Homeowner suing to stop homeless shelter

[LeafByNiggle]

Are you saying that my desire can break their addiction? Improve the hygiene? Make my daughter’s safe from those drunk or high sleeping a couple of feet from the sidewalk 150 feet from my house…

This sounds like the “Think Method” from The Music Man –a sweet but totally fictitious story.

LearByNiggle, I’m sure you know that it’s not just desire, but practical actions and usually lots of money and time.

Once again, I’m going to post a link to a marvelous one-woman effort to help the homeless in Northern Illinois. Please read it and note the sheer WORK that Miss Carly puts into her neighborhood outreach.

For lack of a more accurate term, that is simply bizarre.

I am reminded of people thinking just their mere thought is sufficient to cause change.
They usually spend their lives doing nothing more.

I was responding to this:

Sympathy and a desire to help doesn’t change the reality of living in such an area.

when I said

It can if that desire is strong enough.

and Peeps posting about Miss Carly proves the point. When desire is strong enough, it leads to action. And action changes the reality. That is what I meant. Action that results from sympathy and the desire to change things.

 

[Anrakyr]

I’d argue rampant capitalism.

We call customers consumers like they are livestock to be fattened. We nickel and dime every service imaginable. We work people to death and if by some miracle they don’t die the options are pull ahead, go insane or give up entirely.

Then when these poor souls fall into the cracks they become homeless. Half dead men and women, Spectres of formally function people wondering around in a world that ignores them till death polishes them off.

At what point do you have to ask yourself how many months weeks or days are you from becoming like them?

Most people who squirrel away a few bucks are an accident and one missed rent away from homeless.

That’s 90 days from being evicted all said and done. 21 days from eviction being mandatory. You hit that mark and landlords not required to let you stay.

21 days and you have to find somewhere else to live.
And if you fail?
Let that sink in.

 

[Maelstrom1]

This is why I don’t understand the huge increase in opinion for legalizing marijuana. Don’t drink and drive for certain but no one says don’t smoke and drive. We are becoming a nation of addicts and somehow it’s ok. We don’t want to destroy addicts but neither should we say it is acceptable. There is a reason why certain activities used to be shamed. Now anything seems to go.

 

[Peeps]

I’d argue rampant capitalism.

We call customers consumers like they are livestock to be fattened. We nickel and dime every service imaginable. We work people to death and if by some miracle they don’t die the options are pull ahead, go insane or give up entirely.

Then when these poor souls fall into the cracks they become homeless. Half dead men and women, Spectres of formally function people wondering around in a world that ignores them till death polishes them off.

At what point do you have to ask yourself how many months weeks or days are you from becoming like them?

Most people who squirrel away a few bucks are an accident and one missed rent away from homeless.

That’s 90 days from being evicted all said and done. 21 days from eviction being mandatory. You hit that mark and landlords not required to let you stay.

21 days and you have to find somewhere else to live.
And if you fail?
Let that sink in.

This is fantastical.

Many people work hard because they truly enjoy their job/profession. My dad was a pipe fitter, and he loved it. He worked mandatory overtime (4 hours), so he did 12 hour days, and then he would go home to milking cows and other farm chores–and he LOVED it! He loved working!

Work is good–it’s part of life BEFORE the Fall in the Garden of Eden. God put Adam to work in the garden–it was not a gulag at all.

As for people falling through cracks and being a few bucks, an accident and one missed rent away from homelessness–that’s just not true. Many of us have family who would step up and help out until we got back on our feet again. And in spite of the propaganda about un-insured Americans, most of us have insurance. And at this point, all of us are entitled to Social Security (IF we worked during our lives), and to Medicaid and Medicare.

And there is the Church. Yes, there are plenty of difficulties with getting help from the Church, but there are also lots of churches that have programs in place to help the poor and homeless.

As many people on this forum thread have already stated, MOST of the homeless in the U.S. are either addicted or mentally-ill, not unfortunates who had an accident and lost their jobs and all their resources all at once and became homeless.

