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The “invisible” homeless
Workers at a local homeless shelter spread throughout the city recently to count the homeless—you know, the hordes who only show up (at least on the media’s radar) when a Republican is in the White House— but they hit a slight snag.
BEVERLY - They looked in the woods by Dane Street Beach, in the lobby of the post office on Rantoul Street, even inside a Dumpster on the waterfront.
Staff members from the River House shelter spent two hours last night searching for homeless people around the city as part of a statewide “street count” of the homeless.
The search came up empty, but shelter director Kate Benashski said that should not be interpreted as a sign that homelessness is not a problem in the city.
Typical. Who are you going to believe? Them or your lying eyes? I’m not saying there isn’t a single homeless person in Beverly, but they way they tell it, what should be good news is just hidden bad news. It always is.
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COMMENTS
I agree that journalists often make a story out of a non-story - and editors don’t do their job of axing such non-stories.
I recall these counts always being reported even during the Clinton administration - they do date from the 80s, though, so there’s only been one Dem in the WH since then…
I’ve always found it interesting that the counts are done in midwinter. That seems designed to *minimize* the counts to the hard-core homeless most at risk. If someone wanted bigger numbers, they’d do it in a milder time of year when more homeless people are about (during the coldest quarter or so of the year, some of these people find very temporary shelter).
Posted by on 02/2/08 at 10:34 AM Liam has a point about the weather. I see tons of homeless sleeping in doorways or on the Common, or tucked up against the statue on the Arlington/Boylston corner of the Public Garden, on the portico of Trinity church, or on the benches in Copley Square during the warmer months. In fact, I pass at least 4 sleeping homeless guys in the 1/2 block from my subway stop to my gym at 6am each morning....when it’s warm enough to sleep outside.
When it’s cold, I don’t see nearly so many of them.
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