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Alcholics Anonymous (AA) Meetings are held in St. Jude Parish
for Tent City residents and public-at-large |
OPINION: I was driving by the St Jude's Tent City encampment on a Wednesday and noticed this AA sign at the church entrance. A flyer in the encampment announced AA meetings inside the Parish on Thursday's at 10am. I was so thrilled to learn ShareWheel (the managing non-profit) and St. Jude (the host) started AA sessions. Putting a tent over your head is one thing; but helping to solve the medical problems associated with homelessness is a major advancement. I'm happy ShareWheel is offering more health care for their members than occasional dental work, nutrition, and blankets. The incidence of alcoholism is high in our society; it's higher for the homeless. KUDOS for St. Jude and ShareWheel and our community for understanding and accepting our community needs.
Opinion and Photo By Bob Yoder
References:
Dual Diagnosis of Mental Illness and Substance Abuse Disorder, NAMI, Robert Drake, MD. 2003
Observations and Recomendations for a better Tent City, Bob Yoder, 11/2007
I am LESS than thrilled about Tent City here on Education Hill. It is within a few hundred feet of a pre school, 2 elementary schools, directly across from a Junior High and very close to a High School. By it's very nature it is populated by people with psychological problems, criminal records, and alcohol and drug addictions. This is NOT the correct location for this type of shelter. My children and scores of those of my friends and neighbours are no longer permitted to play on the grounds of the JH or HM el due to the presence of unsavoury looking individuals lurking around in the woods.
ReplyDeleteIt is also beyond comprehensible to me that this county will invest money, effort, time and no doubt considerable legal resources to these temporary unsatisfactory living conditions for these people. Nobody wants to pay for anyone elses misfortune yet I bet some low cost permanent housing for 100 unfortunate souls in a far more suitable location than slap bang in the middle of Education Hill, would long term cost FAR less than this "charitable" effort.
I think trying to discuss the relative merits of permanent housing vs. temporary encampments totally misses the point about Tent City and Share/Wheel. Tent City is not about shelter. It's purely and simply about advocacy politics. The effort is to put homelessness in the spotlight in a way that's intended to be provocative. And what could be more provocative than putting a ramshackle camp in the middle of a quiet, middle class neighborhood for three months? Nobody could be so naive as to believe that there aren't better ways or locations to shelter 100 people more permanently. Agree or disagree with the need to put a spotlight on homelessness, but make no mistake that this is what Tent City is about.
ReplyDeleteEvery time I drive through the 166 & 104th intersection I feel upset and angry at those homeless I see - dressed in old, sweaty clothes, walking slowly to and from the bus stops and milling near the school grounds by our children....some visibly ill and ornery looking.
ReplyDeleteOne day, as I was driving through the intersection with my wife, I told her of this anger. And, it then dawned on me, an epiphany. I wasn't angry at them! I was angry at what had happened in their lives to bring them here.
Tah Daah! Mission accomplished--at least with Mr. Yoder. Forcing suburbanites to confront homelessness is the primary objective on which SHARE/WHEEL is focused. I can't recall the source for this quote, but a SHARE organizer some time ago allegedly characterized the organization's Tent City 4 tactics as "getting in the face of the money-soaked Microsoft suburbs." As I said, you might agree or disagree with such tactics, but I still firmly (as do others) believe that this is what Tent City is about--a political roadshow, not shelter.
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ReplyDeleteTent City is about both - a road show and a shelter.
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