Those who are forced into being without an abode and/or dwelling are all to quickly deemed less than citizens. In many regards are even treated as less than human. How about thinking that we are NOT homeless, nor last-class citizens or non-human? We think, have feelings, have intellect and struggle. How would you feel to be thought of as anything less than human just for circumstances due to those of profit/gain/control?
It's always touching when others actually do what's righteous or at least try to do such. The accompanying article shares a bit of at least two people who ventured to bring comfort to "The Houseless" of a Lewis Center, Ohio town.
Some aren't so fortunate, and even more are often taken advantage of such circumstances as being "The Houseless"
This became the situation when Kirk Sinclair - self professing himself as "The Hiking Humanitarian" - not only didn't keep to his verbal agreement with "The Houseless", but refused to be righteous with being responsible for damages to The Houselesses property that Cindy Sinclair - Kirk's wife - damaged. What ever the views Kirk Sinclair has - staunch left wing Democrat/esoteric agenda supporter -, if someone is claiming to be a "humanitarian", then shouldn't that person at least "be about it" without abusing "The Houseless" just because Kirks' false, misleading and/or erroneous views aren't accepted and/or supported? Or is that in Kirk Sinclairs' world of humanitarian efforts, there will be those who are pushed aside, not treated in a humanitarian way, left for dead ... just because of not supporting an unclean agenda that WILL have causalities?
But, it not only turned out to be Kirk Sinclair that was all the hurtful to "The Houseless". Town officials, as well as, relatives, religious members and some of the towns people put on good faces to promote themselves and/or the town of Norfolk, Conn. to outsiders only for profit/gain/control. The shocking truth of DECEPTION within Norfolk, Conn. is coming. More here: http://norfolk-now.houseless.net
Little did a pizza parlor owner know
that when he handed over the restaurant keys, his friends were about to
“prank” him in a way that’s seriously hard to be mad about.
Roman Atwood, a YouTube prankster, and his buddies convinced the owner of Wholly Joe’s Chicago Eatery, located in Lewis Center, Ohio, that one of them had left a wallet inside and that they needed the key to enter after hours.
While they told Joe they would be in
and out, three hours later they had made 30 pizzas, left money for them
on the counter and were off to a homeless shelter for an impromptu pizza
party.
Pranksters tricked their pizza shop-owning friend into giving them the keys. (Image source: YouTube video screenshot)
Three hours later, they had made 30 pizzas. (Image source: YouTube video screenshot)
Don’t worry, they paid for it. (Image source: YouTube video screenshot)
Some of a pizza went to a faith mission that houses homeless overnight. (Image source: YouTube video screenshot)
Some of the pizzas were distributed to those in need on the streets. (Image source: YouTube video screenshot)
“Give him some love for being such a
good sport!” the YouTube video’s description requested for their
unwitting pizza benefactor, Joe.
“What happened last night?” Joe says
in the video after arriving at the restaurant the next day. “All I see
at the register is a stack of money, a note saying I fed the homeless…
And what the heck, I don’t understand what you guys did.”
There are a great many good people in the United States of America who are actually about being "Humanitarian" without ever needing to have such a title placed on them. many who self profess to be "Humanitarian" in reality are just talkers and not doers, unless of course, for some agenda that serves the select few of the group.
It always seems to turn out that those who actually care, do so because they actually are and aren't just for an agenda; a "pat on the back"; a job and/or something for ones self.
Thanks to all those who are willing to be "REAL humanitarians" without being known as such.
"James said a medical condition made it hard for him to work, but God had always looked after him", reports Pia Harold
Donations of more than
$110,000 (£67,000) have poured in from across the US for a Boston
homeless man who returned a lost bag with $42,000 in it.
Glen James alerted police after he found the backpack
containing cash and traveller's cheques last weekend, and the bag's
owner was then tracked down.
A complete stranger later started an online fund for Mr James after reading media reports about his honesty.
The man, Ethan Whittington, now plans to meet Mr James to give him the money.
