Hemming Park and Homeless Issues Downtown. Administration Rethink.

[civil42806]

It's not really important, but somebody did say how you felt a on page 3 toward the middle. I was just going with what they said.  Regardless, I find it inspiring finding how others personally help those in the situation that others have no empathy for. What if everybody felt that way.  I look at drug addiction and alcohol addiction as a disease.    I don't hate the person I hate the disease.  And getting these people clean is more important then just letting them go. This is just my opinion.

I wonder if its time to reconsider state mental hospitals?  Quite a few of the homeless have mental problems, bipolar, shcispohrenic, mentally handicapped.   Individuals that cant take care of themselves.  I know why the mental wards were disbanded in the late 60's early 70's, horrible care, warehouses for people that didn't care.  but couldn't this be changed?  True mental hospitals that take care of those who cant take care of themselve, i dont mean the alcoholics or tweekers but truly those who are mentally unable to care for themselve.   I think this transcendes party affiliation and reaches out to the state taking care of those who literally cant take care of themselves.  I know I wouldn't object to my taxes taking care of these people

[jbm32206]

That's the thing...many of those on the streets and who have died on the streets, were and are those who suffer from mental illness. When the federal government closed most of those facilities down, they opened the flood gates, and dumped these people onto the streets. Many are treatable, but for various reasons, don't have or continue to take the medication needed. These people fall through the cracks and generally are left to fend for themselves, which is sad.

[Lunican]

Kerri Stewart, the city of Jacksonville’s deputy chief administrative officer, says the city cut the electricity to Hemming Plaza (except for special events) after complaints that the homeless people who gather there daily were using the electricity to charge cell phones, plug in hair-clippers and even heat irons to press clothes.

Page 9: http://www.folioweekly.com/documents/Coverstory021709.pdf

[BridgeTroll]

Now THERE is a solution... of course now I have to find someone else to cut my hair...

[gatorback]

There are a few outlets in the Riverside Avondale area.  Perhaps he or she could set up shop there.  Some the pocket parks even have city water.  Maybe you could even get a shampoo with your cut.  Try the pocket park at Avondale and Challen. 

[jtwestside]

I found it interesting that when I attended the graduation at the City Rescue Mission, they spent quite a bit of the ceremony preaching against enabling the homeless, begging, drug addicts and panhandlers. To the point that I bet if you were to take what they were saying out of the context of the setting you would say that they hate and despised these people. However their organization helps numerous people get their lives back on track, off drugs, help for mental illness, high school diplomas and work. However in order to get that help you have to be willing to work for it. The graduates would talk about how their own families would enable them by not pushing them to get help for drugs or mental health when they needed it until they had destroyed every relationship they had. Then they would be enabled by stealing and begging and handouts from family.

I would urge anyone to attend one of their graduations. It's very moving and it may change your mind from thinking that people are just helpless, to thinking that some people are unwilling to help themselves.

[gatorback]

Thanks for that.  I really solute those at City Rescue Mission. Sounds like they really have empathy for all.  There's a difference between empathy and sympathy. Empathy means respecting the other person and assisting them to find their own solutions (with advice or help to develop new skills) not dictating actions nor offering solutions our own solutions as the listener. Empathy is recognizing and supporting people to control their own lives, helping them to make informed choices. Not taking control, nor giving too much 'professional advice' but offering options, ways to gain new skills, IF they decide to.

In sympathy you over identify with their emotions, but their experience is not your experience, their reality is not your reality. Nobody can actually WALK in another's shoes, we can only SEE the world from their shoes. To sympathize can be very oppressive and discriminatory. To pretend we can walk in another's shoes IS very oppressive and discriminatory.

Sympathy is an emotional response. Empathy is a learned skill.

As Christians we are all called to help these people--not turn our back on them.  I'm sorry if I challenge your Christianity.  Today is Fat Tuesday and tomorrow is Ash Wednesday.  If you have judged those homeless, perhaps you could repent tomorrow for your sins.  It's the day for it after all.  I'm sure you'll be rewarded.

