A panhandler begs for money on Columbus Avenue just before 11 a.m. Wednesday. It is a scene that greets visitors and downtown workers almost everyday, and it is one thing Mayor Domenic Sarno is trying to change.

"This is a rallying call not just from me, the mayor of Springfield, but Mayor Sullivan out of Holyoke and Mayor Higgins out of Northampton have also sounded the bell on this... Other communities need to step to the plate," said Sarno.

Sarno was joined by Geraldine McCaffery, Springfield Deputy Director of the Office of Housing, along with Robert J. Schwarz, executive vice president of Peter Pan Bus Lines and chairman of the Homes Within Reach 10-year Plan to End Homelessness, and Philip Mangano, Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness.

Springfield is making some progress. McCafferty said each year, in the last week of January, homelessness advocates canvass the city, counting the number of homeless. Last Wednesday's count of the homeless shows their numbers are down by 39 percent. A total of 20 were found on the streets. Last year: 33.

Claire Mendoza, 53, was homeless not too long ago, but she was helped by the city's Housing First program. In two years, 61 people have been removed from the streets. Sarno says it's far cheaper than providing temporary food and shelter.

"You're talking around $100,000 between all emergency costs that are needed," said Sarno. "This program cuts down on that immensely and this puts people back on their feet, and empowers them. Isn't that the goal"?

Springfield is among 325 cities in the United States participating in programs to reduce homelessness.
But the federal government's homelessness czar said Springfield city is one of only a few actually making progress.

"It's one of only 40 cities in the country that has seen a reduction of homeless people on the streets and long term in the shelters," said Mangano.