A great book about the student run shelter in Harvard Square

I have blogged about the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter and it is a place I have spent many nights since November when it opened.

A Harvard student who helped out at HSHS for 3 years blogged about a book that has been written about what the students do. I spent some time at the Harvard Coop browsing through it today and it is a great read.

Here is a review.

I can not express enough gratitude to what these students do in running the shelter.


Here is a link to Amazon about the book

1/24 - Surviving the cold......

It is Monday afternoon and finally getting some computer time at the library.

I was lucky enough on both Saturday and Sunday to get a 'one-night' emergency bed in Cambridge and we will see what tonight brings. I still can't re-apply for another 2 week bed until Thursday and even then there is no guarantee of getting one right away as there seems to be ten applicants for every available slot.

The 2 week bed is important not only for the piece of mind of not having to worry, but more importantly having a place to put belongings. Lugging around a suitcase all day (especially in this weather) is a chore and it makes it that much harder to set up appointments as to be honest there is a stigma attached to walking around with bags all day. Since storage lockers no longer exist it just adds to the 'fun and games'.

Logistics of these offices are almost comical.
Cambridge Housing is in Central Square at Mass and Prospect so that is easy, and some of the other housing advocate agencies are only a block or two away. No problems there.

Social Security has moved to Fresh Pond leaving their long time home in Davis Square. It can be reached by the 74 or 78 buses, and I have found the mobile website mbtainfo.com to be a life saver in catching a return bus in the winter. It is very accurate.

For services provided by the Commonwealth, one has to go to the Davis Square office, which is no longer in Somerville, it is in Revere. It is on the Blue Line and the office is at the Revere Beach Station but it is a hike.

One laughable part is that the Commonwealth gives the homeless 'food stamps' (about $40 a week) but what good are stamps if you have no place to prepare the meal? (I have $265 on my card right now - but)

California DOES allow for a restaurant to accept food stamps which would be a huge help.

Today I really didn't get much done as it was simply too cold.

Cambridge does offer services and the staff is wonderful but they are just overwhelmed...

Here is a link of what is offered by the City of Cambridge..

They also publish this

 Homeless Resource Guide (PDF)





The one thing that has kept me going is just meeting others my age who have also fallen through the cracks. Men and women who have worked all their lives but for whatever reason lost the place they called home.

Anyhow my time at the library is up..... thanks for reading and STAY WARM!!!!!

At least Portland, Maine goes the extra mile in cold weather

Maybe I should take a bus to Portland :(

Shelters ready for the frigid temperatures

I'm NOT kidding

1/22 - It's getting cold out there

I was not lucky enought to get a bed last night at 9:30 which meant back to Logan Airport. Hopefully tonight I will be luckier.

Of course the fact that it is very cold in Boston tonight and they saying it will drop under 10 overnight would indicate that anybody who has a bed secured will not be taking a night out. The shelter in Harvard Sq at 9:30 PM gives out the beds to people calling in at 1 888 656 3414 and it is simply luck.

The worst part for me is the not knowing until 9:30 if I will be OK for the night. I can't even apply for a 14 day bed until late next week as I am on my 7 days out.

The system is just clogged right now with too many people and too few beds.

I am open to any options at this point.

Wish me luck for tonight.

FRIDAY 1/21/11 - I could almost laugh - it wasn't true

Came across these instructions on the internet today

This instructable is designed to tell you how to stay warm, in varying degrees of cold.

This article assumes you do not have a house or apartment.




So, crap, guess what. You're homeless.


Things didn't work out for now, and now, well, ...now what?


Where do we go from here?


First things first.


What does a human need? (not Want, but Need.)


Quickly.....unfortunately, much of your Western civilization programming will be working against you in this process. We've been taught to gratify many of our less important whims.

Fundamentally, a Need is something required for pragmatic survival.
A Want is something that would be nice. Your priorities may vary, but what a human needs to survive
is pretty simple. Air, Water, Food, Shelter. Sometimes you may additionally need medicine,which can occasionally be improvised.more about that later.

If it's cold, you have to figure out the way to stay warm. If you're in a place where it gets much below the 40s Fahrenheit. About 4.4 Celsius), you'll need to do it fairly quickly. Before dark.


When the sun goes down the temperature drops quickly, and that's bad news for you.


Even if you're a husky fella,
your extremities will chill and cramp easier, and if you go to sleep, if you wake up, you may wake up with hypothermia . Not fun.


There's also frostbite. . Oh, buddy.