This isn't only about rewarding a great guy. I think it's a statement to everyone in America”
Ethan WhittingtonFund starter
Mr Whittington, who lives in Midlothian,
Virginia, said he was so overwhelmed by Mr James' honesty that he
decided to start the fund.
"The fact that he's in the situation he is, being homeless,
it blew my mind that he would do this,'' Mr Whittington was quoted as
saying by the Associated Press.
He said his idea of starting donations on a crowdfunding website for Mr James "caught on like wildfire ever since". "It's brought me a lot of hope. This isn't only about rewarding a great guy. I think it's a statement to everyone in America. "If we come together and work toward one thing and work together, then we can make it happen." Meanwhile, Mr James, a former Boston courthouse employee,
said that he would not have kept "even a penny" of the money he had
found in the backpack - even if he were desperate.
A Good Samaritan who returned a backpack containing cash and traveller's cheques is rewarded with donations from the public.
Video: Poor Man's Honesty Makes Him Rich
A fund established to help a homeless man who returned a
lost backpack containing more than $42,000 (£26,000) has raised almost
$110,000 (£68,500).
Boston man Glen James, 54, spoke to police after he found the backpack
containing $2,400 (£1,500) in cash and nearly $40,000 (£25,000) in
traveller's cheques at the South Bay Mall. The man who lost the backpack told workers at a nearby store and they called police, who later returned the backpack to him. Virginia resident Ethan Whittington read media accounts of Mr James'
honesty and started a fund for him on a crowd-funding website. The fund has since raised more than $100,000, including $182 (£114) of pocket money saved up by two young children.
The Boston Police Department publicly thanked Mr James, saying his actions were "a remarkable tribute to him and his honesty". Mr James said in a statement: "Even if I were desperate for money, I would not have kept even a penny of the money I found. "I am extremely religious. God has always very well looked after me."
Honesty: Glen James smiles as Boston police commissioner Edward Davis looks on (Picture: AP)
Glen James: Boston "Houseless" man disproves stereotype by returning cash, checks & property he found
The whole problem with falling victim to becoming "The Houseless" is all too quickly being stereotyped, especially those who often turn out to be more righteous than those with jobs, a place to call home and/or have standing in society. Granted, there are many who only play the system for their own profit/gain/control, but does that excuse those who claim to be qualified to help from not actually HELPING? WELL?
"The Houseless" has accumulated countless "Houseless" stories of abuse; wrongful stereotyping; help organizations and/or those calling themselves "HUMANITARIANS" who AREN'T qualified to actually be righteous unto those they claim to HELP and more. Stay tuned as the TRUTH comes to you via www.Houseless.org
Could it be that the massive system of "HELP" that has been created is first and foremost about profit/gain/control while only "PIMPING" the less fortunate? Well?
Could it be that it had taken about 1 year to finally recognize Mr. Glen James is only due to ? WELL?
Whyisn't Mr. Glen James actually being treated as a human in accordance with what he needs, not what the system wants him to be treated as? WELL
It's always a blessing to know that there does exist those who are "about it" without needing a "pat on the back", a tax break, and/or some sort of cause to fund their business. Thanks to Ethan Whittington, a 27-year-old from
Midlothian, Va. and all of those who are about it when it comes to being righteous. Could it be more than about time society in the United States of
America actually puts into place what they preach unto other countries? WELL? "The Houseless"
A homeless man in the US who returned a backpack containing thousands
in cash and traveller’s cheques said he would not have kept ‘even a
penny’ if he was desperate.
Glen James found the rucksack at a shopping mall in Boston and flagged down patrol officers to hand it over.
The backpack contained about £1,500 worth of US dollars, almost
£25,000 in traveller’s cheques, a Chinese passport and personal papers.
Its owner told workers at a store at the mall he had lost the bag. He
went to the police station, where officers confirmed it belonged to
him.
Mr James, who has been homeless since 2005, was honoured on Monday at
Boston police headquarters, where commissioner Edward Davis thanked him
for his honesty and gave him a special citation.
In a statement, Mr James said: ‘Even if I were desperate for money, I would not have kept even a penny of the money I found.
‘I am extremely religious, God has always very well looked after me.
‘I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone –
every pedestrian stranger – who has given me spare change. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.’
Sept. 16, 2013: Glen James, of Boston, left, smiles in the direction of
members of the media as Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis, right,
looks on during a news conference at the police headquarters, in Boston. (AP)
A homeless man in Boston was honored Monday for flagging down
police after he discovered a bag filled with $2,400 in cash and nearly
$40,000 in travelers checks, The Boston Globe reported.
Last summer, Glen James, who is in his 50s and lives in a homeless
shelter, noticed a young man at the South Bay plaza in Boston leave
behind a large bag, the report said. James observed the bag’s contents,
and alerted police because “God has always very well looked after me.”
“Even if I were desperate for money, I would not have kept even a
penny,” he wrote in a statement due to embarrassment about a speech
impediment.
James received a citation from Boston’s police commissioner and there
has been a website made, www.gofundme.com/4by2as, to raise money for
James, who said he receives food stamps and panhandles at times because
“It’s just nice to have some money in one’s pockets so that as a
homeless man I don’t feel absolutely broke all the time.”
Under the canopy at the T.J. Maxx store, Glen James sat among the
shopping carts, shaded from the late-summer sun. As shoppers bustled
through the South Bay plaza Saturday, James proofread a letter, resting
on the bag he brings with him when he panhandles.
As he read, James noticed a young man nearby, sitting on an
overturned carriage. He had a bag, too, a black backpack at his feet.
James went back to his letter.
When James looked up again, the man was gone. But his bag was still there.
After a time, James went over to see what had been left behind.
Inside, he found $2,400 in cash and nearly $40,000 in travelers checks,
along with a passport and personal papers. For a homeless man who
subsists on food stamps and spare change, it was a staggering sum, maybe
even a chance at a new life.
But James, a slight, bespectacled man in his mid-50s who says he has
been homeless for five years, said the thought of keeping the money
never crossed his mind.
“Even if I were desperate for money, I would not have kept even a
penny of the money found,” he said Monday in a handwritten statement.
“God has always very well looked after me.”
James immediately flagged down police, who in short order returned
the bag to its owner, a student visiting Boston from China. James, a man
who lives in a homeless shelter and relies on charity for change to
wash his clothes, had returned a small fortune without a second thought.
For his actions, James received a citation Monday at Boston police
headquarters, where Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis praised his
“extraordinary show of character and honesty.”
“It really is a remarkable tribute to him,” Davis said.
James, who has a speech impediment, said little at the ceremony,
saying he was self-conscious about his stutter. As cameras flashed, he
smiled nervously and appeared somewhat overwhelmed.
But when asked how he felt about returning so much money, he did not pause.
“Very, very good,” he said, letting loose a hearty laugh.
In his statement, James wrote about how he found the money and a bit
about himself. He had worked at a courthouse for 13 years as a file
clerk, he said, before being fired. On Monday, the courts could not
immediately confirm his employment. James could have gotten another job,
he said, but he suffers from an inner-ear disorder that causes
prolonged vertigo spells.
“The shelter is the perfect living situation with someone
who has Meniere’s disease,” he wrote. “There are many people in the
shelter to attend to me.”
Glen James said it never occurred to him to keep the money in the bag he
discovered at the South Bay shopping plaza in Boston. The backpack had
$2,400 in cash and nearly $40,000 in travelers checks and belonged to a
student from China. Matthew J. Lee/Globe staff
James said he has siblings and other relatives he could live with, but does not want to burden them.
He said he had not met the man whose bag he found, but said he was “very glad to make sure” it was returned to him safely.
James said he receives the “blessing” of food stamps and panhandles
for money for laundry, transportation, and “odds and ends.” Just having a
little money, he said, can make all the difference.
“It’s just nice to have some money in one’s pockets so that as a homeless man I don’t feel absolutely broke all the time.”
James thanked all the people who have given him spare change,
including mayoral candidate Charles Yancey, who had dropped a total of
$7 into his cup.
James’s story compelled Ethan Whittington, a 27-year-old from
Midlothian, Va., who has never been to Boston, to launch a fund for
James at www.gofundme.com/4by2as
. Within the first four hours, Whittington’s campaign raised $3,152, which he plans to deliver to James.
After receiving the backpack from James, police notified mall
security. They were later contacted by an employee at Best Buy, who said
a customer had told them he had lost his backpack containing a large
sum of money.
The owner was positively identified by his passport, police said.
As he left the ceremony at police headquarters, James took deliberate
steps, his eyes fixed on the floor. Then employees watching from behind
their desks stood and applauded. His eyes widened, and he nodded his
thanks.
Outside the station, James was asked if there was anything he would like, anything at all.
As he got into a police cruiser that would take him back to the shelter, he said, “No war.”
Matt Lee of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Peter Schworm can be reached at schworm@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globepete.
Michael Winter, USA TODAY
5:44 p.m. EDT September 16, 2013
"Even if I were desperate for money, I would not have kept even a ... penny," Glen James said.
(Photo: Karen Bleier AFP/Getty Images)
A homeless man in Boston who said "God has always very well looked
after me" was honored Monday for returning a Chinese visitor's lost
backpack that contained $2,400 in cash, nearly $40,000 in traveler's
checks and passports.
Though he has been homeless for several years, Glen James
said in a written statement, "Even if I were desperate for money, I
would not have kept even a ... penny of the money I found," The Boston Globe reported. He flagged down a police officer Saturday after finding the bag at the South Bay Center in Dorchester.
"I
would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone — every
pedestrian stranger — who has given me spare change. Thank you!" read
the statement James handed out at police headquarters because "I don't
talk too much because I stutter."
"It's just nice to have some
money in one's pocket so that as a homeless man I don't feel absolutely
broke all the time," he said.
Police Commissioner Edward Davis presented James with a special citation.
"He's an honest guy and realized the property belonged to someone else," Davis said.
James said he had worked at a courthouse for 13 years but lost his job and became homeless in 2005.
As word of the good deed spread, a Virginia man began an online campaign Monday to raise $50,000 to donate to James.
"I thought what he did was very honorable," Ethan Whittington, of Richmond, Va., told Boston Magazine.
Posted:
Aug 12, 2013 4:16 PM EST
Updated:
Aug 12, 2013 4:35 PM EST
By Ian Scheuring
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -
(Editors Note: After his appearance on Hawaii News Now
Sunrise on Monday, Mayor Caldwell stuck around to answer more of the
viewer questions that were posted to our Facebook page. His answers can
be found below, with each question taken from Facebook. Mayor Caldwell
will return to Sunrise each month for another "Ask The Mayor" segment to
answer your questions from Facebook.)
Hawaii Mayor Caldwell
Ask the Mayor, part 1 (12 August, 2013)
Ask the Mayor, part 2 (12 August, 2013)
Sylvia Dahlby: How does the city plan on maintaining the rail system when it can't maintain roads, water mains, and schools?
Mayor Caldwell: Rail, when it is up and running,
will have only 300 employees, as opposed to TheBus, which has 1,800
employees. The operation and maintenance of rail is going to be less
than TheBus system by a lot. The entire system is going to cost more,
but we're going to need fewer buses, meaning an all-bus system in 2030
would cost more than a bus-rail system.
Michele Golujuch: Would you ever consider a bill that required Honolulu residents to pay for trash pick-up to help pay for that service?
Mayor Caldwell: Commercial trash pick-up is
something that a lot of people have to pay for in Waikiki, like
restaurants and things like that. Perhaps we should explore charging
[other commercial customers, like private schools] just like other
establishments have to pay. If we did look at doing this, it would
probably be in the commercial sector first.
Traci Powers: Cleaning up sidewalks and parks is
akin to sweeping the problem under the rug. What are the long term plans
to alleviate the homeless population?
Mayor Caldwell: Just moving homeless people from one
place to another is crazy and I think it's the definition of insanity.
