reclaimed the territory of France.
It was a young Italian who discovered the New World,
and the thirty-two-year-old Thomas Jefferson
who proclaimed that all men are created equal.
These people have moved the world, and so can we all.
Few will have the greatness
to bend history itself,
but each can work to change
a small portion of events,
and in the total of all those acts
will be written the history of this generation.
It is from the numberless diverse acts of courage and
belief
that human history is shaped.
Each time a man stands up for an ideal,
or acts to improve the lot of others,
or strikes out against injustice,
he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope,
and crossing each other from a million different centers
of energy and daring,
those ripples build a current
that can sweep down
the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.
-
Robert F.
Kennedy
61
I
done with big things and small
am
things,
and I
great institutions and big success,
am
for those tiny invisible molecular forces that
creeping
from individual to individual,
work
through the crannies of the world like so many
rootlets,
water,
or
oozing
the capillary
like
of
yet which, if you give them time, will
rend the hardest monuments of men's pride.
- William James
The
most
important acts,
accomplishes
are
creatures,
and
them
those
for
the
his
fellow
that
have
remote
Tolstoy
If you have put castles in the air,
your work need not be lost.
That is where they should be;
now put foundations under them.
-
Thoreau
62
who
for
consequences.
-
one
INDIVIDUALS WHO SHELTER
way
the
about
striking features
of
the
most
shelter
our
homeless is the group of people
One
have
who
and
taken up the societal burden of caring for the poor
the
homeless.
with
varying
shelter
motivations and
come to
the
shelter
organizations
--
place
same
providing
routes.
by different
have
evolved
paths through the same series o-f
different
along
institutional
too have individuals found their niches
so
shifts,
philosophies,
disparate
for those who have none -as
Just
Coming from different life experiences,
have
individuals
we
in-
the homelessness system.
For
notion
"doing
of
involvement,
different
poor,
central
to
their
"right"ness
means
is
although that notion of
things to different people.
inspiration
childhood
the right thing"
comes
in
impressions.
nonspectacular,
Examples
the
the
most people involved in service to
set
Very often,
but
by
important,
significant
others become guiding principles:
why
or
never verbalized why I do this,
I've
but I came upon it one
important to me,
it's
What it
day, trying to answer this question.
priest)
(Russo - parish
that Skip
was was
It was
right.
was
me--what
us--taught
taught
thing
right
the
was
this
that:
as
simple
as
got
I
just
simple.
that
just
was
It
to do.
with
sense from knowing him and working
that
drives
him on very small things--canned goods
I
instance--and
for
Inn,
Street
Pine
for
always knew that it was important to take care
of people...
63
the
things.. .something I keep
are other
There
coming back to:
when I was very, very young,
my family was driving through Boston on Easter
Commonwealth
to
we were going
and
Sunday,
up
parade...going
Easter
the
for
Avenue
there was an old man going
Street,
Tremont
to
and I had no way
a trash barrel,
through
No way--I
as a young kid.
understand that,
just
and it was
a happy family and all,
had
It was sort of punctuated in a way by
there.
"Slow down the
my mother saying to my father,
cigarettes
were some old
There
car--stop!"
there
and
the seat that she had seen,
under
trash
the
old guy looking through
this
was
took
My mother
barrel for something to eat.
him,
at
them
flung
just
and
cigarettes
the
She didn't have any way to
looking.
without
deal with it, either. 32
-
For
some,
personal,
the
Patrick Murphy
the contact with the downtrodden
and
that could
be
more
the impression retained was that feeding
and caring for the poor was
hungry
was
left to
not
something
institutions.
my
and
Depression,
the
of
I'm a child
kitchen
Our
always fed people.
grandmother
a
with homeless men when I was
filled
was
I remember, as a child of five or six,
child.
kitchen
seeing all of these men coming to our
door, and my grandmother just in the kitchen-Just feeding men.
for years, it seemed.
I often wondered, as a kid, how they found our
I read a book about
house...many years later,
"Great" Depression--I never knew what was
the
town,
so great about it...Guys would come to
into
go
could
they
house
a
found
they
and when
would
they
leave,
would
they
when
and be fed,
put a chalk mark on the sidewalk...33
-
The
sense of
Kip Tiernan
the way things work,
64
how society
is
and
ordered,
crystallizes
rise
to
the way the
some
for
economic "pie"
at a very early age
is divided
and gives
later questions.
romantic
that
I think
a kid growing up,
As
tales of the ultimate good happening (like the
important,
loaves and fishes story) are very
a sense of justice...that people are born
for
isn't
it
in life...that
a station
into
negative
of
preconceived, or full
anything
it doesn't mean they don't want
connotations;
understood
I really
I think
better.