[Pi]

"As Christians we are all called to help these people--not turn our back on them.  I'm sorry if I challenge your Christianity."

Wow, how pious of you to assume everyone is a Christian. Way to show your open mindedness. 

[Pi]

Sorry SD, sometimes I get bored with the pages & pages of self-righteousness and skip to the end. I went back and read all of it.

I'm not getting the Folio article to open so I may be speaking out of turn but shouldn't "using the electricity to charge cell phones, plug in hair-clippers and even heat irons to press clothes" be an indicator of those actually trying to find a job? Or do they just want to look their best while sleeping on a bench? These are the people that need a day center to provide training and access to online job searches and an address for mail so they can get an ID, etc, etc. And I agree with not centralizing all the services in one place. That's the build it and they will come (and congregate and maybe never leave) theory. Quit being so f'ing lazy with the old brain cells, take the services to them. Don't burden any one part of a city with all the social services. What about using these dying shopping centers all around town to provide social services? They all have bus stops too so transportation to & from is available. Most have a food court or restaurant so mass cooking facilities are there. Plenty of room to provide sleeping quarters and healthcare facilities.

As someone said, sell the downtown real estate being sucked up by all the current social services and spend it in the burbs. Think Green! The do-gooder suburbanites wouldn't have to travel so far to hand out food & clothing (you know, the trash that ends up discarded in the downtown and surrounding residential areas).

[jtwestside]

identified themselves as 'christians'

I said nothing of the sort!

I'm a memeber of 'The Church of the Apathetic Agnostic'.
http://www.uctaa.net/
Our Articles of Faith:
1.The existence of a Supreme Being is unknown and unknowable.
2.If there is a Supreme Being, then that being appears to act as if entirely apathetic to events in our universe.
3.We are apathetic to the existence or non-existence of a Supreme Being.

[sheclown]

It costs $10.00 to get a replacement ID.  You cannot work without that ID.  You cannot get that ID without the $10.00. 

Agencies which used to help those get the IDs have run out of funding.

[gatorback]

"As Christians we are all called to help these people--not turn our back on them.  I'm sorry if I challenge your Christianity."

Wow, how pious of you to assume everyone is a Christian. Way to show your open mindedness. 

Great criticism Pi,  but what are you doing about the homeless issue?

[Pi]

Not saying I'm doing anything because of my religious beliefs. As soon as you do that and then fail then it all gets blamed on religion. Did you read my OTHER post?

[Southbanker]

identified themselves as 'christians'

I said nothing of the sort!

I'm a memeber of 'The Church of the Apathetic Agnostic'.
http://www.uctaa.net/
Our Articles of Faith:
1.The existence of a Supreme Being is unknown and unknowable.
2.If there is a Supreme Being, then that being appears to act as if entirely apathetic to events in our universe.
3.We are apathetic to the existence or non-existence of a Supreme Being.

"We don't know and we don't care"

I love it!  I think I have a new favorite website.

[Coolyfett]

You make such a good point, Coolyfett.  I mean dodging the bumming-for-a-buck is hardly different than getting that pesky phone call from a telemarketer when I am in my jammies watching NCIS. It is invasive, but it is part of life.

Actually, bumming for a buck is probably a much more honest approach. 

Yea it sucks, but honestly it doesn't keep me from hanging out downtown, I enjoy being downtown. I get on the train and the bums do the "Im hungry" speech...they get ignored. Its like they are waiting for a sucker to help them out. You can tell someone who is really down on their luck, and those that are professional bums. I would have to say that 90% of the homeless are professional bums. LABOR POOLS HIRE EVERY DAY!!!! EVERY FRIGGING DAY LABOR POOLS PICK UP WORKERS FOR CHEAP 6$ per hour work....If I was a bum I would sleep right at the door!