Hobo Park Becoming Lucas Park Again
After a 3rd Saturday of work in the park I think it is finally becoming a place where all will feel welcomed. Sorta.
One homeless man told me it is like having someone come into your living room and rearrange the furniture without consulting you. I can see that. This park, known to many as hobo park, is home to many. Now they feel like we are taking it away. Others see it like one of those decorating shows where someone comes into your home and gives it a much needed makeover.
I have no desire to make Lucas Park a homeless-free zone. However, I don’t want it such that it is used only by the homeless. Just like the housing projects where the concentration of poverty can be hard to overcome for those in it, the same is true for hobo park.
One of the biggest problems is the continual delivery of food to the park by well meaning church groups. Last night I headed past the park on the way to the store. A church from Fairview Heights Illinois was there passing out food from a church van. We simply cannot have our small urban park be the dumping ground for the region’s food donations.
Some say these groups need to open shelters & soup kitchens in their own backyard. Perhaps, but I do think a downtown is the best place to serve the needs of the homeless. This is not to say that all services must be in a downtown, just most. We do need to have services outside of downtown.
This can also help the homeless. For many this becomes a lifestyle that is hard to break free of. With transitional housing near a bus line away from downtown it can be easier for some to get & keep a job. The park/shelter model is just not conducive to getting beyond being homeless.
The trick will be is to figure out how to focus the many people who want to help by bringing vans of food to Lucas Park. Can we get them to work in conjunction with established places for feeding the homeless? One of the reasons the homeless congregate in Lucas Park is they want to be nearby when the groups bring food. This is not a good pattern.
The city has been trying to crack down on this by insisting any food be packaged food so they know how it was prepared. I’m not sure of the best solution to still have groups from all over the region contribute to the solution. Right now I feel like many are just contributing to the problem.
On Saturday we had a BBQ for those of us that worked in the park. We had one homeless guy help for several hours so we were glad to share with him. As we were eating another guy came up and asked what we were giving out. “Sorry, the food is only for those that helped clean up the park, ” we said. “That doesn’t make any sense,” he said.
Work remains. We are taking a needed break this coming Saturday with work resuming on Oct 11th & 25th. A lot of the work involves changing perceptions on the part of residents, the homeless and those seeking to help the homeless.
I asked one neighbor if she ever brings her dog to the park. She indicated no because she didn’t want her dog bit by a rat. I’ve never seen even a field mouse in the park. I have seen a few squirrels but that is it, no rats!
To see photos from all three Saturdays click here.
In a nutshell, this is the birth of a real community – congratulations and good luck!
Those Christians, why do they have to help the poor anyway? Giving folks food, what’s this world coming to!?
What’s the saying, “give a man a fish, he has food for a day; teach the man to fish, he has food for a lifetime?” The problem with church groups (from the distant suburbs) is not that they are feeding the homeless, but rather they raise some people’s suspicions (including myself) that these church groups are doing this to make themselves feel good and not simply to help out their fellow man. If they truly cared, they would not be living in economically and racially segregated communities far from the poor of the city. I have seen the results of church groups giving out food in disposable wrappers in Washington, DC at McPherson Square when I lived there. The park was covered in tin foil and wrappers after the church groups came. Maybe the church groups should stay and pick up the wrappers after the food has been eaten. Everybody owns this park, not just the homeless, and not just the wealthy.
First off, I’ve never heard of a rat biting a dog. It’s usually the other way around – dogs will attack rats. Dogs eat rats. Have your dog on a leash and it’s very doubtful a rat will be anywhere in the area.
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Second, these feel good church food vans…what churches are they? Who’s manning the vans, and who’s handing out the food? How often does this happen? Do they just give out food and leave? Do they just do this at Lucas Park? Has anyone attended their church? Do they promote this “project” as one of their “outreach ministries”?
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Is this mostly younger people, or older people, or folks of all ages? Is this sanctioned by the church, and its hierarchy? What about all the sanctioned service providers, like St. Patrick’s Center? Do they give them donations?
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If a sanctioned service provider opposes this practice of handing out free food to the homeless, then perhaps the next project should be to be at Lucas Park at the right time, and hand out information fliers to the food givers, explaining how their approach is unwelcomed, and instead, nicely ask them to donate to established and sucessful organizations, like St. Patrick’s Center.
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Or, load up a van of the homeless, and take them to the churches location in metro east. Drop them off with a fork and knife, and tell them to knock on the front door of the church at dinner time.
