Smith is one of many homeless people living in Brookline. Homelessness has become more of an issue for Brookline in the 2000s, especially after Brookline’s poverty rate rose from 9.3 percent in 2000 to 13.1 percent in 2010, according to a report from Brookline Community Foundation. In August of 2023 Brookline Community Development Corporation reported a total of 50 homeless students. GBH also ranks nearby Boston as the second highest homeless rate in the country among major cities.
Experience of the Homeless
In his early life, Smith attended school in the Brookline area, but said he eventually fell on hard times.
“I used to go to high school here,” Smith said. “After that, I got a few jobs that didn’t work out… so I’m just trying to survive on the street now.”
Robert Fitzpatrick also lives without a home in Brookline. He has been selling newspapers to people walking down the street for years. According to Fitzpatrick, he lost his home to a fire in his apartment building.
“It might have been an old building. I believe [there was] electrical damage and everything,” Fitzpatrick said. “They would not let us go back in the apartment building; they condemned it. So I became homeless, like that.”
Fitzpatrick said that selling newspapers has been helpful. He wants to help more people who are in his situation and said he is able to do that through handing out local newspapers along the sidewalk, and raising the money acquired for sales for others who experience homelessness.
“The newspaper helps me because I found myself having to go to [people] to get actual help, to get back on my feet in my apartment, and everything back,” Fitzpatrick said.
Fitzpatrick is in the process of applying for a new apartment in the hope that his income can afford it. He relayed his thanks to many who helped him along the way.
“They showed me a lot of love right here and I appreciate them back,” he said. “Hopefully, I [am able to] express my thanks and gratitude for how well they received me and for allowing me to be here to sell.”
Taking Action
Some homeless shelters offer beds at night, but during the day, they are generally left to fend for themselves. A place they can go is to the library.
Library Director Amanda Hirst explained that the library is welcome to all and does not judge people based on their situation.
“People who may not have anywhere to go during the day are welcome to come to the library,” Hirst said. “We don’t ask whether or not someone is housed or unhoused when they visit.”
The library has pamphlets and information to give to homeless people. Hirst mentioned they often try to connect people without homes to the town’s social worker.
“We also have information for people who may be experiencing hygiene issues to get clean by going to the pool and accessing that as a public bathhouse,” Hirst said. “They can get a clean change of clothes and things like that.”
There are also a variety of programs in the greater Boston area to assist homeless people in their struggles. Heading Home is a 50 year old agency that works with families who need shelter and permanent housing. CEO Danielle Ferrier said that students can volunteer at Heading Home. Their website has different opportunities students can take to help out.
“We have both shelter and then we have what we call permanent housing. Then we provide supportive services to help people move from shelter into housing and stay housed.”
Brookline Housing Authority (BHA) is another organization that works to counter homelessness in Brookline. BHA director Michael Alperin said the organization is not an official part of town government, though it collaborates closely with town authorities.
“All of our staff would like to provide more and higher quality affordable housing and we work hard to advocate for more funding and attract dollars,” Alperin said. “The reality is, there’s just not enough funding for public housing and affordable housing to provide the number of units that are necessary to give everyone a safe, sanitary and affordable home.”
According to Alperin, this limited funding and space can create a long wait time for even those in desperate need of affordable housing.
“If someone was fleeing domestic violence, it could be as short as a year, but more often, people are on these wait lists for somewhere between three to 10 years, depending on the program,” Alperin said. “And with over seven times as many applicants as available resources, it’s incredibly difficult to meet the demand. The wait times are long, and it can be discouraging for people trying to access housing.”
Ferrier explained while the government and agencies like Heading Home are working on making more affordable spaces, policies and zoning regulations can affect that work and make it harder to get more areas.
“There’s lots of us who try to do this work and make sure people aren’t sleeping on the street, especially children, so there’s agencies like ours that have volunteers,” Ferrier said. “Then there’s times where people donate money to help pay for things that aren’t paid for by the state. So there’s all sorts of different ways to get involved.”
Ferrier believes that there are a lot of problems to solve surrounding homelessness, such as more affordable housing.
“People make different salaries based on the job they do,” Ferrier said. “Right now, we don’t have a lot of housing that’s affordable when people are working in lower wage jobs or low-to-mid wage jobs.”
Alperin encourages students to get involved in the BHA or other similar programs.
“If you want to become more aware about homelessness, students and others can attend the BHA’s public board meetings, which are held on the second Tuesday of every month,” said Alperin. “That’s a great way to get more informed locally, and we also encourage people to check out other organizations like CHAPA [Citizens Housing and Planning Association] or the Boston Foundation, which provide excellent resources and research about housing and homelessness.”
Awareness
Despite the struggles of the homeless population and the actions being taken by a variety of organizations, awareness at the high school remains low. 92.8 percent of 180 students surveyed said they had some to no knowledge of homelessness in the Brookline area.
Freshman Liora Blouwolff said she found the upper-class nature of Brookline limited residents’ awareness of the issue.
“I feel like in general, Brookline is an upper-class town, and in general people at BHS have nice homes and are pretty comfortable,” Blouwolf said.
Senior Alexander Forman felt that people in Brookline often dehumanize homeless people and that this is an action that needs to be changed in our society.
“People act like [homeless people] need to be avoided or kept away,” Forman said. “I think we need to emphasize that people who are unhoused are just people, and the everyday person isn’t so far away from being unhoused either.”
Despite the efforts of organizations looking to combat the issue, Smith says life remains difficult for the unhoused.
“I know it’s not a place [to sleep outside], but I’m trying to live,” Smith said. “Trying to survive.”