We have pushed this thing called ‘Housing First,' it's a pilot project,
where we are going to house the most chronic homeless, the drug addicted
or who have a mental illness of some sort, on site, in a home, where
they get their treatment.
Gary Gonsalves: What is it going to take to impose a law making it illegal to migrate homeless people from the mainland to Hawaii?
Mayor Caldwell: I wish I could pass such a law.
Unfortunately, since we are part of the United States, it is illegal to
prohibit people from traveling between states. Therefore, we need to
develop alternative solutions, such as working with providers to return
homeless back to their families.
Barbara Bonura: Potholes! Why such expensive registration for vehicles but the roads still suck!
Mayor Caldwell: As of December, 43% of our roads are
graded substandard. We have a program in which all of those roads will
be repaved within 5 years at 300 lane miles per year. We are on target
to hit the first 300 miles this December, and are working hard to
improve our roads for years to come.
Marie Hite: Our traffic problems on the North Shore
at Lani's... Turtle Beach.. is now an everyday problem. What used to
take 10 minutes Monday through Friday is now taking drivers half an
hour. Weekends are far worse. Please send someone out there to figure
out how to solve this traffic. Way too many people crossing the streets
to go to the beach. It's an accident waiting to happen.
Mayor Caldwell: I sympathize with the plight of
those who live on the North Shore, particularly on weekends when the
surf is large during the winter. Kamehameha Highway is a state owned
road, though the City is considering several alternatives at Laniakea
and will need the state's cooperation to implement them. One is to offer
angled parking with barriers for crossing only in certain areas. The
long term solution is to move Kam Highway mauka around Laniakea, but
this is going to take a while, since it is a wetland on the mauka side
of the road and will need EPA clearance along with other federal and
state permits.
Candice Kehaulani: When will the city start paving
the roads that REALLY need it! Like the Meheula Parkway in front of the
Mililani Post Office! They are always paving roads that don't need it.
Mayor Caldwell: Meheula Parkway is one of the roads that will be repaved within the next 12 months.
Michele Golojuch: When will the building of our wonderful rail system begin again? I'm tired of driving to work. I can't wait to ride!
Mayor Caldwell: If everything goes well, we anticipate starting construction again next month.
Linda Fowler: How will you handle the noticeable
rise of crime in our state? It seems like every week I read the news
someone has been mugged, shot, or murdered and I bet that's not even the
half of it. Please justify the pay raise that HPD has gotten when the
crime rate has raised so much in the last few years.
Mayor Caldwell: We are lucky that Honolulu is one of
the safest big cities in America. HPD is out there every day making
sure that we are safe as we go about our daily lives. During the summer
we do see an increase in property crime that does decrease in the fall,
and police are working as hard as they can to deal with that property
crime problem.
PuaOlena Ngatuvai: Why are the camping permits so
expensive now? $300 a day to camp? If that's the case, bathrooms should
be clean (always toilet paper, no graffiti, etc).Also it should stay
opened 24 hours. There are thousands that camp at Kokololio Beach &
there is no light in parking lot, should also be provided by the state,
security should be around the clock, for $300 it better be worth it!
Mayor Caldwell: You can get a city camping permit for as little as 32 dollars for three days. Click here to see how.
JEFFERSONVILLE —
As a handful of people were being handed meals out of the back of a
repurposed ambulance, another dozen walked from about a quarter-mile
away where they had been waiting for food.
They used to know exactly where they were going to get their next meal, because it was the same place every evening.
But now, because of the Ohio River Bridges Project, the homeless
encampments at exit 0 have been pushed farther north, and outreach
efforts are searching for a new location where they can provide the
homeless with daily necessities. It’s one of the many issues homeless
advocates, project managers and elected officials are facing as they try
to address the impact of the bridge project on homelessness.
“We understand that there’s construction coming through, but to find
out these camps over [to] 10th Street are going to be wiped out in less
than four days, someone knew something that could have prepared us,”
said Paul Stensrud, founder of Jesus Cares at Exit 0, a homeless
outreach organization.
