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

Forum Index » Metropolitan DC Local Politics

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

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OK, without blaming the homeless here, have you all considered that the reason for putting a shelter in Ward 3 is for basic fairness for people who live in other wards?

Go ahead and acknowledge all the terrible things you want about the homeless.

Then ask yourself:  if they are so bad, is it fair that they all go in one area of town - whether it is Ward 7, Ward 5, or Ward 3.

Of course not.   If you believe that a homeless shelter will cause problems - crime, drug dealers, school overcrowding, whatever the concern may be - then no  taxpaying, homeowning, citizens of the District - regardless of what ward they live in - should be forced to deal with 100% of the negative externalities.

There is no perfect solution here, but given the above, the most equitable solution is to spread out the homeless families in small shelters all over the city.

So reframe your thinking - putting a shelter in Ward 3 is not about what the homeless families want (or arguably about what they need), but it is about basic equity and about what taxpayers and homeowners all over the city want - to not have 100% of the burden of the homeless in their community.[/quote]

Except, some wards, like 6, 7, 8 already bear a disproportionate share of low income, subsidized housing, FARMS and homeless.  So how is placing even more poor and homeless people there "fair?"[/quote]

It's not disproportionate at all, it simply reflects the reality there. Where do you think DC homeless were likely born and raised?[/quote]

Half of DC's homeless came from elsewhere.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics