Mark Alston-Follansbee received a citation of commendation from the Board of Aldermen citing his many years of service to the homeless community in Somerville upon the occasion of his retirement.

By Jim Clark

The Somerville Board of Aldermen issued a citation of commendation to the retiring Director of the Somerville Homeless Coalition, Mark Alston-Follansbee, at their latest regular meeting on Thursday, June 14.

In presenting the citation to Alston-Follansbee, Ward 6 Alderman Lance Davis said,  “As most of you know, Mark Alston-Follansbee is retiring at the end of this month. Mark has been working to help people find and stay in their homes for 30 years, and in the last 18 years as Executive Director of the Somerville Homeless Coalition. In this time, Mark helped thousands of people, and under his leadership the Homeless Coalition has become one of the most respected and effective organizations of its kind in the region.”

Davis went on to say, ” That work and that reputation enabled the organization to get through difficult times and continue to serve its mission throughout. Now, Mark leaves the Somerville Homeless Coalition on solid footing and poised to continue the critical work that he has so passionately championed for the last 18 years.”

“It is impossible to talk with Mark about the issues facing so many in our community without feeling simultaneously angry, inspired, and motivated,” Davis continued. ” That’s what motivated me to become involved in the Homeless Coalition years ago when it played a very significant role in my decision to run for office and try and tackle bigger solutions. An while that inspiration is a big part of Mark’s legacy, what I’ll remember just as well is his sharp wit, and world class irreverence.”

In closing, Davis said, ” I truly hope that we’ll continue to see Mark around the city in the coming years, whether that’s at a Homeless Coalition event, in Davis Square on Thanksgiving morning dressed head to toe as a turkey, or standing right here in this spot advocating for the next policy initiative that will help put people into homes.”

Davis the read the citation aloud as follows: Commending Mark Alston-Follansbee, who is retiring after 18 years of distinguished service as Director of the Somerville Homeless Coalition. Be it hereby known to all that the Somerville Board of Aldermen and Mayor offer their sincerest commendations to Mark Alston-Follansbee on the auspicious occasion of his retirement after 18 years of dedicated service as Executive Director of the Somerville Homeless Coalition. Mark has also volunteered untold hours to the Somerville community as a co-founder of the Food Security Coalition and a member of Somervision, the Sustainable Neighborhoods Working Group, and the Somerville Rotary Club. The Aldermen and the Mayor extend their best wishes for a happy retirement and continuing success in all endeavors. Offered this 14th day of June, 2018.

Following the presentation of the citation, Alston-Follansbee thanked the Board and said, “It’s always a little strange to me to have personal recognition because, of course, even though in some ways I’m the public face of the Homeless Coalition, there are a lot of people that are doing the hard work every day that make the Coalition work. I really want to thank all of them for making it possible for me to have been there for this long and to have done the work we have done.”

” And it’s also a little strange that our tag line is ‘working to put ourselves out of business’ since 1985, and from that angle we’re not doing a very good job. So there are a lot of things that I wish we could have done, much more, much better,” Alston-Follansbee continued. “But the fact is, Somerville is a very exciting place but it’s also changing very quickly. When I started working with the homeless people 30+ years ago in Cambridge, we could always get somebody an apartment in Somerville. And that’s not true any longer. We have people coming into our office every day who are struggling to here, who were born here, they grew up here, they want to stay here. And they’re struggling because it’s getting so expensive in Somerville. So I thank you for this recognition, I appreciate it, but I also urge you all to keep fighting to try to create more affordable housing so that everybody really can live, work, play, and raise a family in Somerville.”