It was no surprise that the Ohio River Bridges Project was coming and
that it would affect the homeless camps under the viaducts along
Interstate 65. But, Stensrud said, while bridge planners have been in
contact with him, it was after construction crews had already removed
some of the camps and new policies set up in Jeffersonville to protect
the homeless were not followed.
At a meeting on Thursday, it was agreed that project managers or a
member of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet would contact a
representative of the Jeffersonville Homeless Task Force about any
issues regarding the homeless population and not deal with the homeless
directly. WHERE’S THE NEXT MEAL?
Stensrud and Exit 0 volunteers had long-established that they would
serve meals at the same place near the Court Avenue exit. With the
ongoing construction and the need to relocate, Stensrud, the volunteers
and exit 0’s homeless are looking for a place where they can get their
next meal.
“There is a need for our community here, it’s not a want,” he said. “People have to eat.”
Roy White, who has been homeless for five years, was waiting at the
former dialysis center off Broadway Street near exit 0 for Stensrud and
the volunteers for meals on Tuesday. Along with him were about a dozen
other people, including a mother and daughter who said they walked over
from Louisville for a meal and another homeless man who said he walked
two hours from New Albany.
But Stensrud was setting up about a quarter-mile down the road, feeding
a handful of people under an overpass off Seventh Street.
Tuesday night he had about 75 meals with him. He said on average the
group hands out 50 to 75 meals a day. Annually, Exit 0 hands out 2,200
meals a year. And with no specific place to set up, the organization has
been forced to locate wherever they can.
“We’ll go mobile, it’s going to hurt us,” Stensrud said.
Exit 0 has funding of about $1,200 per month and it costs about $35 a
day to keep a converted ambulance the group uses to deliver the meals
running, according to Stensrud.
“We’re going to do what we’ve got to do to keep these guys alive,” he said. “Not to enable, to keep them alive.”
And for many people, the meals bridge a gap while they are trying to get themselves back up on their feet.
“The meal that we serve, they come here because that saves them $15 a
day,” Stensrud said. “If you go to the soup kitchen you eat at Exit 0,
now they have that extra money they can put towards their bills, towards
their rent, towards their medication. Now, with the meals being gone,
what’s going to happen? Medication is going to get cut first because
it’s medicine or food.”
The money that Tracie Allison, who came to the truck for a meal Tuesday, is saving is invaluable.
“I’m trying, I just need a little help,” she said.
Allison said she is homeless, living in a tent on a family member’s
lot. But she has also been working third-shift at Amazon’s fulfillment
center. The former nurse ran into some legal trouble and is working at
the warehouse until she can get the issues straightened out. But because
she has a job and does not meet the income guidelines, and has also
received assistance within the last six months, she said she is no
longer eligible for aid from Jeffersonville’s trustee.
While Allison is trying to raise the money to get a deposit for an apartment, she is forced to live in the tent.
“If I could get a place to live I would be OK,” she said.
David M. LaTouche, a regular volunteer with Exit 0 said he knows what
it’s like to try and get over that hurdle. He said he was homeless
off-and-on for five years.
“I know what the homeless have to go through and it’s not easy at all,” he said.
And the time he spent out on the streets he said worry was his biggest
concern. He was worried about his surroundings and worried that at night
when he went to sleep, he may not wake up.
While Stensrud acknowledged the effort moving forward through
Jeffersonville’s Homeless Task Force, of which he is a member, the
$30,000 [$15,000 from the Redevelopment Commission and $15,000 from the
City County] the city will use to hire a consultant is overlooking a
major need.
“What about the immediate need right now?” Stensrud asked. “Where are they going to go? The shelter’s full.” NO ANSWER FOR HOMELESSNESS
Confronted with the question of where to go, the homeless are also at a loss.
“Where am I going? I don’t know,” White said. “They come to you and say, ‘you’ve got to go.’ Go where?”
He and others that have been living along the interstate are getting frustrated about being pushed out.
