SPH Community Members Participate in Boston Homeless Census.
On the night of January 31, nearly two dozen volunteers from the Medical Campus, including School of Public Health faculty, staff, students, and alumni, gathered at Boston City Hall with hundreds of like-minded citizens for the 38th annual Boston Homeless Census.
The annual census aims to quantify the number of people living on the street, in shelters, or in living situations other than permanent housing. The data collected each year helps the city understand who is being served and what gaps in services need to be addressed. Census results also inform federal funding and help measure progress in efforts to prevent and end homelessness across the country.
For the first time, Medical Campus volunteers received a dedicated area to survey. Led by Jake Sullivan, assistant vice president in the Office of Government and Community Affairs at Boston University, and Katie King (CAS’06, SPH’13), interim director of intergovernmental relations in the mayor’s office, the team of 20 volunteers broke into smaller groups and fanned out in an area around Government Center. The groups worked to identify possible homeless individuals and then asked them up to 17 survey questions concerning their current and past housing situations, their use of drugs and alcohol, and more. Volunteers were also given a toolkit on how to address the needs of any individuals needing medical attention, warm clothes, or blankets; those seeking shelter for the evening; and those interested in learning more about housing and other services.
A few SPH students and faculty joined volunteer groups canvassing other parts of the city. Abigail Kim, a current MPH student, surveyed an area of the South End not far from the Medical Campus.
“A story that was shared with me by a homeless individual contained familiar refrains—that shelters can feel unsafe and overcrowded, and that there are substantial and unwieldy barriers to accessing simple services when you have so few belongings and no form of identification,” Kim said. “However, it was a sobering experience when it came from the community in which I work and study, on a night that was desolate, dark, and bitterly cold.”
In his opening remarks launching the census, Mayor Marty Walsh told the crowd of 300 people that the annual event was an important Boston tradition.
“It shows the spirit of the community, it speaks to the values of our community, that we understand that every single person deserves dignity, security, and hope,” Walsh said. He detailed in particular the successes of Boston’s Way Home, the administration’s initiative to end chronic and veteran homelessness. Since its launch in 2015, the initiative has helped to house more than 1,000 people.
The mayor concluded his remarks by pushing back on the narrative that ending homelessness isn’t possible: “We are going to try. You can’t do anything if you don’t try.”
Emily Barbo, communications specialist in the Activist Lab, said the mayor’s words resonated in particular with her work on the Life on Albany Committee, which addresses issues of homelessness, substance use, and mental illness on Albany Street.
“The work we do on the committee is to dialogue about respect and recognition that our neighbors struggling with homelessness, addiction, and other issues are still people with a story,” she said. “They deserve to be treated like people, not problems.”
To learn more about SPH volunteer opportunities around homelessness, visit the Life on Albany Committee site. To learn more about city volunteer opportunities, visit the Homeless Census site.