Boston strives towards goal to end homelessness

Mayor Martin Walsh recently announced that the City is “well on its way” to meeting its goal to end chronic and veteran homelessness by 2018, according to a press release.

The City’s action plan, originally launched in 2015, has been re-launched under the name “Boston’s Way Home.” According to the press release, Boston has ended chronic homelessness among veterans by housing more than 650 homeless veterans and about 100 chronically homeless individuals in six months.

“Helping our homeless has always been a deeply personal issue for me, and I am proud of the work we have done with our partners to improve the way we deliver services to our homeless population,” said Mayor Martin Walsh, according to the press release. “‘Boston’s Way Home’ reflects our focus on permanent supportive housing and how we will meet our goal of ending chronic homelessness by 2018.”

Boston’s Way Home aims to connect the city’s homeless population with resources at the state and federal level, as well as with nonprofits, providing support in order for them to become more stable.

“Boston is incredibly lucky to have a strong network of providers of service to our homeless, and they have done incredible work over many years,” said Sheila Dillon, Boston’s Chief of Housing and director of Department of Neighborhood Development. “This new, coordinated approach is working because it focuses on connecting chronically homeless individuals with the services that address their specific case, thereby helping them find a permanent solution.”

In the year since the launch of this program, the Mayor’s Office said that Boston has identified every chronically homeless person in the City of Boston and is now helping them find permanent housing. They have successfully placed 101 of them this year. They also plan on implementing an IT system to match homeless individuals with the housing and services they need. The program has received $425,000 in private endowments and grants, $900,000 in state housing vouchers, and $1.05 million in new City funding.

Residents can find out how to get engaged with and keep up to date with the progress of this plan at bit.ly/2afHGAQ and also through the Twitter account, @BostonsWayHome.

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