“I’m going to figure out a place to go and if they come over there and
try and run me off again it’s going to be all bad, it’s going to be a
fight,” he said.
The prospect of getting into housing is also daunting. While White said
he doesn’t drink or use drugs, he does rely on prescription medication
for his schizophrenia. He also has a leg that has been severely injured
and said he has been denied disability three times. White said he has
been working with Stensrud to try and collect a disability check, but it
might be as long as nine months before he gets an answer and the
payments come through.
“If I don’t get that, I’m going to be in the same place I am now,” White said.
The cycle of frustration continues for those that are homeless as
several said they feel like they are constantly harassed or denigrated
by police.
“The cops won’t leave us alone,” White said. “We could be walking down
the street and they’ll ask us where we’re going. We’d be walking through
Thornton’s parking lot —’oh, where are you going, you’re not supposed
to be on here, you’re homeless.’ So what? That’s all I want, that’s all I
ask for —leave me alone.”
When asked what kind of help local entities could provide, White said just a little work.
“All the city’s got to do is, the people out here that can work, all
this trash on the road and stuff —give them a job, pick it up,” he said.
“Pay them minimum wage and give them a job picking it up.”
Stensrud said housing is the answer, but there’s a back log. And with
the recent notice given to tenants of Rose Hill Residences, which is
being converted into a mixed-use development, he feels the situation may
get worse.
“They’re going to be back in their cars,” he said.
Stensrud is also reaching a tipping point with the areas homeless situation.
“It’s not our issue,” he said. “It’s the government, it’s the city,
community, it is everybody’s issue not just one particular organization.
It’s not the churches issue. I’m fed up.” A PLAN WAS IN PLACE
Organizers had a plan in place to ensure they would be able to continue
to provide meals to the homeless, but it did not get approved.
“We wanted the council to zone a building for us so we wouldn’t have
this issue,” Stensrud said. “We knew a bridge was coming through [and]
that was our plan. But the city says a day shelter isn’t the [answer]
for this area. We’re trying to do the right thing and communicate with
[Mayor] Mike [Moore] saying, look, you’re giving away properties to
museums, you’re giving away properties for art and stuff like that.
Dude, I just need a parking lot. Basically, I’m told if you’re looking
for a blessing you’re not going to get it from me.”
But Moore said he was under the impression that the task force had
advised him that a site had potentially been identified that could be
used as a day shelter and to distribute meals. Attempts to confirm a
site had been identified late Thursday were unsuccessful.
Thomas Steinberger, director of the food pantry at Harvest Chapel
Church, said that previously the J and J Video building was identified
as a place that could house a day center.
However, a zoning request to allow the space to be used for a shelter was not approved.
Connie Sellers, City Council president and a member of Jeffersonville’s
Plan Commission, said the zoning request was denied for two reasons.
She said the residents who lived in that area did not want it and the
area was part of an area targeted for redevelopment.
“I don’t think it is a good place for it because we’re trying to develop that area,” she said.
When asked if there was another area in the city that could be used as a
day shelter she said she is waiting on recommendation of the task
force.
“That’s why we gave them $15,000,” she said.
Steinberger was not optimistic about the prospect of finding a different location to set up a shelter.
“The problem is we can’t move anywhere because Jeffersonville has a
NIBY (not in my back yard) factor,” he said. “It just seems like the
homeless are on the back burner and nobody gives a care about them.”
He said the situation is even more complicated because homeless people
don’t trust others because of the way they’ve been treated and they are
trying to fight the negative perception of homelessness.
“You’ve got to find an area where the people are accessible,”
Steinberger said. “You‘ve got to be able to have a place where they can
have access to public transportation and access to a computer to find a
job ... they’ve got nowhere to go. It’s a situation that everybody wants
to turn their back on.”