any
as a kid--the economic structure of
economics
I
people;
I knew there were rich
society.
knew they didn't work any harder--probably
less
than poor
hard
people--but
.they
were
rewarded for what they were born into.34
-
Eileen Brigandi
into
coming
my
part of
that
think
I
fairly
a
being
with
do
to
had
homelessness
this
across
person who came
well-educated
difference between reading about psychological
with people, then experiencing back
problems
saying,
and
(as a psychiatric nurse),
wards
"Something must be wrong here."
homelessness, where
the same model for
It's
a
in
groups of people are oppressed
massive
way that has nothing to do with their original
problem.
they
because
people are homeless
these
All
don't have money, or the housing (which is the
any
isn't
there
or because
thing),
same
then
and
(which is the same thing),
housing
other
this
to go through all
asked
they're
humiliation of unpredictability...not knowing
sleep.. .skin
to
going
they're
where
shower
bathrooms...no
diseases...exposure...no
don't
that
clothes
wear
to
.having
facilities..
they
everyone
by
upon
down
looked
fit...being
get
they
further
The
with.
come into contact
down
the
hole,
the more
society
wants
to
distance themselves...it's just not right. 35
-
Carol Johnson
65
who
People
the
point
While most share the common desire to do
it.
for doing
individuals can vary
thing,"
"right
reasons
the homeless have different
shelter
an alternative career
from wanting
to
that
beyond
carrying out
an urban ministry.
The
in sheltering
involved
and
in
becomes
between
motivation
in
difference
and
filters out through
a programmatic
sense
of
people
the
system
intent
the
difference
maintaining the homeless as homeless people and
enabling them to participate more fully in society.
Tiernan
distills
between
charity
argument
the
and justice
the system while
attending to
in a way that
that
the
charitable
is enabling).
problem
of
the
difference
as
a
(advocating for change
in
(maintaining
act)
charitable
into
the
homeless
the needs of the
homeless
Part of Tiernan's thesis
homelessness
has
is
outgrown
solutions.
notion
I think we have gone beyond the whole
the
traditionally,
that,
I
think
charity.
of
and
part
been
has
charity
of
notion
whole
so
not
I'm
ethic.
Christian
the
of
parcel
think
I
mind.
in
had
Christ
what
is
sure that
I think
He was really talking about justice.
than
now
justice
of
is more a question
it
charity.
charity, charity,
But we have that mentality:
about
good
charity.. .charity makes you feel
Justice makes you feel good about
yourself.
something.
about
feeling good
everybody
Therein lies the difference.
66
Kip
charity.
in
interested
not
am
I
I
am
People have, I think,
interested in justice.
a
live,
a fundamental right to someplace to
I
food to put in their mouths.
job to go to,
don't think that's a question of charity.
Charity always has a mean little price tag on
eat.
to have to pray to
You're going
it.
to
You're going to have to clean up your act
You're going to have to get a job
get a bed.
to
going to expect us to continue
you're
if
like you.
But we've accepted that notion, and we keep it
rather than justice,
in the realm of charity,
with.
deal
to
easier
is
charity
because
involves
it
and
risks,
involves
Justice
Charity involves the scraps from the
sharing.
about --is
talking
I'm
What
table.
invited to the table.
being
That's justice.
to
you cross over from being a do-gooder
So
dislike
people
when
That's
good-doer.
a
being
what you have to say, becaue it then involves
they are
a participation on their part that
own
their
of
because
take,
to
not willing
people
get
you
how
know
don't
I
insecurities.
beyond that. 36
-
impact of
The
Kip Tiernan
which the homelessness system exists
within
The
overemphasized.
powerful
of
in influencing
the moral
which
proportion
of
the
role
is
the
hungry
serve
Church
the
of
society's
imperative to
In Boston,
feed
in creating the
institutions
the
environment
cannot
has
be
been
acceptance/rejection
poor.
a heavily Catholic city, a striking
people who
are
shelter
Catholic.
67
As
the homeless
with
any
and
other
Institution,
If
others.
operators
Church
the
there
means
more to
issue of
the
than
tying
is a unifying thread
together around
some
to
shelter
Catholicism,
it
is probably that of Catholic/Christian attitudes, rather
than practices.
