My Opinion of the Mathewson Street Closing

By Kooma Vieira

The Mathewson Street Church Shelter closed on May 15th, due to funding issues.

I have taken the initiative to go a little deeper in this article to get the truth.

As an advocate for the formally or currently homeless and a writer for Street Sights, I understand that funding may be an issue.  But overall, I see that  Amos House and the Mathewson Street Church are not really fighting for the homeless to have a place to sleep at night.

Paul Medici, one of the Mathewson Street Church office workers, says: “The shelter is a safe and quite place to lay their heads down at night.” I asked  Medici what he would say to the state Reps and the Governor to keep the shelter open.  Medici replied: “Save money to keep people off the street and use people’s salaries to fund warm shelters.”

I asked him: What to do you think the clients at the shelters feel? Medici said “Feel really bad.”

I remember when the shelter in the past had a problem with age and closings. We have to remember that was in the past and is done and over with.  Mathewson Shelter has made drastic changes and reinforces strict rules in order to sleep in such shelter.

Michael Megann feels as though the shelter should stay open all year around and so do many others.  Megann would like to say to the Governor and State Reps the following: “Come sleep here for one night or week to see what it’s like.”

I, Kooma Vieira, want to say to the Governor and State Reps: “I hope you lose your homes and become homeless.  Then you will fight for what’s right!”