Bijal Shah, Harvard University,
John F. Kennedy School of Government and Yale University Law School

Social services including homelessness and immigration

The dedicated team at the City of Boston’s Emergency Shelter Commission had much to teach me about local housing and homelessness law and policy.  Through research as well as numerous site visits, I learned about the relationship between federal and state policies on housing and homelessness and about the key concerns and motivating factors for advocates, service providers, housing authorities, the City, legislators and courts involved in the process of dealing with a variety of related issues.

There are many things I can do now that I couldn’t before…  Some of the most important include being able to have an educated and comprehensive conversation about the policies, issues and people involved in housing and homelessness in the Boston area, and being able to bring together a variety of viewpoints on the issue in what I hope is a piece of research that could be somewhat useful to anyone interested in preventing homelessness before the eviction process.

As a part of my internship, I produced a report that discusses the implementation of a “prevention early warning system,” which is basically an additional mechanism to better ensure preservation of tenancies in the Boston area.  I was able to get a favorable response from the housing court, housing authorities, landlords, service providers, advocates, a HUD legislator and the City in regards to many of the ideas posited in this report.