What's the Answer?
Recently the local new stations and newspapers have featured several stories about the tent cities cropping up around the downtown redevelopment district.
On one hand, I have a lot of compassion for the homeless men and women setting up their tents in the city. They need to live somewhere, and obviously they cannot afford to live in regular housing. Setting up tents where they do places them in walking distance to the services available for the homeless in St. Pete. Soup Kitchens, mail drops, shelters, counseling...all that is available within the downtown area. Homeless families get priority on shelter space, and the time they can stay is limited, so there's always a fair number of homeless in the area. I cannot (and do not want to) imagine what it must be like to live on the street.
On the other hand, I used to work on Central Ave, in the heart of where this is happening. It wasn't unusual to be approached by people asking for money when I'd go out to walk on my lunch break. Sometimes, if I had cash to spare, I'd give a little. I couldn't tell you how many times people would get nasty when I didn't have anything on me though. And there were days when I'd get approached multiple times...I think the record is 6 people in one lunch hour asking for money. This does hurt the businesses down there. I've seen the impact first hand. People avoid the businesses where the homeless are loitering outside because some of them are scary.
So what's the answer? How do you house all those in need? And how do you handle those that, for whatever reason, choose to remain homeless?
I don't expect any profound answers here in this journal. It's just a problem that's been on my mind for some time.
On one hand, I have a lot of compassion for the homeless men and women setting up their tents in the city. They need to live somewhere, and obviously they cannot afford to live in regular housing. Setting up tents where they do places them in walking distance to the services available for the homeless in St. Pete. Soup Kitchens, mail drops, shelters, counseling...all that is available within the downtown area. Homeless families get priority on shelter space, and the time they can stay is limited, so there's always a fair number of homeless in the area. I cannot (and do not want to) imagine what it must be like to live on the street.
On the other hand, I used to work on Central Ave, in the heart of where this is happening. It wasn't unusual to be approached by people asking for money when I'd go out to walk on my lunch break. Sometimes, if I had cash to spare, I'd give a little. I couldn't tell you how many times people would get nasty when I didn't have anything on me though. And there were days when I'd get approached multiple times...I think the record is 6 people in one lunch hour asking for money. This does hurt the businesses down there. I've seen the impact first hand. People avoid the businesses where the homeless are loitering outside because some of them are scary.
So what's the answer? How do you house all those in need? And how do you handle those that, for whatever reason, choose to remain homeless?
I don't expect any profound answers here in this journal. It's just a problem that's been on my mind for some time.