In Boston over 300 volunteers gathered at City Hall at
8:30pm to form into groups and zones. Mayor Walsh spoke to the energized crowd
as everyone zipped up their jackets and prepared for the cold. It was such a
moving experience to stand there with so many other volunteers all interested
in helping the homeless residents of Boston. Our group of 8 was included
graduate students, finance big-wigs, and a MBTA (Boston public transportation) transit
police officer. It was such a diverse group of people all there for one purpose. Around 9pm we headed
underground to canvas our assigned area, the Green and Blue subway stations. At
each stop we would get off the subway and walk around the station checking in
each elevator, corner, and hallway for individuals that did not have a place to
go that night. By the end of the night we found 15 people who had set up camp for the
night. We engaged with each one asking for as much information as they felt
comfortable providing off the HUD questionnaire. We also asked if they would be
interested in transportation to a shelter or hospital depending on their needs.
We had a couple takers and others that were content with staying put. Due to
the overwhelming winter Boston has had, the MBTA has been particularly
understanding by allowing people to stay warm and dry in the stations. Our
night ended around 1am. And as the Mayor pointed out before, we were all
especially grateful to go home.
If I could describe the night in one word it would be
unforgettable. It was a moving experience to engage in conversation with a
person that everyone else was blindly walking past. To hear someone’s story really
changes your perspective. I urge everyone to sign up to volunteer next year.
The picture includes part of our group and Give US Your Poor's executive director John McGah getting up to speed.
Andrea
Andrea
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