Roy
White stands next to an overpass along Interstate 65 in Jeffersonville
on Tuesday evening. White has been homeless for five years, and he and
several other members of the homeless community are being affected by
the I-65 bridge work.Staff photo by Christopher Fryer
Paul Stensrud, director of Jesus Cares
at Exit 0, stands in front of his van underneath Interstate 65 in
Jeffersonville on Tuesday evening where he passes out free meals and
supplies to the homeless. Staff photo by Christopher Fryer
Paul Stensrud, director of Jesus Cares
at Exit 0, gets into his van after passing out free meals and supplies
to the homeless underneath Interstate 65 in Jeffersonville on Tuesday
evening. Staff photo by Christopher Fryer
The project managers for a new Ohio River bridge between Indiana and
Kentucky say makeshift homeless camps in the new span's path need to be
moved soon.
Indiana and Kentucky officials told members of the
Jeffersonville-Clarksville Homelessness Task Force on Thursday that the
homeless residents need to be moved so crews can clear land for the new
bridge's ramps.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet project manager
Andy Barber told the panel it's unsafe for people to be in the
construction zone without protective equipment.
The Courier-Journal reports
Walsh Construction project manager Blake Morris told task force members
crews planned to begin clearing land near one camp area late this week.
Task force member the Rev. Jim Moon says homeless advocates "need a little more time than that."
Homeless camps in the path of downtown bridge construction
need to be moved as workers continue clearing land for new ramps, Ohio
River Bridges Project officials told members of the
Jeffersonville-Clarksville Homelessness Task Force on Thursday.
The
meeting was requested by project officials from Indiana and Kentucky,
as well as contractor Walsh Construction, after task force members
complained a week ago that workers from a subcontractor cleared a
homeless encampment as they began removing trees and brush from just
east of the Interstate 65 in Jeffersonville.
No
one was inside the camp at the time, according to task force members,
who like project officials say they want to avoid injuries as the
project moves forward.
Project
officials apologized Thursday afternoon to the task force, which Mayor
Mike Moore formed after halting controversial homeless sweeps and has
since made recommendations that led to a new policy being adopted
earlier this year requiring the task force to be given 48 hours notice
before items belonging to the homeless are removed.
Subcontractors for the Ohio River Bridges Project cleared trees and
brush near the Ninth Street overpass just east of U.S. 31 and Interstate
65. Aug. 1, 2013 / Charlie White/The Courier-Journal
A
project spokesman said last week that the subcontractor was not aware
of the policy, and project officials said Thursday that workers have
since been instructed not to interact with the homeless living under
overpasses and camps elsewhere.
Andy Barber, a project manager for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, said the issue of homeless camps in the construction area is a matter of safety.
“It’s
not safe for people to be within the construction zone unless you have
the proper vest, hard hat, boots and you’re out there doing the job,”
Barbour said.
Blake
Morris, project manager for Walsh overseeing the section of the
downtown bridge project where the new I-65 bridge will meet land in
Indiana, told task force members Thursday that they will begin clearing
the area near 10th Street at the end of this week.
“We’re
going to need a little more time than that,” said the Rev. Jim Moon, a
task force member and pastor of Park Memorial United Methodist Church.
“Unless we’re just going to get the police and drag them out, and
that’s going to cause a problem. I think it would be best if we could
just have a few days and get them out of there because we’re actually
having to find where to put them,” Moon said.
Paul
Stensrud, director of Jesus Cares at Exit 0, said he’s been scouting
for new locations for the homeless and some will likely use areas in
Clarksville that are outside the construction area. The homeless outreach ministry also has temporarily suspended its community meals near I-65 so it doesn’t encourage the homeless to gather there.
Stensrud
said suspending meals also will make it tougher to get in touch with
the roughly 30 to 40 homeless known to be living in the project area.
Southern
Indiana’s only homeless shelter, Jeffersonville’s Haven House, is
currently filled and more are expected to be homeless in 30 days when
residents of the former Rose Hill School are evicted, he said.
Stensrud
said nearly half of the downtown homeless now live under the Seventh
Street overpass, which Morris said will need to vacated by early next
month so workers can begin bringing in fill dirt that eventually will be
used to permanently close the street to pedestrians and traffic.
Morris
said workers will install signs, flashing lights and traffic pylons to
alert the public of this and other street closings.
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