 

[Anrakyr]

As many people on this forum thread have already stated, MOST of the homeless in the U.S. are either addicted or mentally-ill, not unfortunates who had an accident and lost their jobs and all their resources all at once and became homeless.

I know three homeless that doesn’t apply too.

 

[Peeps]

and Peeps posting about Miss Carly proves the point. When desire is strong enough, it leads to action. And action changes the reality. That is what I meant. Action that results from sympathy and the desire to change things.

What we have to keep in mind is illustrated well by Miss Carly–desire and compassion are not enough. We have to have the “street smarts”–the knowledge and skills needed to do a good job.

Miss Carly recognized that SHE had the skills and smarts necessary to start feeding the poor in her neighborhood.

And now that she has become a public figure in her city, she has the resources (most of the time–it’s a never-ending need). She has the City Council and the law on her side, and the law also watches over her and her “family.”

Desire does not necessarily equate with action. There are plenty of us who desire to write a best-seller, or become an actress, or re-model our homes or own a horse–but if we don’t have the ability and skills, as well as the contacts and resources, we will never come close to succeeding.

 

[Peeps]

I know three homeless that doesn’t apply too.

And I know 20 that it DOES apply to.

The poor that I know have homes–organizations like Habitat for Humanity have been wonderful, and other organizations have stepped up to follow the example of this organization.

Our city is currently working on re-habbing abandoned homes that will be given at low rents to poor and disadvantaged individuals and families who are willing demonstrate a work ethic and willingness to live clean and crime-free (which many are willing to do!).

I’ve already mentioned our amazing Rescue Mission, one of the best in the nation. This organization helps men and women clean up their lives, break their addictions, get training in marketable skills, and transition from dorm living to sharing an apartment, then living in their own apartment, and eventually moving away from the mission into the community.

We also have a mental health organization that does a similar “assimilation” program to help people who suffer from mental illness to work towards recovery and live on their own or with roommates in rooming houses, group homes, and apartments scattered all over the city. One of my best friends from my college years has been a client of this program for three decades, and she does very well. She was actually homeless for several months after we got out of college–her mental illness manifested itself in such bizarre and disruptive behavior that her parents kicked her out–they were afraid of her. But she was literally rescued by the program that she is now an enthusiastic client of.

If you have friends who are homeless, it might be worth your time helping them look around the country and find an area that does a better job of helping the homeless get off the street and into dwellings than where your friends are currently living. L.A. is a hopeless place for anyone who doesn’t have money.

 

[Anrakyr]

And I know 20 that it DOES apply to.

Cool, all you are doing is pointing out a trend not that there are not outliers.

I’m not saying the other don’t exist I’m saying there’s more.

 

[Theo520]

Daytime shelters are filling the void here. I just wish that more cities had them. In the meantime, public libraries have heat, fresh water, and restrooms.

They’ve taken over our main library, but I like it. It is a stimulating and safe place to be if one is not employed.

It sounds like you have a very poor understanding of homelessness and its causes.

Why do you think that bible verse got it wrong, or was inappropriate reference.

We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”

 

[Welshrabbit]

What’s your take on Amazon? Has it been a good or bad thing for Seattle?

 

[blackforest]

The poor that I know have homes–organizations like Habitat for Humanity have been wonderful, and other organizations have stepped up to follow the example of this organization.

In my area, HfH has a minimum income requirement. With property values over the roof these days, it’s not always an easy one to meet. None of the families I’ve worked with qualify.

They’ve taken over our main library, but I like it. It is a stimulating and safe place to be if one is not employed.

It’s adequate, but those day shelters are even better for support, bathrooms, showers, and warm meals. Catholic Worker often runs them.

Why do you think that bible verse got it wrong, or was inappropriate reference.

Actually @CorydonMundi correctly pointed out to me that I was the one taking his/her use of the verse out of context.

All available data I’ve found on homelessness cites low income, lack of affordable/available housing, domestic violence, mental illness, and/or substance abuse as causes.

 

[libbeylu]

Homeowner suing to stop homeless shelter…the title made my heart ache, my stomach hurt, and put me in an emotional state of mind…
What if there was catastrophic disaster in our world…and all of us became “homeless”…could we all survive? I have read all of the replies to this topic and can relate to the property value concerns, the mental illness effecting some of the homeless, the crime, and unsanitary conditions, etc. I think of a homeless man that was given the opportunity of acquiring a job…he was struggling to “make it”, working overtime and doing all he could…then was diagnosed with cancer and died. My mind drifts back to a time when a hurricane destroyed a coastal town…Marie lost everything…the roof on her house, everything in the house, her car…this was during August and others were complaining about the lack of “air conditioning”…Churches and the Red Cross were providing food for everyone…Marie was so close to being “homeless” but she got help from some Church Group who installed a tarp on the roof and she survived, went to work, and eventually moved. She suffered mentally from the disaster but because of her strength and determination, she is fine now! We all have choices…we should never take for granted that others are “homeless” and we are not…it just takes an illness or another bump in the road to cause a setback that could change our lives forever! I am Blessed in so many ways…roof over my head…food in the fridge…heat and air…car in the garage…washer and dryer…electricity…gas…water…and I know my days are numbered…

 

[TheLittleLady]

The poor that I know have homes–organizations like Habitat for Humanity have been wonderful, and other organizations have stepped up to follow the example of this organization.

I picked one Habitat at random:

History and Accomplishments | Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio

This group states “we have served nearly 500 families” between 1988 and now. If we round up, that means 17 families per year on average.

Here is a report from that same geographical area about the numbers of homeless (and that in and of itself depends on how one counts homeless persons).

Even with blurry numbers, we have to say that as great as Habitat is, they barely scratch the suffice. In my area they might build 5 new homes each year. I get 5 homeless calls per day!

Now, Habitat does have a default rate on their homeowners, so, those houses are re purposed for other folks.

The problem is much larger than Habitat or another great local project.

 

[Peeps]

The problem is much larger than Habitat or another great local project.

Of course it’s a huge problem, especially considering the number of mentally-ill and addicted who are homeless or as good as.

But we have to start somewhere. Every project that someone starts gives us more information about the best ways to help the various homeless populations in the U.S.

I still believe that the BEST way to stop homelessness is to make sure that all children graduate from high school with a good idea of what they can do with their lives other than “be poor.”

 

[Maelstrom1]

Not to pick on anyone but it appears many who post have a fond memory of when they were young, the economy was doing well for EVERYONE (the stock market is not the economy), families by and large stuck together. Simply not true in modern times. Having a high school education without learning a trade is worthless. A college education is the bare minimum. Honestly, if a poll was taken on this site, most people likely are 50+ years old, worked for the same firm for 30+ years, and know of the world which they inhabited 30+ years ago.

 

[Maelstrom1]

You have a trade then?

 

[pnewton]

LeafByNiggle:

It can if that desire is strong enough.

For lack of a more accurate term, that is simply bizarre.

I am reminded of people thinking just their mere thought is sufficient to cause change.
They usually spend their lives doing nothing more.

I can see why it might seem bizarre to this generation. It is not bizarre for those that saw desire and will put a man on the moon with no program to do so in ten years, or that saw this country mobilize into the greatest army the world has known in a year. I do not see this as bizarre. I see it as a prioritization issue at best, and a cop-out at worst. I refuse to believe that a the United States of America is incapable of making vast improvement over the poor and homeless. If so, we are far from the greatest country in the world, and not even in the top ten.

Yes, I believe we have a tremendous lack of will to help the poor as a nation, and unfortunately, as Catholic Americans.

 

[Zaccheus]

The griping homeowner does not own the property he is attempting to exert control over.

The landlord doesn’t own the property they are saying will go down in value?
I must have missed that. Where did you find this?

Pnewton said homeowner not landlord.
Pnewton said the griper doesn’t own his neighbor’s property, which is the property the homeowner is trying to control.

 

[Maelstrom1]

Good for you! Doesn’t sound useless to me, far from it.

 

[TheLittleLady]

Service industry, part time jobs make up a huge portion of those figures.

The “under-employed” is a great number of people, myself included.