Category Archives: In the News

VA Housing Navigator Toolkit Highlights MHSA’s Veterans Homeless In-Reach Peer Project

The National Center on Homelessness among Veterans of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has released the Housing Navigator Toolkit in order to provide support for communities interested in integrating Navigator programs into their efforts to end homelessness among Veterans: This Toolkit is designed to provide Navigators, program managers, administrators, staff, and other key stakeholders working to end…

Kay, a Graduate of MHSA’s Leadership Development Program, Featured in t3 Blog Post

t3, an initiative of the Center for Social Innovation, recently published “Stories of Youth Homelessness & Resiliency: Kay,” a blog post written by Kay, a graduate of MHSA’s Fall 2015 Advocacy in Action Leadership Development Program for young adults. Kay reflects: Since those first nights on the streets, I have joined the Advisory Board of Y2Y…

Lauren, a Graduate of MHSA’s Leadership Development Program, Featured in t3 Blog Post

t3, an initiative of the Center for Social Innovation, recently published “Stories of Youth Homelessness & Resiliency: Lauren,” a blog post written by Lauren, a graduate of MHSA’s Fall 2015 Advocacy in Action Leadership Development Program for young adults. Reflecting on her experiences with homelessness, Lauren writes: Now, at 23 years, I am trying to make…

Graduate of MHSA’s Leadership Development Program Featured in Spare Change News

Spare Change News recently published “Flipping the Sheet: Reflections on the 2016 National Conference on Ending Family and Youth Homelessness,” an article written by Andrew Giampa, a graduate of MHSA’s Fall 2015 Advocacy in Action Leadership Development Program (LDP) for young adults. Andrew joined LDP co-facilitators Ayala Livny and Kitty Zen at the conference, which was…

Graduate of MHSA’s Leadership Development Program Featured in Spare Change News Article

Spare Change News recently published “Young and Homeless,” an article featuring Andrew, a graduate of MHSA’s Fall 2015 Advocacy in Action Leadership Development Program for young adults. Reflecting on his experiences with homelessness, Andrew writes: I want you reading this today to know that even though this situation is really hard, people who are homeless can be resilient and…

CDC Profile in Public Health Law: Joe Finn of MHSA

In the December 2015 edition of Public Health Law News (PHLN), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a Profile in Public Health Law interview with MHSA President & Executive Director Joe Finn. The interview explored the intersection between public health and homelessness, with an emphasis on MHSA’s work regarding the integration of health care and…

MHSA Highlighted in Article from The Pew Charitable Trusts

Today, The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Stateline blog quoted MHSA President & Executive Director Joe Finn in “States Freed to Use Medicaid Money for Housing,” an article by Michael Ollove exploring how states like Massachusetts are utilizing Medicaid to support formerly homeless individuals in moving into – and maintaining – permanent housing: Communities with big homeless populations…

USICH Blog Highlights MHSA’s Home & Healthy for Good Initiative

On the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) blog this week, USICH Deputy Director Richard Cho highlighted MHSA’s Home & Healthy for Good cost savings information in his blog post about ending chronic homelessness. “Aligning Hearts, Heads, and Budgets to End Chronic Homelessness in 2017” emphasizes that permanent supportive housing can dramatically reduce Medicaid costs…

“Thinking Outside the Cell: Concrete Suggestions for Positive Change”

On July 24, 2015, Dr. Susan Sered, Professor of Sociology at Suffolk University, published a blog post entitled “Thinking Outside the Cell: Concrete Suggestions for Positive Change.” Dr. Sered writes that “real change is tedious, needs resources, and often has to fend off not only direct opposition but also counterproductive short-term alleviation.” In the blog…

“Dealing with chronic homelessness: Pay-for-success approach shows promise”

On July 15, 2015, CommonWealth Magazine published an op-ed written by Joe Finn, President & Executive Director of the Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance, and Michael K. Durkin, President of United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley. The piece highlights the Commonwealth’s recently launched Pay for Success initiative to place up to 800 chronically homeless individuals…