I think that what the Church left me was a
that
wrong,
ethics--of right and
of
sense
and not because
are entitled to live,
people
Because
of capitalism or government or laws.
live.. .well, life,
to
entitled
are
people
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.. .that's
supposed to be what the nation was built on.37
The
Church has had varying influences
One
person might be motivated by the
of a
favorite parish priest.
are
more angry--perhaps of,
as
altar
to
a way of gaining
and
action
range of
I
inaction
individuals.
example
remembered
Others have memories that
as a
girl,
the
cleaning
access
(otherwise forbidden)
Others have challenged
it.
on
the Church's positions of
and have called
on
it to task
issues.
don't
feel
particularly
that the
just.
Church in
Invariably,
Boston
within
is
the
for
sold
been
have
convents
Archdiocese,
church
churches,
Rectories,
condominiums.
your
of
the one side
on
can't,
land.. .you
the
on
and
homeless,'
the
'shelter
say
mouth,
that.
do
mouth,
your
of
side
other
68
a
The ghetto churches that were sold to the
Boston Redevelopment Authority...money never
went back to the communities.
I think that, for myself, that I am beside,
And I think
rather than within, the Church.
is true for a lot of Catholics I know.
that
That we are willing to coexist, but we are not
that is
to be a part of anything
willing
capitalistic, that is feudalistic, that is
paternalistic, colonialistic...I'm simply not
willing to be a part of that...
'I'm a
I say,
When people ask me who I am,
survivor.' I think that is an accomplishment.
I have spent a lot of time--many years--trying
to have covenential relationships with other
I believe in a universal church. I
churches.
as I believe in any one particular
know
don't
one.
A lot of people within the Catholic Church
What's
have a lot of questions about it.
of
beginning
the
is
bishops
the
with
happening
North
a
for
need
the
of
the acknowledgement
What may
American theology of liberation.
of
salvation
the
of that may be
come
Catholicism.
At the moment, I feel that, like the State and
the City, the Church is part of the problem.
For so long, the Church has tried to provide a
leadership role, and it is morally bankrupt.
I think that the only way we can act as
Christians within an evolutionary concept of
Christianity, is to work with, rather than
people. I don't think we have the right
for,
impose our policies, our theology, our
to
politics...we end up perpetuating systems that
We end up being part of the
don't work.
problem. 37
The
model that immediately comes to mind when
about
Catholics and feeding the hungry,
thinking
sheltering the
homeless, is that of Dorothy Day and her Catholic Worker
Houses
of
Hospitality.
The
Catholic
Worker
was
a
utopian experiment, a political and social movement, and
69
a
for
force
commitment
Individual
probably
to
change
within
Catholicism.
American
within
effort
collective
Worker
what translates most from the Catholic
Boston
the
experience.
barren
as
shelters
establishing
advocate
would
Few
is
deliberately
and
impoverished as were the Houses of Hospitality.
history
recent
More
offers
examples
of
individuals
living a more immediately relevant social gospel.
of
the political energy behind the shelter movement
Boston
comes
activities
more
directly
of the 1960s.
from
Catholic
the
Catholic
in
Left
radicals--clerical
and lay--have challenged not only the basic
of an unjust society,
Much
assumptions
but also the Church's role in the
creation of the status quo.
I was in business for myself, living on Long
sales promotion,
in public relations,
Wharf,
successful at
very
was
I
freelance writing.
the Congress
in
involved
much
it...I was very
that because
of
out
got
I
on Racial Equality.
it; I felt
in
there were too many white people
people as
white
by
it would continue to be run
I
it.
running
long as there were white people
walked
I
left, hoping to create an exodus, and
into the sunset by myself...
Then some friends of mine asked me if I would
Philip's
some press work for the old St.
do
The Cardinal had sold it to the
parish.
That's where I met
Redebvelopment Authority.
people like Jack White, Dan Berrigan...really
Catholic
of
people...kind
interesting
renegades...and the Black Panthers.
(Dan Berrigan) was one of the speakers at this
They were going to have a "last night"
thing.
They asked me to call press for it,
there.
70
I had all the media
and so I did.
what I saw.
by
was impressed
there.
was the first time I had seen what
It
Up until that
Christianity in action.
I
call
I
time, I
had been a bit of a renegade myself..from then
I remember saying that night...when we
on in,
Panthers,
the
the television stations,
had
everyone...that
this
was
the
where
Church
should be.
just
"I have
saying to myself,
I remember
going
no
there is
through a door;
passed
back."37
Michael
Dukakis very wisely made key individuals in the
shelter
homelessness
system.
community
a
part of his inquiry into the
recently by a dispute over
whether
or
The
process was hampered
not
the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless were exhibiting
homelessness
off.
We
the
legislative
package
on
in
the
institutional involvement with
the
have started and continued their work
in the shadow of
or
homeless
that
include provisions for medical assistance.
who
Individuals
absence
suggesting
by
disunity
have taken on responsibility we as a society have cast
have a tendency to think such individuals
are
larger
than life...saints...supermen/women who have added powers of some
sort that we do not possess.
