Readers: Why Didn’t The Homeless Sleep Inside The Shelter Instead Of The Sidewalk?

Nearly forty-percent of the readers that voted in the poll last week wanted to know why the homeless slept on the sidewalk rather than inside Larry Rice’s New Life Evangelistic Center:

Q: Your Thoughts On The City Closing The Sidewalks Around Larry Rice’s Homeless Shelter:

1. Why aren’t the homeless sleeping INSIDE the shelter rather than on the sidewalk? 58 [39.46%]
2. About time, they need to shut that place down 37 [25.17%]
3. Rice is just using the homeless to build his organization 15 [10.2%]
4. Larry Rice’s shelter is being unfairly targeted because he serves the homeless 11 [7.48%]
5. Other: 10 [6.8%]
6. Downtown residents are too intolerant of the homeless 9 [6.12%]
7. I just hope the city doesn’t push the homeless to my neighborhood/city 5 [3.4%]
8. Unsure/No Opinion 2 [1.36%]

As to be expected the responses to the given answers (above) and other answers  (below) ranged from support of, to opposition, of the NLEC model for dealing with the homeless.

1. There has to be a better solution but I don’t know what solution would be.
2. Sidewalks are public space. Close down the shelter and protect our sidewalks!
3. There is definitely something political going on here beneath the surface
4. empty school buildings + social worker and police = safe housing for winter?
5. Let’s get Larry a one way ticke to Yemen. What a fucking jerk.
6. moving the homeless doesn’t change the fact that poverty is a problem
7. its bullshit. i needed to walk to 17th from OPOP and had to walk in the street
8. No social workers. Dense facility. = bad
9. 4: nimby, pawns, inside, intolerant
10. Larry Rice is a publicity-seeking clown.

That model is basically require them to pray to Larry Rice’s deity if they want a place to sleep. Through other agencies the homeless can collectively get:

• a hot meal prepared in a health department approved kitchen,
• a mailbox,
• use of computers & phone,
• storage of personal belongings,
• a place to shower,
• use of laundry facilities,
• social workers to help with issues such as drug/alcohol dependancy ,
• occupational therapists to assist with skills needed to function in society,
• and even travel assistance to return home if they’re stuck in St. Louis.

Many individuals without a home don’t want to be on the street but the road to get back to having their own place becomes so overwhelming by the time they find themselves sleeping on a sidewalk or park bench it takes many people to help them get their lives back together.

Imagine trying to get a job when all your clothes are in a plastic garbage bag, when you have limited access to a computer to search, no phone or a limited cell to get call backs, and have to wait in line to shower. Many homeless are employed, receive disability  or veterans benefits but they lack accounts for direct deposit and pay huge fees to get checks cashed. Much work needs to be done to get those who don’t want to be homeless into housing and provide for those in the future that find themselves in that situation. I don’t see NLEC being part of the solution.

— Steve Patterson

Poll: Thoughts On The City Closing The Sidewalks Around Larry Rice’s Homeless Shelter

The city’s efforts to address concerns raised by neighbors of Larry Rice’s New Life Evangelistic Center (NLEC), a homeless shelter, took a new twist recently.

Thursday morning [9/6], the city cleaned the streets and sidewalks and set up barricades on sidewalks, where large groups of homeless people have been camping. (KMOV: City moves up clean-up schedule downtown)

Below are a couple of pics I took that afternoon:

I posted the second pic to the UrbanReviewSTL Facebook page (link) and many comments came in — some glad the city finally took action and others defending Larry Rice and asking where the homeless are supposed to sleep with Lucas Park closed for renovations and now the sidewalks outside Rice’s shelter closed.

Given the divergent views on Facebook I knew this would make a good poll topic. The poll is in the right sidebar, the provided  answers are presented in a random order.

— Steve Patterson

Readers: City Justified In Clearing Out The Homeless Camps

Readers who took the poll last  clearly support the city’s efforts to clear out homeless camps:

Q: City justified in clearing out [the] homeless camps?

1. Yes 108 [75%]
2. No 23 [15.97%]
3. Maybe 8 [5.56%]
4. Unsure/No Opinion 4 [2.78%]
5. Other: 1 [0.69%] – “justified, yes, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it was the best solution.”

My post introducing the poll is here.

I agree with the city the camps are no way to live, I also know that some just don’t want to live in housing.

– Steve Patterson

Poll: City Justified In Clearing Out Homeless Camps?

For a couple of years some homeless had set up camp near the riverfront. But that’s changing:

Hopeville was the second of three riverfront camps that the city plans to clear by May 18. The first, Dignity Harbor, was bulldozed last week. Officials said they have offered housing vouchers to residents of all the camps so they can stay in hotels and apartments. (STLtoday.com on 5/11/2012)

I visited Hopeville last year and while I was sympathetic to their situation I was also repulsed by what I saw.

The poll this week asks if the city was justified in clearing out these camps. The poll is in the right sidebar below the advertisement.

– Steve Patterson

The Homeless Don’t Drink Bottled Samuel Adams

Last month I noticed two beer bottles on a window sill (Ely Walker bldg) on 16th between Washington Ave & St. Charles Street. It was a Saturday so I figure someone had a nice Friday night.  But who?

Often it is the homeless that are accused of public drinking, and no doubt some do. But they aren’t drinking Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA:

Samuel Adams® Latitude 48 IPA is a unique IPA brewed with a select blend of hops from top German, English, and American growing regions all located close to the 48th latitude within the “hop belt” of the Northern Hemisphere. The combination of hops in this beer creates a distinctive but not overpowering hop character. The beer is dry hopped with Ahtanum, Simcoe®*, and East Kent Goldings hops for a powerful citrus and earthy aroma. The hop character is balanced by a slight sweetness and full body from the malt blend.

I’ve not tried this beer or any of the others in their Brewmaster’s Collection, though I’m sure it’s a fine beer. Please don’t blame everything on those without homes.

– Steve Patterson