LOTS OF POSTS IGNORED BY BLOGGER.....
OR REMOVED ON THEIR WHIM!
ALL POSTS ARE AVAILABLE ON
MIDDLEBORO REVIEW AND SO ON
BLOGGER DOESN'T LIKE TRUTH OR FACTS!
BLOGGER DOESN'T LIKE FUND RAISERS AND DELETES
POSTS THAT INCLUDE FUNDRAISING THAT 'VIOLATES THEIR
UNDEFINED COMMUNITY STANDARDS SO ALL 'FUND RAISING'
IS DELETED - CONTRIBUTE AS YOU ARE INCLINED TO SUPPORT
IMPORTANT ISSUES! THESE ARE NOT SOLICITATIONS
New from CommonWealth Beacon |
|
|
THE CODCAST: After 28 years at the helm of Massachusetts Health Quality Partners, Barbra Rabson is stepping down. Data gathered by MHQP paints a picture of a primary health system that has been “underfunded and undervalued for years” despite its critical importance, she said on this month's episode of Health or Consequences, hosted by John McDonough and Paul Hattis. |
|
|
OPINION: Although the goal of a looming ballot question to impose rent control statewide – protecting tenants from sudden spikes -- is noble, evidence from decades of research and practical experience shows that broad rent caps often have the opposite effect, stifling the market for new housing construction, write Massachusetts Housing Coalition representatives Steve Callahan Jr., Neily Soto, and Peggy Pratt. |
|
|
|
|
|
When Melissa Santiago lost her apartment and became homeless in 2020, she was a 22-year-old single mom to a five-year-old and a newborn. She and her daughters moved into a shelter in Holyoke where they stayed for nearly two years. |
|
|
Santiago grew up with a single mom in an unstable household and helped raise her other siblings. When she became homeless, she felt as though history was repeating itself. |
|
|
“It took a big toll on me, because I felt like I was following in my mom's footsteps, and my kids are going to feel the way I felt having to be the head of the household,” she said. “I felt horrible.” |
|
|
It’s a far cry from where the 28-year-old is today. |
|
|
No longer homeless, Santiago is in her third semester of college working toward a degree in early education. She recently made the dean's list. On top of being a full-time student and working 14 hours a week, she is just a few steps away from being licensed to operate her own in-home daycare. She now has thousands tucked away in a savings account and has boosted her credit score to 744. Her next goal is to buy a home for her family. |
|
|
She says it’s all thanks to a Worcester Housing Authority (WHA) program that has allowed her to live “a better life.” |
|
|
The A Better Life (ABL) program launched in 2015 for families in state-subsidized public housing. The unique program requires residents to work, attend school, or participate in community service for 30 hours each week. The roughly 250 participating families receive intensive case management services and are required to complete life skills, job training, and financial literacy classes. Each participant must raise their credit score to a minimum of 650 to graduate. |
|
|
Each ABL participant is also incentivized to save up to $15,000 through an escrow account – an interest-bearing account established by the WHA on behalf of the resident. Deposits are tied to each family’s rent payment and increase when a resident’s income goes up. The head of the household cannot touch the funds and will only receive the savings when they have graduated from the ABL program. |
|
|
The intention is to motivate residents to reach independence as quickly as possible while freeing up housing slots for other families who remain on extensive wait lists amid a severe shortage of affordable housing units. But there is no time limit for residents completing the ABL program. |
|
|
“We measure our success by how many families are able to move out,” Worcester Housing Authority CEO Alex Corrales said. |
|
|
For over a decade, the program has been widely successful in helping residents reach self-sufficiency. Now, it has piqued the interest of Trump administration officials who are reshaping public housing policy across the nation. |
|
|
More from CommonWealth Beacon |
|
|
RETREAT: Local and state officials are looking more directly at the logistics of managed retreat – long a delicate subject for coastal residents. The state is exploring what a voluntary buyout program could look like as the reality of a changing climate hits home. Jordan Wolman has more. |
|
|
GO WEST: Rail projects are inching along in Western Massachusetts, like the long-awaited West-East Rail and increased direct train trips between Boston and Springfield. Hallie Claflin has the details. |
|
|
OPINION: The Bay State should invest in robust summer and after-school learning and enrichment opportunities, write Chris Smith, executive director of Boston After School & Beyond, and former state education secretary Paul Reville, now a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Most of a child’s life happens outside of the regular hours in school, they write, and there is an enormous opportunity gap between those who can and cannot fund private out-of-school programming. |
|
|
|
|
|
TRANSPORTATION: The MBTA is discounting some fares for commuter rail riders this summer as the transit system prepares for a busy season, Gov. Maura Healey announced Monday. (WBUR) |
|
|
BOSTON: Boston’s top financial official announced Monday that the city is facing a $48.4 million budget deficit, driven by costs from record snowfall, health care, and the perennial problem of public safety overtime. (GBH News) |
|
|
ELECTIONS: Tarik Samman, a Harvard Law School researcher and son of Syrian immigrants, is launching a primary campaign against US Rep. Katherine Clark, the No. 2 Democrat in the US House. (MassLive – paywall) |
|
|
EDUCATION: Boston will become the first public school district in the country ensure AI-fluency in schools, Mayor Michelle Wu announced, with high schools developing curriculum to tackle the use and ethics of the emerging technology for the next school year. (Boston Herald – paywall) |
|
|
BALLOT QUESTIONS: Supporters and opponents of two tax-related initiative petitions are butting heads over how to stabilize the state's economy. Some analysts say the impact of the tax cut ballot question would depend heavily on the state of the broader economy. (State House News Service – paywall) |
|
|
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.