In fact,
very
what they have is commitment,
often,
a
difficult times,
and determination,
sense of humor that will carry them through
of which there will be many.
the
They have learned
how to take gratification in the doing of the work.
71
and,
own
I've been called the voice of doom--by my
people--after a while, you'd think I'd pack it
in or hang
it up.
the world's
But I'm either
fool or the most obtuse creature ever
biggest
I'm
and
to run my mouth at a public hearing,
still doing it, because I still believe we can
I have hope that if you believe in
it.
make
you can't
something and someone hard enough,
And even things are worse than ever, I
because I see it happening
believe it,
fail.
still
Like the song says,
every day.
inclined to pursue."
I've
I'm
"rainbows
side by side with poor women
worked
for
and they are tough mamas.
over fifteen years,
it
make
give me the strength I need to
They
Beyond that tough group of
through the night.
I
what
men and women who believe
are
women
of
kind
that
me
give
they
and
believe,
support...
a
of
shelters
have a Homeless Coalition--part
now
We
demanding
movement that's
national
ourselves,
of
In spite
homeless.
the
for
together.. .forming
still banding
are
people
and
reforming coalitions,
and
the
are
they
lifeblood of the nation.
They're still saying, "hell, no; we won't go,"
and we owe
them a debt of gratitude
for
that--
they
odds,
impossible
the face of
in
that
dreams.
improbable
maintain their impossible,
that's the stuff that keeps this nation
Maybe
We've come
and hopeful, and tough.
innocent,
and
terrible
seen
we've
and
way,
long
a
the
terrifying things happen to ourselves and
people
around
rise above
us,
but somehow we managed
to
it...
committee
Frequently at State House hearings,
people who have listened somewhat distractedly
rage,
perhaps to my fury and testimony of
to
have also heard me say, "and I'm going to keep
coming
back
that's
pretty
happening
until you get it
much how I feel
today in this
sad,
ain't gonna go away;
I
town:
keep coming back until they get
- Kip Tiernan
72
right."
Well,
about
what's
sinful
little
to
I'm going
it right."37
CONCLUSION
given
Homelessness System and the individuals who have
The
rich material
Boston provide
in
the shelter movement
to
life
for use in developing appropriate solutions to the problem of
Certainly,
homelessness.
there
every
of
are disparities
description among these individuals, and yet there is a unity
of
purpose
among them.
Whatever
their
goal
of caring
for
the
to
committed
reasons,
poor
the
they
are
and
the
dispossed--the homeless.
one
Whether
a
to
response
imperative;
moral
political
statement;
synthesis
of any of
a
bureaucratic
the
face of
extent,
individuals
hear
the
as
and,
elected
to some large
leadership,
some
society
also
that the larger
the homeless and feed the hungry are picking up
our
debris.
they must do,
of denial,
our work,
important
who
societal
feel
some
or
in the first place.
informed
"Call"
a
individuals
hears and chooses to
shelter
activity,
institutional abandonment
absence of
the
charity;
of
act
the foregoing... is not so
the fact that they are doing it
In
an
religious
a
to view their actions as
chooses
apathy,
By so doing,
ignore.
We congratulate them
for doing what
because we understand, beneath the
and
even hostility,
too.
73
that
they are
they
layers
doing
To
individuals
extent,
some great
homeless
who shelter our
perform the function of keeping our unruly and unkempt masses
on
the downward spiral with which
gratitude.
of
difficult
most
tasks we
hide
to
continue
and homeless people
homelessness
Confronting
remove
this we owe
from our midst--if only temporarily--and for
them a debt
notions
up our
the homeless
individuals who shelter
life,
city
them
they move through our city
that we would prefer they not clutter
streets
of
traveled far enough
When homeless people have
control.
under
it
from the homeless--for
from them--they put themselves
Another option we have
hide
who
is we
can
we
choice:
a
We have
face.
the
is one of-
in our midst constantly.
is to continue
to do what we have been
To do what Kip Tiernan refers to as putting band-aids
doing.
A
on cancer.
sandwiches.
keep
simply
few cots,
The
formula
a few gyms,
a few thousand bologna
the homeless alive
from empty
is
our goal
works--as long as
to
day
to
fearful
night.
more
Doing
may
not
recent
Medicaid
to
than that
be willing
controversy
is going
to make,
to
require sacrifice that
as has been
over whether we are
for General Relief Recipients
provide
evidenced
74
to
the
provide
(or put another
basic medical coverage and access
people who have no resources with which
to
willing
by
we
care
way,
for
to deal with the many
and
afflictions
illnesses
that
of
lack
their
accompany
connectedness to the support systems that keep us healthy.
has never been a question,
There
Relief/Medicaid
we
whether
as
homeless
as to whether or not
controversy,
has
The question
medical care.
need
people
with regard to the General
always
been
it.
