National Student Partnerships (NSP) hosted a panel last night exploring hunger and homelessness in Somerville and poverty across the nation.
Dennis Fischman, the director of planning for the Community Action Agency of Somerville, joined James Preston, a local NSP client and a member of NSP-Somerville's Client Action Board, to speak to a full crowd in Sophia Gordon Hall.
The event was part of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week and aimed to educate students about poverty and impart advice on how they can take action locally and nationally.
NSP is a national organization that utilizes student leadership to connect people in need with fundamental resources in local communities. Students work with low-income clients who are disabled, homeless or immigrants.
Preston, while reflecting on his experiences of near homelessness, praised NSP for finding him a place to live. "They wrote me a recommendation letter, and I have a place to live now," he said. Preston highlighted the importance of reciprocal action and said he cooks meals for his housemates.
Fischman also praised NSP for its work in helping families pay their taxes. He estimated that this aid saved the average participating family $1,200 last year. "That's just one of the things they do. I thank you, the community thanks you, we all thank you," he said.
He went on to talk about the growing population of immigrants in Somerville. "Almost a third [of Somerville's population] came here from another country -- that's a huge amount, and there's been a huge change," he said.
Fischman also stressed the importance of cooperative efforts. "With all these different groups, it takes a lot of attention, social skills and a commitment to work and live together," he said.
He talked about the poverty line and the fact that although Somerville does not have a huge homelessness problem, one out of eight households is classified as low-income. Fischman went on to demonstrate that families cannot make a living while depending on only one, minimum wage-paying job.
"The poor in Somerville aren't only working poor -- I would say they are over-working poor," he said, stressing the fact that most immigrants have to work two full-time jobs to support their families. "But just getting a job won't get people out of poverty, necessarily," he continued, advocating for a reevaluation of the national minimum wage. Both Preston and Fischman encouraged student action. Preston said that the students at NSP do a wonderful job, but there is a lack of student help in other areas of Somerville. "It's sad that more people don't care," Preston said.
Fischman stressed that poverty is a country-wide problem, and that although working in Somerville is beneficial and necessary, students should look nationally as well. "We need to organize labor unions and negotiate for better pay and make health care accessible to every person, like how public libraries are accessible," he said.
Fischman pushed for tying the minimum wage to the rate of inflation and making the tax structure more progressive. "We should have a wealth tax -- a tax on extra money after income taxes and expenditures," he said.
In closing, Fischman said, "I want you to think creatively about where you can get involved. Seek out the people who are interested in putting you to work. You can make a big difference in the community."
