{"id":250740,"date":"2025-02-21T15:14:03","date_gmt":"2025-02-21T20:14:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=250740"},"modified":"2025-12-15T15:46:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T20:46:09","slug":"sph-walks-to-raise-funds-awareness-to-end-homelessness","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2025\/sph-walks-to-raise-funds-awareness-to-end-homelessness\/","title":{"rendered":"SPH Walks to Raise Funds, Awareness to End Homelessness"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin sphnews-block-editorial-leadin is-style-text-over-image has-media has-media-focus-center-middle has-text-position-x-center has-text-position-y-bottom has-dark-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"3024\" height=\"4032\" src=\"\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Team-BUSPH.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"Team from BUSPH attends the 9th annual Winter Walk to raise funds and awareness to end homelessness\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Team-BUSPH.jpg 3024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Team-BUSPH-477x636.jpg 477w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Team-BUSPH-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Team-BUSPH-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Team-BUSPH-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Team-BUSPH-500x667.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Team-BUSPH-1000x1334.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Team-BUSPH-755x1007.jpg 755w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Team-BUSPH-750x1000.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Team-BUSPH-600x800.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Team-BUSPH-675x900.jpg 675w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Team-BUSPH-1920x2560.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Team-BUSPH-1200x1600.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3024px) 100vw, 3024px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">school news<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSPH Walks to Raise Funds, Awareness to End Homelessness\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">A team from the School of Public Health gathered at Boston Common for the 9th annual Winter Walk, an event organized to demonstrate solidarity with individuals facing homelessness and to raise funds for local service organizations.<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar sphnews-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">February 21, 2025<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/authors\/megan-jones\/\">Megan Jones<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p>Following a two-hour delay due to heavy snow, several thousand people bundled up and turned out for the ninth annual Boston <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/winterwalk.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Winter Walk<\/a>, a roughly 2-mile loop of Boston Common organized by the nonprofit organization Winter Walk to show solidarity and garner support for people experiencing homelessness. For the first time, attendees included a team from the School of Public Health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coordinated by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/sarah-weber-441864118\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sarah Weber<\/a>, a PhD student in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/departments\/epidemiology\/\">Department of Epidemiology<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/profile\/aboli-goghari\/\">Aboli Goghari<\/a>, senior research fellow in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/departments\/global-health\/\">Department of Global Health<\/a>, the team invited faculty, staff, and students to join their colleagues and peers in walking to draw attention to homelessness as a public health crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Research consistently demonstrates that the absence of safe, affordable housing has devastating effects on a person\u2019s physical and mental health. The homeless population experiences <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/homelessness-and-health\/about\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">higher rates<\/a> of infectious disease, mental illness, substance use disorder, and injury and interpersonal violence compared to the general population, all of which contribute to a drop in <a href=\"https:\/\/endhomelessness.org\/blog\/not-one-more-honoring-those-who-died-homeless\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">average life expectancy<\/a> from 78 years for housed individuals to just 50 years among the unhoused. As temperatures plunge, the risks of the environmental exposure associated with homelessness become more evident and the need for shelter and other services more pressing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Winter-Walk-2025-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Thousands walked around Boston Common during the 9th annual Winter Walk\" class=\"wp-image-250748\" width=\"592\" height=\"789\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Winter-Walk-2025-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Winter-Walk-2025-477x636.jpg 477w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Winter-Walk-2025-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Winter-Walk-2025-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Winter-Walk-2025-500x667.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Winter-Walk-2025-1000x1334.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Winter-Walk-2025-755x1007.jpg 755w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Winter-Walk-2025-750x1000.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Winter-Walk-2025-600x800.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Winter-Walk-2025-675x900.jpg 675w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Winter-Walk-2025-1920x2560.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2025\/02\/Winter-Walk-2025-1200x1600.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 592px) 100vw, 592px\" \/><figcaption>People and their pets traversing a snowy Boston Common during the 9th annual Winter Walk.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Founded in 2016 by <a href=\"https:\/\/paulenglish.com\/winterwalk.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Paul English<\/a>, a tech entrepreneur and the co-founder of the travel search engine Kayak, alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.circleofhopeonline.org\/staffandboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ari Barbanell<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/winterwalk.org\/blog\/2017\/9\/18\/why-i-winter-walk-a-founders-perspective\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Robyn Glaser<\/a>, Winter Walk aims to raise a total of $500,000 by the end of February 2025 to support the delivery of services to people experiencing homelessness across Boston. Funds raised by <a href=\"https:\/\/secure.qgiv.com\/event\/winterwalk2025-boston\/team\/975198\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Team BUSPH<\/a> and others will go directly to the nonprofit\u2019s 17 local <a href=\"https:\/\/winterwalk.org\/partners\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">partner organizations<\/a>, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmc.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Boston Medical Center<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bhchp.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/familyaidboston.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FamilyAid<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/stfrancishouse.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">St. Francis House<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pinestreetinn.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pine Street Inn<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/womenslunchplace.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Women&#8217;s Lunch Place<\/a>, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As of February 21, the 2025 fundraising goal was 85% met with $425,908 raised. Thanks to the SPH community\u2019s support, Team BUSPH has contributed $3,241 to date\u2014far exceeding the group\u2019s original fundraising goal of $2,500.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was so inspiring to see the community show up in this brutal winter to raise awareness and funds for the organisations working tirelessly to help our homeless and unhoused neighbours in Boston. We are so so thankful for all the support from our network,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/feed\/update\/urn:li:activity:7295843063669616640\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a> Goghari in a recent post to LinkedIn. \u201cThe work, however, doesn\u2019t stop here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nationally, homelessness is on the rise. In the Greater Boston area, estimates indicate that the&nbsp;number&nbsp;of&nbsp;people experiencing homelessness rose <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonindicators.org\/reports\/report-detail-pages\/homelessness_and_housing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">67 percent<\/a> from January 2023&nbsp;to&nbsp;January 2024 and at the state level, Massachusetts has seen <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/2025\/01\/02\/data\/massachusetts-homeless-population-charts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">one of the most dramatic increases<\/a> in homelessness nationwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories is-style-card has-three sphnews-block-editorial-relatedstories\">\n\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-title\">Related<\/h3>\n\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" src=\"\/sph\/files\/2023\/09\/0818_mass-and-cass01-1000x667-Jesse-Costa-WBUR.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"People stand and sit on Mass and Cass\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/09\/0818_mass-and-cass01-1000x667-Jesse-Costa-WBUR.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/09\/0818_mass-and-cass01-1000x667-Jesse-Costa-WBUR-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/09\/0818_mass-and-cass01-1000x667-Jesse-Costa-WBUR-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/09\/0818_mass-and-cass01-1000x667-Jesse-Costa-WBUR-755x504.jpg 755w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/09\/0818_mass-and-cass01-1000x667-Jesse-Costa-WBUR-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/09\/0818_mass-and-cass01-1000x667-Jesse-Costa-WBUR-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/files\/2023\/09\/0818_mass-and-cass01-1000x667-Jesse-Costa-WBUR-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>community health<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2023\/from-streets-to-stats-findings-from-bostons-landmark-homeless-health-survey\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">From Streets to Stats: Findings from Boston&#8217;s Landmark Homeless Health Survey<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">September 7, 2023<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"600\" height=\"362\" src=\"\/sph\/files\/2023\/09\/atkinson-street-tents-600.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"The tent encampment on Atkinson Street, outside of the Southampton Street Shelter at Mass and Cass\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>homelessness<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2023\/soul-stirring-lessons-from-the-kitchen\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">Lessons from the Kitchen<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">September 21, 2023<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"400\" height=\"241\" src=\"\/sph\/files\/2020\/10\/harold-homelessness-reflection-400.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Harold Homelessness Reflection 400\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>Reflection<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2022\/bringing-health-equity-to-the-worlds-largest-health-survey\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">Bringing Health Equity to the World\u2019s Largest Health Survey<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">September 30, 2022<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Following a two-hour delay due to heavy snow, several thousand people bundled up and turned out for the ninth annual Boston Winter Walk, a roughly 2-mile loop of Boston Common organized by the nonprofit organization Winter Walk to show solidarity and garner support for people experiencing homelessness. For the first time, attendees included a team [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22210,"featured_media":250742,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[4905,3257,2401,3420,2000,3214,4748,4868,3177,3335,5188,5189],"bu-publication":[3516],"sphnews-article-category":[],"sphnews-topic":[],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"profile_tax":[3669,4928,4188,4043],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/250740"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22210"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=250740"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/250740\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":260605,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/250740\/revisions\/260605"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/250742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=250740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=250740"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=250740"},{"taxonomy":"sphnews-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sphnews-article-category?post=250740"},{"taxonomy":"sphnews-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sphnews-topic?post=250740"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=250740"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=250740"},{"taxonomy":"profile_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile_tax?post=250740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}