All
for
a society are willing to pay
indications are that we are not willing.
Our protestations to the contrary,
in
has
homelessness
the
way that we deal with our role in
the
role.
Our Governor has taken an active leadership
problem.
He
not that much has changed
far more ready to deal with the
been
their
concerns than have we.
could
rest
assured
Massachusetts
that his
In fact,
homeless
if Michael
constituency
was
and
Dukakis
that
such
residents/voters would not balk at the funding
of Medicaid for General Relies recipients,
then the homeless
would have Medicaid.
The
debate over whether the homeless ought to be
maintained
in their homeless state, or whether more effort should be put
into
enabling
them to re-enter the
mainstream
their opportunities is really our question,
elected leadership represents us.
75
and
expand
or problem.
Our
its
Government,
unlike
conscience.
At best,
The
rest
really is
in
constituents,
does
it may have a policy.
our hands.
76
not have
[Camus]
a
a
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FOOTNOTES
House Committee on Banking, Finance,
Congress,
lUU.S.
hearing
"Homele ssness in America"
Affairs,
Urban
and
Community
and
Housing
on
Subcommittee
before
session,
second
Ninety-seventh Congress,
Development,
1982.
the
"Know Your Organizations:
Forrester,
of Goods and Services and the Reproducti on of
the
Social and Political Rel ations," paper presented at
nning
Pla
American
the
of
Conference
National
October 1980.)
Ohio,
(Cincinnati
Association
2John
Production
Blindness
"The
Schon,
A.
3Donald
p. 25.
1970.
winter,
18,
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as
a
System,"
The
Warren, "The Interorganizational Field4Roland S.
Sciences
Administrative
Investigation,"
Focus for
Quarterly, p. 4.
Massachusetts
J ohnson,
5Carol
Coalition for th e Homeless, interview, 1 April
1983.
6Ibid.
Ellen Hombs and Mitch Snyder,
7Mary
A
America:
in
Community
D.C.:
Nowhere,
to
Nonviolence,
Forced March
for Creative
Homelessness
(Washington,
1982) , p. 34.
8 Ibid.
Director,
Executive
Brigandi,
9Eileen
Place (a shelter for the homeless), interview,
Boston, Massachusetts, 5 April 1983.
10Hombs,
ll"Counting
April
1983
the Homeless."
in America.
The
Globe,
Boston
11
(editorial).
12Carol Johnson,
Inn,
Homelessness
Snyder,
Rosie's
13"Pine
Boston.
Street
interview.
Inn:
Murphy,
14Patrick
Director, Pine Street Inn,
An Overview."
Pine
Street
Assistant
interview, 30 April
79
1983.
15
Patrick Murphy, interview.
16Patrick Murphy,
17"Pine
S treet
interview.
Inn:
18Patrick Murphy,
19Carol J ohnson,
An Overview."
interview.
interview.
20Patrick Murphy, interview.
2lPatrick
Murphy, interview.
22Patrick Murphy,
23Kip Tie rnan,
interview.
interview.
24Eileen Brigandi,
25Eileen
interview.
Brigandi,
26Kip Tiernan,
interview.
interview.
27Kip Tiernan, interview.
28Eileen Brigandi, interview.
29Eileen Brigandi, interview.
30Eileen Brigandi, interview.
3lKip Tiernan,
interview.
32Patrick Murphy, interview.
33Kip Tiernan,
interview.
34Eileen Brigandi,
35Carol Johnson,
interview.
interview.
36Kip Tiernan, interview.
80
WHY
I BECAME A
SOCIAL SCIENTIST
(published in Chelsea Review #24/25)
because I saw Hitler
floating in the steady Mediterranean
of his mother's womb
because I loved the morning
-dawn hours
when surprise attacks
are made when
cavalries charge
a few mortar rounds
slam into the barracks
the bomb explodes 2,000 feet
over Hiroshima
because the priest said
something
to the man in the electric chair
because nothing
became simple because my skin changed color
because even in me cities burned up
I starved and my bones gleamed like searchlights
because I couldn't
help it because
I needed quietness
because I saw this jar
where nations lay still
like malformed embryos
And I looked at it from the
outside
and from the inside
and I began to tremble like a child scalded
on the back of the neck by snow that
someone
had dropped from high up
and designed to burn
-
Lou Lipsitz
81