Let's join forces to scrap the current homeless shelter plan and start over

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My favorite was the hearings on the bill where homeless testified how they would prefer to be in ward 3 bc of the amenities and safety. They stopped just short of asking for the granite counters, stainless steel appliances and open kitchen concept.

Please. You sound vile. Poor people are entitled to safety, transit, and a placet O buy groceries and toiletries just like rich people. Surely you can distinguish between those needs and granite counters.

So the poor and the rich are entitled to safety and amenities but those of us in between are shit out of luck...

That's how it was for me as a working poor/single mom in DC. I got nothing. And maybe that's better. I clawed my way out.

[Anonymous]

As aa living in Cleveland Park, it will be nice to have a little more diversity in the neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As aa living in Cleveland Park, it will be nice to have a little more diversity in the neighborhood.

True. Can't wait to see more Latinos, Asians and Arabs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As aa living in Cleveland Park, it will be nice to have a little more diversity in the neighborhood.

True. Can't wait to see more Latinos, Asians and Arabs.

+1000.

[Anonymous]

DC residents say the city is diverse, but in many of these NW neighborhoods, eg, Cleveland, woodley, FH, it's basically all white people. These homeless shelters in traditionally all-white neighborhoods will be beneficial to the city as a whole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC residents say the city is diverse, but in many of these NW neighborhoods, eg, Cleveland, woodley, FH, it's basically all white people. These homeless shelters in traditionally all-white neighborhoods will be beneficial to the city as a whole.

In that case, why don't we put the AA homeless in CP and the white homeless in SE/SW. Have seen some very freaky white homeless wandering CP ..will they be beneficial for breaking the race barrier in SE/SW?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC residents say the city is diverse, but in many of these NW neighborhoods, eg, Cleveland, woodley, FH, it's basically all white people. These homeless shelters in traditionally all-white neighborhoods will be beneficial to the city as a whole.

And I think you might have meant to say all middle class people. fWIW we are an interracial family who live in CP and think this plan is dumb as rocks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC residents say the city is diverse, but in many of these NW neighborhoods, eg, Cleveland, woodley, FH, it's basically all white people. These homeless shelters in traditionally all-white neighborhoods will be beneficial to the city as a whole.

How, exactly? What specific benefit will a homeless shelter bring to those neighborhoods?

[Anonymous]

So what do we do people? I've heard both sides of the argument and as far as I'm concerned this is part of the long, sad march of DC going backwards on its mostly positive trajectory that Tony Williams deserves so much credit for. Besides registering as Republicans or voting out Bowser/Cheh ASAP - what do we do on this specific dumb shelter plan?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC residents say the city is diverse, but in many of these NW neighborhoods, eg, Cleveland, woodley, FH, it's basically all white people. These homeless shelters in traditionally all-white neighborhoods will be beneficial to the city as a whole.

How, exactly? What specific benefit will a homeless shelter bring to those neighborhoods?

Excellent question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people who are largely responsible for people having to go into homeless shelters in the first place reside in wards 7 and 8. Indolence, lack of parenting, unemployed and unemployable, poor decision making. Haven't wards 7 and 8 already imposed enough costs on the rest of the city? How is rewarding failure with a nice apartment in ward 3 fair? Fair would be having the people that created the problem "live" with the consequences.

There are very real cultural reasons why poverty is multigenerational. Many homeless people grew up in broken, dysfunctional homes. They don't know what "normal" is. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - the things we consider essential for independence and self-sufficiency aren't even on their radar. Many of them need serious interventions and life coaching to break the cycles and to get the kick in the ass to get their lives together.

And now liberals are telling everyone that babies out of wedlock are fine, etc. What kind of coaching is someone with liberal views going to give them? That hard work pays off?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live in Forest Hills next to Rock Creek. If you don't want to live near a homeless shelter, then don't live in a mixed use area. We chose our house to be far away from mixed use. Anyone else can do the same.

Not anymore. Obama's directive changes all that. Enjoy the fruits of progress...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My favorite was the hearings on the bill where homeless testified how they would prefer to be in ward 3 bc of the amenities and safety. They stopped just short of asking for the granite counters, stainless steel appliances and open kitchen concept.

Please. You sound vile. Poor people are entitled to safety, transit, and a placet O buy groceries and toiletries just like rich people. Surely you can distinguish between those needs and granite counters.

So the poor and the rich are entitled to safety and amenities but those of us in between are shit out of luck...

You have the same entitlements. And if you are not receiving them where you live, you have the freedom to vote out your elected officials or move.

Alternatively, if you think poor people have it so great, I'm sure there is a family in DC General that will trade places with you.

There - you just said it. I "have to move" but the poor and the rich don't. There's the problem. That's the entitlement we don't all have. I can't afford to live wherever I want. So why should the poor be given the right and the ability to live in a city or neighborhood that the rest of us can't afford?

If you impoverish yourself and your family or commit a violent felony, then you may get an apartment in ward 3.

"violent felony"? You know these are homeless families with children, right? That many of them have jobs, right? That they are being given temporary housing while they work towards a permanent place to live?