If you're caught homeless in the cold, don't panic. This is survivable, and a chance to prove you're resourceful enough to do it well enough to come out healthy.


It's 9 PM on a Friday night in Boston and the temperature is dropping. 


With luck I will win a bed at 9:30 in Harvard Sq - if not back to Logan Airport....


I can't take much more of this. By that I mean the unknown from day to day if I have a place to rest my head each night. 


Wish me luck...

How TD Garden in Boston helps feed the homeless

Round of applause to Delaware North the owner of TD Garden.

Arena leftovers assigned a mission

After TD Garden events, unsold food is donated

Has Ted Williams helped or hurt other homeless persons?

The past 10 days have been a whirlwind for Ted Williams.

In the beginning of 2011, few people were aware of the former panhandler’s existence and his golden radio voice. And now, the entire nation can’t seem to get enough of Williams’ overnight success -- and the pitfalls he’s consequently encountered, including an arrest and a decision to enter drug rehab.

So how’d it all happen? Let’s take a look:

Read more:

Like most people I have followed the saga of Ted Williams but being homeless myself and currently living in a shelter day by day I look at the picture from a different perspective.





A week ago I saw him on the TODAY show at the shelter in Harvard Sq and to a man, every other guest said the same thing - this man has not been sober for 2 years. I had the same thought as if sober you most likely would not be living in a cardboard box in January in Ohio if you were clean for an extended period of time. (unless there are mental health issues which is possible)

Now I have no clue on how I would handle becoming a national celebrity overnight, reuniting with family members I haven't seen in decades and the rest. I don't think anybody can answer that.

Of course I am not sure how I would deal with Dr. Phil either.

TODAY - January 13, 2011 - 

At Dr. Phil’s behest, ‘golden-voiced’ man to check into rehab

On ‘Dr. Phil,’ family members claim he has been drinking daily

I wish Mr. Williams well and at least for the short term he will not have to panhandle.

I have blogged about my situation and the reality is I am one of who knows how many people are in the same boat in Boston, New England and the rest of the United States. Things are not good out there right now.

What I ask of people is not to throw all homeless persons into the same boat. Every single person has a story that brings them to today.

Boston is a big problem and all one has to do is walk around Harvard Square and see the number of people in sleeping bags. Everyone has their own story, just like Ted Williams.

GO PATRIOTS!!!!

My wish list for 2011 - also comments have been enabled

Thanks to an alert reader who informed me that people were not able to comment. I have found the proper setting.

Not to sound like a broken record but here is what I need to address

• Housing - It is just a very tedious process - I have applications everywhere.
• Getting a Massachusetts ID - I have a valid out of state license but I can't get a Massachusetts ID or license because in the case of a drivers license, I owe the City of Cambridge close to $1,400 in unpaid tickets. The bulk of the $1,400 is just extra late fees. I get $800 a month on disability - I need a miracle. To get an ID I STILL have to pay the Registry a $100 fee and would not be allowed to drive.

Not having a state ID is hurting me in my housing search. 

To show you how whacked out the system is, Social Security docked me $45 this month because in November I got $50 from Bank of America as part of their "Keep The Change" promotion which rounds off purchases made on a debit card to the next dollar and outs the change into my savings account. Once a year Bank of America gives a 5% rebate on the total amount you put into savings - in my case $50 bucks.

Social Security considered that 'extra income."

I am just worn out. That $45 is huge on my fixed income.

Is this ever going to end???????

If anyone wants to help me out in my electronic paper cup begging for change, I would be very grateful.




GO PATRIOTS!!!!!

Another example of how somebody who is homeless WAS somebody once

Please pass this on to your friends, share on Facebook, My Space or whatever.

This man deserves A CHANCE!!!!!!!

Happy New Year - 2011

I haven't been able to post since Christmas as I was in Norwood Hospital for a week with an infection in my left leg ( it is a chronic problem )

So it is 8 PM and I am waiting until 9:30 to find out where I sleep tonight....at a shelter in Cambridge or the Logan hotel....

Those of you who wander through Harvard Sq take a walk through the Garage any night at 9 PM and see just how many are waiting, praying they will get a bed. Since the shelter will not admit anyone who is not clean and sober EVERYBODY there is in the same boat.

I am totally worn out....

Every morning I apply for the 2 week lottery and on average 10-15 are applying for ONE bed. It is a BRUTAL lifestyle.

This is how the shelter works

The age range is from late teens to 70.....

As to my situation which I have blogged previously about...nothing has changed

I need help

Thanks for reading