Springfield Forward Part 2

Hi Worcester! Springfield Forward here again. Reading the comments posted above tells us that many of you in Worcester "get it." New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, DC, Charlotte, Detroit, Buffalo and hundreds of other Cities also "get it" and are changing the way they build and provide affordable housing. Holyoke now builds Hope 6 - affordable HOME OWNERSHIP housing. That, combined with an incredible Police Chief who believes in strict enforcement of laws and ordinances, may be why Holyoke is experiencing a renaissance, albeit a slow renaissance, but a renaissance nonetheless. Holyoke is rebounding because Holyoke's leaders "get it!"

The way to alleviate poverty is to provide a hand up, not a handout; a job, not a welfare check; an incentive, not an entitlement. If building low-income warehouses and segregating, isolating, disenfranchising and marginalizing the poor is the best we can do, shame on us! And if we destroy surrounding neighborhoods and Cities along the way, we need to wake up to the fact that what we are doing is NOT working and we need to stop doing it. Pronto! If other Cities and politicians are intelligent enough to "get it" and change the way they do things, then we have evidence that enlightenment is possible. If our local politicians cannot or will not be enlightened, it is time to replace them. And shame on HUD and the developers who make millions off the backs of the poor and the taxpayers!

On another note, Springfield Foward, being a non-profit whose charter includes advocating for the betterment of our City, also volunteers in our local schools, has developed an educational program promoting reading and writing, we build at Habitat for Humanity, collect used books for local students, collect winter clothing for our local shelters, advocate for commuter rail, attend City Council meetings and advocate for better decisions in City Government and throughout our City. We are a grass roots organization, we are dedicated to changing what is not working and embracing what is, and we are growing by leaps and bounds.

What we are doing here can be done everywhere.
Anyone who wants to join our coalition or speak with us can email us at: contact@springfieldforward.com