Largest-ever MHSA Annual Meeting honors House Majority Leader Ron Mariano and Sheila Dillon of the City of Boston; emphasizes importance of permanent supportive housing

 

On December 13, the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance (MHSA) held its Annual Meeting at the Nine Zero Hotel in downtown Boston, honoring House Majority Leader Ronald Mariano and Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s Housing Advisor, Sheila Dillon.

With nearly 100 people in attendance, it was the largest Annual Meeting in the history of MHSA.

At the event, MHSA President and Executive Director Joe Finn presented Representative Mariano with the Canon Brian S. Kelley Public Servant Award for his career-long commitment to supporting innovative solutions to homelessness. Finn presented Dillon with the inaugural Housing Champion Award for her work in preserving vital resources for homeless individuals in Boston.

 

Housing Advisor Sheila Dillon, MHSA President & Executive Director Joe Finn, and House Majority Leader Ronald Mariano pose for a photo after the award ceremony.

According to Finn, Mariano and Dillon’s efforts are more important now than ever.

“It’s a scandal that we’re starting to see—at our shelters—younger, more mentally ill homeless individuals,” Finn said. “We know that permanent supportive housing makes an incredible difference…and we know there is a great cost associated with doing nothing.”

A brief PowerPoint presentation shown at the Annual Meeting emphasized that permanent supportive housing has yielded positive results in Boston and statewide: Boston alone has seen a 25 percent decrease in the number of chronically homeless individuals between 2005 and 2010, despite a struggling economy, thanks to Mayor Menino and our honorees’ focus on permanent supportive housing.

(To view the presentation, click here: Presentation Reviewing MHSA’s Efforts and Accomplishments from 2011.)

“It’s easy to make the case based on the numbers we see…that there’s a role for government in ending homelessness,” Mariano said.

Echoing Mariano, Dillon said, “It’s a great time to be working on homeless issues in Massachusetts…we’re all aligned—the government, service providers…to really make a reduction in homelessness.”

After the award presentations, attendees—ranging from government officials to service providers to members of the private sector—continued to mingle and discuss their intersecting efforts to end homelessness in Massachusetts.

Bob Pulster of the Department of Housing and Community Development, Charles Gagnon of South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC), John O'Brien of Father Bill's & MainSpring, and Jerry Desilets of SMOC.

 

Come join us December 28 when the Prudential Center lights up for MHSA!

On December 28, MHSA will be holding its “Flip the Switch to End Homelessness” event in Center Court at the Prudential Center, a combined awareness-raising event and complimentary reception to thank all MHSA supporters.

MHSA has been chosen by The Shops at Prudential Center as a Lighting Partner for this year’s “31 Nights of Light” program. 31 Nights of Light was created to help community organizations gain key visibility during the holiday season. At 5 p.m. on December 28, the Prudential Tower will be lit up in blue to raise awareness for MHSA’s mission to end homelessness.

We are inviting all MHSA donors, member agencies, public officials and others who support ending homelessness to join us for the ceremonial lighting of the Tower and an hors d’oeuvres reception, catered by MHSA member agency Pine Street Inn’s iCater.

Please join us at 4:30 p.m. sharp in Center Court for this complimentary event so we can thank you for your support!

Click here to RSVP.

For more information, contact Erin Donohue at edonohue@mhsa.net or (617)367-6447 ext. 25.

We hope to see you there!

Special thanks to Eastern Bank for sponsoring “Flip the Switch to End Homelessness.”