No one can judge another’s motives save the Creator. If they’re doing it for the wrong reasons then truly: “They have received their reward already.” I fully agree about teaching a man to fish. In fact, in the 1800s in order for a person to receive church assistance they had to document very specifically why they needed help and it was only to be a temporary measure.
If you are suspicious of the burbs Christians then what about the city Christians? Do you they have a visible presence in the community? It seems our Northside Neighbor has some concerns, well don’t be hesitant to ask them the next time they’re out. If they’re genuine Believers I suspect their motives are more about providing spiritual food then literal food. And I have seen folks that when they hear about the former, they become self-sufficient in procuring the latter.
It’s odd how these church groups can organize and coordinate a food drop, yet give no consideration to cleaning up after themselves because somebody else will do it.
Just because you don’t live in the neighborhood doesn’t mean you can’t be a good neighbor, church group or not.
We judge people’s motives all the time in those big buildings called courthouses. But seriously, being Christian is a 24/7 job; I will continue to judge people who spend two hours a week feeding the homeless and then head back to their comfortable lives the rest of the week. Is it too much to ask for the church groups to stay and clean up their crap after the food is eaten? It’s just like so many other people who come to the city, enjoy a game or concert, and then head home, ignoring the plight of the people who live in the city they enjoy in small, comfortable doses.
I continue to maintain my previous point. If the people at St. Patrick’s Center discourage these food drops (why not chopper them in and drop them from 1,000 feet?), then neighborhood residents should stand together with reps from St. Patrick’s and demand a different approach.
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Forget food. Give cash to St. Patrick’s. Or cash to the city’s homeless services agencies. Dropping off food to the homeless is like feeding pigeons. What good does it really serve?
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These people need more than their “next meal”. They need a road to recovery. St. Patrick’s gets them started. A dropped off meal in a city park does not. It’s a slap in the face to the legitimate service providers.
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Another option – coin meters for people who would otherwise give spare change to the homeless. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen people begging for Metrolink fare or a cup of coffee, only fifteen minutes later to be smoking a cigarette around the corner.
When you came across the feeding, did you call the police? I’m guessing no.
Real Change is a great system. http://www.thecwe.com/realchange.htm
Although, I’d be happy to contribute to a bus to take these folks to Fairview Heights for a meal…
What church is doing this? Name and address please. I will call them and ask them about this “program” and report back to the good readers here at UR.
Wow. Great work on the park, folks! I’ve noticed it’s better walking by there. Steve, if you had Kacie Starr-Triplett there what was her take on this practice of “drive-by” food drops? What did she think she could do? It’s not just the litter, but the public health is a major concern (not to mention a “balanced” meal from a proper center would be beneficial to those in need.
It’s a widely known issue by council members and the downtown partnership alike. Who can be called? Presumably the Health Dept. does not have a car with flashing lights, but I think repeated calls to the NSO, alder(wo)men and the police are a good idea. I think the informational fliers are also a great idea. In addition to St. Pat’s, Centenary Methodist Church also runs a very good drop-in center and they could help out. Not only do they have meals, but also bus passes and computers. I’m with Northside Neighbor…names and addresses of these church groups. I think Kacie should write some letters.
I don’t think I can work up the indignation to decry folks that are just following what they believe by feeding the hungry. It seems the only good charity in some peoples view is the kind that is regulated by a kind and caring government agency. It’s kind of sad.
I also find it interesting that some of the bums felt like their home was being invaded. Well, if they had such sense of ownership why don’t the take care of the park? Also, the comment about “everyone” owning the park is a good point. The thing is that anything that is owned by “everyone” is actually owned by “no one”.
I say send the city an invoice for all the work you have done.
Tim,
You’re obviously not a city person with an attitude like yours. Neighbors work together out of a sense of community. They value the assets they share, and they work together to enhance them. They care about their neighbors-homeless or otherwise- and want to take the right steps to improve their community.
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They don’t appreciate interloper interests coming in and forcing outsider values upon their community, well-meaning or not.
And they don’t “charge the city” for doing the work of good neighbors.
“They don’t appreciate interloper interests coming in and forcing outsider values upon their community” I can’t decide if this is jingoism or xenophobia.
Neither. It’s the sign of a healthy neighborhood. It’s evidence of active neighborhood involvement.
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You want a say in what happens in a neighborhood? Live there. Work there.
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Don’t cast judgements from across town or across the river. Be a neighbor. Earn standing. Volunteer. Then people will listen to you.
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Otherwise, they’ll politely let you ventilate your hot air. When you’re done, they’ll go back and do the work of good neighbors, strengthening their neighborhood.
