Friends of the Homeless and other Western Massachusetts advocates lobby to change state's funding
June 12, 2010 at 1:51 PM
The Republican
Springfield - It could be said the Friends of the Homeless runs a tight ship.
The agency has been able to provide beds and services for homeless men and women at its shelters on Worthington Street at a cost of $13.97 each per night in state funds; across the state in Boston, the state provides $63.32 a night for the same services at the women’s unit of the Pine Street Inn.
Is it good budgeting or another case of the disparities in funding that human service and other advocates say exist between Greater Boston and the state’s outlying regions?
“We are seeing very egregious funding disparities,” said state Sen. Gale D. Candaras, D-Wilbraham, whose district includes part of the city of Springfield. “We have these types of problems across the board. We are struggling constantly for regional equity.”
Homeless advocates and Western Massachusetts legislators, including Candaras, are lobbying to change the state’s funding formula for shelters, saying the current system has severely underfunded Springfield and this region for years.
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/06/friends_of_the_homeless_and_ot.html
Kathy Tobin
After almost thirty years covering the news for television affiliates in Western Massachusetts, Kathy joined Friends of the Homeless in the fall of 2009 to help raise money and the profile of the organization to fulfill its mission. As Director of Development, Kathy is available to help you understand the work we are doing and how you might contribute to end homelessness in our community.