Being homeless doesn't mean someone is a violent felon. It doesn't mean they are lazy. It sure as hell does not mean they are any less of a human being then me, or you, or any of the people around us. For pete's sake, have this many of you lost this much control over your humanity and your sense of decency towards your common man?

Not the PP. Stop hand-wringing. PP knows that the shelters will not be properly policed. She knows it means that a lot of homeless folk are homeless due to bad decision-making and that doesn't stop once those folk are moved to Ward 3. There is nothing in this provision that helps change the behavior of those moving in - where are the provisions for the counselors of all kinds that should be intensively helping these folk? Where is the extra policing that will keep away undesirables that some of these women might have chosen for a partner, or the drug dealers that will inevitably start trolling? What investment in labor will these people in the shelter have to make, in order to keep the place looking nice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My favorite was the hearings on the bill where homeless testified how they would prefer to be in ward 3 bc of the amenities and safety. They stopped just short of asking for the granite counters, stainless steel appliances and open kitchen concept.

Please. You sound vile. Poor people are entitled to safety, transit, and a placet O buy groceries and toiletries just like rich people. Surely you can distinguish between those needs and granite counters.

So the poor and the rich are entitled to safety and amenities but those of us in between are shit out of luck...

You have the same entitlements. And if you are not receiving them where you live, you have the freedom to vote out your elected officials or move.

Alternatively, if you think poor people have it so great, I'm sure there is a family in DC General that will trade places with you.

There - you just said it. I "have to move" but the poor and the rich don't. There's the problem. That's the entitlement we don't all have. I can't afford to live wherever I want. So why should the poor be given the right and the ability to live in a city or neighborhood that the rest of us can't afford?

If you impoverish yourself and your family or commit a violent felony, then you may get an apartment in ward 3.

"violent felony"? You know these are homeless families with children, right? That many of them have jobs, right? That they are being given temporary housing while they work towards a permanent place to live?

Being homeless doesn't mean someone is a violent felon. It doesn't mean they are lazy. It sure as hell does not mean they are any less of a human being then me, or you, or any of the people around us. For pete's sake, have this many of you lost this much control over your humanity and your sense of decency towards your common man?

Not the PP. Stop hand-wringing. PP knows that the shelters will not be properly policed. She knows it means that a lot of homeless folk are homeless due to bad decision-making and that doesn't stop once those folk are moved to Ward 3. There is nothing in this provision that helps change the behavior of those moving in - where are the provisions for the counselors of all kinds that should be intensively helping these folk? Where is the extra policing that will keep away undesirables that some of these women might have chosen for a partner, or the drug dealers that will inevitably start trolling? What investment in labor will these people in the shelter have to make, in order to keep the place looking nice?

I remember when I worked with an affordable housing / renovation organization clearing out a section 8 apartment. Not a hoarder, just a mom and her kids. The mounds and mounds and mounds of trash.

Structure is better. These questions are good ones. Who will the city be contracting the running of these dream shelters out to? Para professionals, highly trained teams or $15 an hour babysitter and clock punchers? Sorry, but that's how lots of group homes in DC have the day to day part 'managed'. I've seen it firsthand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My favorite was the hearings on the bill where homeless testified how they would prefer to be in ward 3 bc of the amenities and safety. They stopped just short of asking for the granite counters, stainless steel appliances and open kitchen concept.

Please. You sound vile. Poor people are entitled to safety, transit, and a placet O buy groceries and toiletries just like rich people. Surely you can distinguish between those needs and granite counters.

So the poor and the rich are entitled to safety and amenities but those of us in between are shit out of luck...

You have the same entitlements. And if you are not receiving them where you live, you have the freedom to vote out your elected officials or move.

Alternatively, if you think poor people have it so great, I'm sure there is a family in DC General that will trade places with you.

There - you just said it. I "have to move" but the poor and the rich don't. There's the problem. That's the entitlement we don't all have. I can't afford to live wherever I want. So why should the poor be given the right and the ability to live in a city or neighborhood that the rest of us can't afford?

If you impoverish yourself and your family or commit a violent felony, then you may get an apartment in ward 3.

"violent felony"? You know these are homeless families with children, right? That many of them have jobs, right? That they are being given temporary housing while they work towards a permanent place to live?

Being homeless doesn't mean someone is a violent felon. It doesn't mean they are lazy. It sure as hell does not mean they are any less of a human being then me, or you, or any of the people around us. For pete's sake, have this many of you lost this much control over your humanity and your sense of decency towards your common man?

Not the PP. Stop hand-wringing. PP knows that the shelters will not be properly policed. She knows it means that a lot of homeless folk are homeless due to bad decision-making and that doesn't stop once those folk are moved to Ward 3. There is nothing in this provision that helps change the behavior of those moving in - where are the provisions for the counselors of all kinds that should be intensively helping these folk? Where is the extra policing that will keep away undesirables that some of these women might have chosen for a partner, or the drug dealers that will inevitably start trolling? What investment in labor will these people in the shelter have to make, in order to keep the place looking nice?

This tells me that the best thing for homeless people is to live in a shelter right next to you. You seem so intent on setting them straight that if they live next to you, you will vigorously advocate for personnel and services to make sure the shelter is done right.