Not many people would characterize the town of Amherst as poor. The downtown is interspersed with homey coffee shops, ethnic cuisine, fine dining, boutiques, and independent cinema.
But behind the hip shops and $4 coffees is a growing homeless population.
Though firm figures are difficult to come by, Craig’s Place, the only shelter in Amherst, reports serving 186 unique individuals in 2015, the most recent information available. In 2012, that number was 161 individuals. Craig’s Place is open Nov. 1 to April 30 from 9:30 p.m. to 8 a.m. Outside these hours, homeless people have to find someplace else to be.
People in town are starting to consider creating permanent place for homeless people to go.
“I think a permanent shelter would be a good idea, because the shelter down the street opens up at 9:30, and some of those nights are really cold” said Justin Long, who is currently homeless. Long, 28, was among a crowd gathered in late January to hear State Rep. Solomon Goldstein-Rose (D-Amherst) speak about homelessness solutions at the nonprofit Amherst Community Connections.
Julia Mahoney, a homeless woman, spoke up. “We’re out 13 hours a day, and we have to find something to do, to stay out of the cold.”
“To stay out of trouble,” added Long. “Luckily there’s the church over there, there’s a sanctuary where you can hang out during the day, but other than that there’s really nothing for them to do … it’s not like they can work, for the most part.”
Other places for homeless people to spend their days are the library and the street. Getting to places like the Survival Center, a nonprofit that provides food, clothing, and resources to low-income and homeless individuals on Sunderland Road, can be a struggle. It’s far removed from downtown.
Goldstein-Rose was in Amherst to talk about a three-pronged approach to combat homelessness. The plan does not seek to address homelessness directly. Instead, proponents are seeking to prevent people from becoming homeless by working toward the passage of three laws: raising the state minimum wage from $11 to $15 an hour, mandating paid family medical leave, and establishing a “fair share” tax on millionaires.
If approved by state legislators, the measure would go before voters in 2018 because creating such a tax would require an amendment to the state constitution. The Fair Share Amendment would reduce the current flat tax of 5.1 percent on all incomes to 5 percent for people earning up to $1 million, and would raise the tax by another 4 percent on incomes of more than $1 million annually. This means that a person earning $1.1 million would pay 5 percent on the first $1 million and 9 percent on the remainder.
Such measures may help Amherst residents, but many communities could benefit.
Many of Amherst’s housing woes, however, have to do with its two colleges and the University of Massachusetts. Although these institutions of higher education provide jobs, they fail to adequately service student populations that have increasingly sought housing off campus, leading to skyrocketing rents. Due to a shortage of on-campus housing, students are seeking units in town — and are able to split the rent among many roommates, something non-students are reluctant to do, according to the 2015 Amherst Housing Market Study, a comprehensive look at the town’s stock by an outside firm.
The median gross rent went from $653 in 2000 to $872 in 2010 — a 33.6 percent increase, according to the study.
“A few members of our community have expressed interest in the implementation of rent control measures,” said Emily Stetson, who moderated the January event at the Amherst Community Connections.
Goldstein-Rose commented that community members in Boston and Cambridge have gotten around the constitution with a home-rule petition, where at a town meeting or among the city council, there was a vote to put into motion a measure comparable to rent control. “At the same time,” he said, “a lot of people think that that’s not a good idea because it could reduce the number of residential units being built.”
There is more incentive for developers to build expensive units than cheaper ones, noted Goldstein-Rose, so that playing field needs to be leveled.
“Maybe a better solution would be tax incentives for developers ,” he said.
In the meantime, Goldstein-Rose recommended Amherst residents explore the possibility of implementing a permanent shelter or community center using vacant or empty buildings, which a federal statute requires are made available to nonprofit organizations.
“Fort River [Elementary School] is … vacant,” said Goldstein-Rose.
“I don’t know if that’s possible given the town finances and plans, but I think the answer is that someone would have to come up with a specific proposal of what you’d like to do with the building and bring it to the town.”
But a permanent shelter may not arrive in time for everyone. A homeless woman said while progressives are fighting for the rights of some marginalized communities, they aren’t doing enough for the homeless.
“I just hope the world will somehow evolve to the point of understanding people who are down and out better than they have before,” said the woman, who asked not be identified. “Maybe they’re making progress with understanding gay rights issues, trans people’s issues, and many other issues, maybe even mental health issues … but I still think there’s a big issue around homelessness that they’re not getting, and maybe hopefully the world will transform to understand that some day.”
Want to help?
Donate time, money, health care items such as tampons and diapers, or items from the “wish lists” of Craig’s Place and the Survival Center. Also, say hi. Being homeless is isolating. Sometimes homeless people go days without talking to someone.
Contact Kimya Hedayatzadeh at kimyamai@gmail.com.
