Real Civic engagement is like this.................

Firefighter’s son helps homeless by working with public officials and demonstrating that government is the way we work together to get something done we cannot do alone.... like tackle chronic homelessness.  

WORCESTER— His father’s advice was deeply felt and repeated time and again. Never hesitate to help others help themselves, he would say to Patrick: For reasons impossible to explain, you’ll benefit at least as much as the recipient of your time, effort or generosity.Patrick T. Spencer recalls countless times he witnessed his dad follow through with the credo, be it coaching Little Leaguers, assisting a neighbor or co-worker, or just helping a stranger in need of a hand. Sometime in April, the like-father-like-son adage will be evidenced yet again when Patrick and others stand in front of the three-story stucco dwelling at 62 Elm St. and formally dedicate the Lt. Tommy Spencer House, the first residence to open as part of the Home Again initiative fighting chronic homelessness in the city. The name of the facility honors the memory of Lt. Thomas E. Spencer, Patrick’s father and one of the six Worcester firefighters who perished in the Dec. 3, 1999, inferno at an abandoned warehouse on Franklin Street.

Check out the [Home Again Website http://www.homeagaincentralma.org/] sponsored by a remarkable,powerful and effective coalition of folk from Central Mass. Not easy to build public support for housing the homeless, but they did it with a series of smart and savvy public education activities. 

Cross posted at Blue Mass Group