Centenary does not have bus passes or computers. The computers will come some day, but bus passes would be like handing out money. St Patricks, about 4 blocks from Lucas Park, serves lunch every day. Centenary, about 3 blocks from Lucas Park, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner five days a week. Christ Church, immediately next to Lucas Park, serves breakfast once a week. Between them, they are probably serving over 200,000 meals annually. There are many other food programs around. There is no reason for anyone to go hungry, particularly downtown. I doubt any homeless service agency would turn down partners in their work.
Since the invention of villages, there have been people living on the periphery. It is a historical feature of urban life from the beginning of time. Cities contain the possibility of fulfilling basic needs. Downtowns are, in their essence, the centers of transportation, employment, housing and services.
You might be surprised at how many people who are homeless have income. Many of the vendors in the downtown sports oriented theme park and the folks who spend their nights cleaning downtown offices do not make a living wage. If you can find a sleeping room, the rents start around $360 a month and go up. There are very few residential hotels left and rooming houses have been zoned out of most of the city. Without truly affordable housing and a living wage, we will always have significant numbers of underhoused people among us.
Tom-
Great observations and summary of available services. The Horizon Club offers internet access to the homeless, and we have talked with homeless in the park who use it. Neighbors have also suggested to the feeders that they volunteer and coordinate their efforts with Centenary Church, St Patrick’s and organizations that participate in the mayor’s plan to end homelessness (to clarify, the church groups who participate in the mayor’s plan are not government run. They are constructively trying to minister and to cooperatively work toward solutions). Suggestions to join and strengthen the efforts of these downtown churches have been roundly rejected by the suburbanite church groups. They clearly have their own agendas. I was told by one female minister from O’Fallon the park belongs to the homeless.
The historical context of populations living on the periphery is accurate. That still does not excuse this population from accountability for lawlessness. The efforts of Centenary Church, St Patrick’s center, and Christ Church are to be lauded. I know most of the downtown residents are grateful for their efforts and actively support them in their missions.
I would like to check back in spring to see how the park is going. I lack confidence that homeless people AND non-homeless people will share the park consistently.
Thanks for posting the pictures. Looks like a whole new park!
I know from being homeless before it is blessing to be able to eat lunch. I also understand that littering in the park is not good behavior. Littering is not just a behavior homeless people do though either. What could be done in downtown to provide meals for the hungry with out using the park? It’s time to focus on the solution and not the problem.
Tim – great comments.
Ly Syin – Glad you’re back on your feet. You are correct. Littering is not just a homeless behavior.
Just because someone lives in the suburbs does that mean they should pack up and move to the city just to help? I have a friend from one of these churches who comes and helps. I don’t go to her church and I’ve never helped. However, I know how much time and effort go in to this. They do provide healthy meals. They preplan, they buy (I have helped donate food), they prepare the food, they pack it up, etc. I can tell you they don’t spend a couple of hours and go back to their happy little lives. She is a single mom who has given up some of the nicer things in life to provide for those who are less fortunate than she. She also does most of her own clothes shopping at 2nd hand stores. I know some of the people who also work on this project with her. Think before you speak. Have YOU helped feed the homeless? Maybe if someone POLITELY explained the next time they saw one of these vans how much it would help the community if they stayed and helped clean up, they’d be happy to do it. Her church also does winter patrol. They patrol the streets downtown on cold winter nights handing out extra clothing, coats and blankets. Have YOU ever done that? It takes a lot of preplanning.
hi, Do something for help those hungry people in Africa and India,
I made this blog about them:
in http://tinyurl.com/65dptv
I am one of those so called evil church people from Fairview Heights whom you all wish to bash. I find it very disappointing that you bash and bash yet you know not the whole story…only that which you to perceive to be the story.
First of all, we have been serving Lucas Park for over 4 years and everytime…yes, EVERYTIME we are there, we make sure the park is cleaner than when we arrive. While I know that not all churches do this, it is unfair to bang us for what others do.
In an above statement, Steve stated: .
“One of the biggest problems is the continual delivery of food to the park by well meaning church groups. Last night I headed past the park on the way to the store. A church from Fairview Heights Illinois was there passing out food from a church van. We simply cannot have our small urban park be the dumping ground for the region’s food donations.”
Some say these groups need to open shelters & soup kitchens in their own backyard”
Let me just say that we have never used Lucas Park as a “dumping Grounds”, and we do, in fact, provide services in our own backyard. We do serve the homeless locally as well in downtown St. Louis.
