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Update on Homelessness around the
Boston Shambhala Center
May 2009
Dear Shambhala Sangha,
This email is a follow-up to the community report sent in March about homeless people living under our building. Recent incidents involved the presence of feces on our property, and we were therefore forced to begin taking a more active role in engaging with these people. With the support of Acharya Bower, Board Co-Chair John Bailes, Board member Mary Coonan and Center Coordinator Sarah Lipton, we engaged in community discussion around this topic and sent out the community report. Out of these discussions we realized that this is a very complex and emotional subject for everyone involved. In response, we started a Sunday 12:30-1:00pm sitting period dedicated to this topic, which has been a powerful addition to our community meditation practice. We have performed research into what options are available for homeless people in Boston, sought advice about our situation and also learned about how we could help the Boston homeless community. We are committed to continuing this conversation within the Shambhala sangha, and we are grateful for how this situation has allowed us to connect to the larger Boston community.
Action taken
Recently, a neighbor across the street called the police upon seeing the homeless person under our building. The police officer was direct in his message: we cannot allow homeless people to stay on our property. This was also the feedback we received from various homeless shelters and agencies. This incident, along with the homeless persons not complying with our communications about not using our property as their bathroom, has led us to cleaning out and closing off the space under our stairs. In the end, allowing the homeless persons to stay is not an effective way to work with the situation. It leads to the homeless people not getting help, to other homeless people staying on our property, to police coming to the center, and it has made our neighbors uncomfortable.
What now
We are committed to continuing this conversation within our community, and are in the process of inviting social work professionals to speak with and educate our community on this topic. We will still have homeless people living under the sides of our buildings at times and are working to put a plan into place for when those situations arise. I appreciate everyone's input and concerns around these issues. This has been a learning process for me and for the sangha members who are now engaging in deeper conversations around homelessness, social needs, and how we can become involved. I look forward to continuing this conversation.
Yours in the dharma,
Jill Blagsvedt
Executive Director
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