Holy Holy stated that churches leave messes…again, not all. But just like those living in the lofts…I am sure there are good, wholesome people who live there, but just because there are a few that aren’t so pleasant, would be it fair for me to say that everybody who lives in the loft is evil? Of course not…so, just because one church is a slob, don’t brand us all slobs.
The problem is that for those non-christians living in the lofts…you are missing the big picture. We don’t do what we do to get people off the street. That is not our job. Our job is to go out and minister and share Jesus Christ. That’s it! We don’t come out for anyreason other than to share Jesus. However, in order to be in a position to have such discussions with people, people need to have food. Nobody wants to hear about Jesus when they are starving. So guess what…we give them some food and bottled water….give them some clean clothes, hygiene items and a blanket for the night, and BAM! By that one small act of kindness, a door has been opened for which we can now proceed to talk about faith.
Sometimes homless people just need to be showed unconditional love. something I am sure that not many of your loft dwellers are willing to do.
You would be amazed at these people once you actually got down in the park and met them. Not all of them are druggies and alcoholics. Do you realize that some of them are college graduates with Masters Degrees that just happened to fall on hard times? Did you know that there is one regular in the park who was a Master Sargeant on the Navy Seals who servered our county in war? Did you know there was a school teacher there who lost her job during financial cut backs? These are people we have come to know and respect…and it’s a shame that you cannot make an effort to get to know them either. Once you know their story, then you will be in a position to help get them off the street.
Tonight, while at the park, I was accosted by an extremely hateful man who gives all the loft dwellers a bad name. He called me every name in the book, then he called 911 and told them that I had threatened him (me…a small, 5’4″, 150lb, 41 year old female…..) yeah, ok…I’m sure he was really threatened….yet he abused the 911 system and wasted YOUR tax dollars by having not one, but 2 police cars be dispatched. Guess what they did when they arrived? they looked at him….they looked at me…then left. Not a word said to us. You know why? Because we weren’t breaking the law…..
This man told me that he calls 911 when his neighbors don’t pick up their dog poop. 911 for dog poop? You have got to be kidding!
Shortly after the police left, this same man was smoking a cigarette and guess what he did with his butt when he was done? He threw it on the sidewalk. My, my….isn’t that a doublestandard??? 911 for dog poop, but nothing for his cigarette butt?
We will continue to serve in Lucas Park and the surrounding parks as well. Anytime you see our van, you are more than welcome to come out and chat with us. We are not there to fight, however, we will not sit by and let the loft dweller with the camera invade our personal space like he did tonight. That will not be tolerated in the future.
These are just my thoughts and personal opinions and you know what they say about opinions….we all have em, and they all stink….
so with that being said, why can’t we all just get along and love each other like Christ loved?
Angelmom – One, you’re using food and food and sundries to coerce people who have few other choices to have a conversation most would not be having otherwise – a captive audience. It may make you feel good about yourself telling them what they should and not be doing, but they really don’t have the option of walking away – this is “charity” with strings. Two, yes, the homeless are facing significant challenges – otherwise they wouldn’t be homeless. But it’s also human nature to take the easy way out. Free food, multiplied by multiple churches and organizations doing the same thing in one area, creates a dynamic where there is less incentive to “fix” the underlying issues that are causing the homelessness in the first place. It also concentrates the problem and all of its negative side effects. If you really want to do good, instead of coming to Lucas Park for your regular feedings, have each of your church members “adopt” a homeless person or family, take them into your homes, and help them get their lives turned around – WWJD?!
“We are not there to fight, however, we will not sit by and let the loft dweller with the camera invade our personal space like he did tonight. That will not be tolerated in the future.”
1) your “personal space” is a public park. i don’t think you have any legal recourse to stop the loft dweller with the camera from taking your picture in the park.
Shortly after the police left, this same man was smoking a cigarette and guess what he did with his butt when he was done? He threw it on the sidewalk. My, my….isn’t that a doublestandard??? 911 for dog poop, but nothing for his cigarette butt?
2) the guys sounds like a jerk. that doesn’t validate what you are doing.
“The problem is that for those non-christians living in the lofts…you are missing the big picture. We don’t do what we do to get people off the street. That is not our job. Our job is to go out and minister and share Jesus Christ. That’s it! We don’t come out for anyreason other than to share Jesus. However, in order to be in a position to have such discussions with people, people need to have food. Nobody wants to hear about Jesus when they are starving. So guess what…we give them some food and bottled water….give them some clean clothes, hygiene items and a blanket for the night, and BAM! By that one small act of kindness, a door has been opened for which we can now proceed to talk about faith.”
3) you honestly don’t realize how disgusting and exploitative this sounds?
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