Monday, October 6, 2008

Are We More Hard-Hearted These Days?

Sun-Times columnist Mark Brown is asking that question after an Uptown/Edgewater homeless shelter at 5253 N. Kenmore was served an eviction notice by the church it operated within. Read all about it here.

Also check out another Sun-Times story on the Tom Seay Center closing. From the story:
"The building is crumbling --and too expensive to fix --says the Salvation Army, and so the clients must go elsewhere. The regulars here know many of the neighborhood's condo owners, and the folks hoping for a new Target store across the street won't miss them." Read the story here.

19 comments:

  1. 1) I have a great place for one, how about right next to Mark Brown's house! Since when is Mark Brown such a swell guy? I think if you write about Chicago, there should be some rule that says you have to live in the City. !(Impossible, I know.)
    He should look in his own backyard before asking us to do more.
    2) Uptown has plenty of shelters, we are very caring, and it is time other neighbors took up the slack. Notice, it was only Uptown, the West Side and the South Side that were mentioned as places to go.

    3) We might all be homeless soon with today's economic meltdown...

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  2. What kind of Shilleristic clap trap was that? Is that what constitutes reporting now?

    The man didn't even bother to ask the church WHY they were evicting the homeless shelter. He just went on to assume that they must just be some evil people who care nothing about throwing the homeless out onto the street.

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  3. Maybe we should email Mr. Brown.
    markbrown@suntimes.com

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  4. I spoke with someone who lives in the area and very familiar with the situation. According to this guy whom I will not name, the church congregation was burned too many times by the people who ran REST shelter. It seems that REST has a bad reputation everywhere they go but Helen lets them get by with it in Uptown. As Helen would say, "Low standards? No problem!!"

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  5. The Salvation Army itself says the best use of its funds is to diversify out of Uptown. Doesn't sound hard-hearted to me:

    As of September 30th, The Salvation Army Tom Seay/ Uptown Corps Service Center will be closed.

    As the homeless population has become more dispersed throughout the city, it’s clear that a new strategy is needed. "After a comprehensive study, it's been determined that we can enhance our services by becoming more mobile and not restrict our programs to a single building," said Lt. Colonel David Grindle, Metropolitan Divisional Commander. "Continued use of the Tom Seay Center is no longer the most effective use of our resources for meeting the unmet needs of Chicago."

    Mobile feeding units currently providing about 600 meals daily to the homeless will now service the entire city, including the south and west sides. The homeless served will receive food, comprehensive case management, transportation, and health services.

    The new outreach unit includes multiple vans that will transport willing clients to detox facilities, hospitals, shelters or social service agencies. A mobile office trailer is also part of the new unit where a nurse and two social service workers will make assessments and referrals.

    Additionally, The Salvation Army’s Harbor Light facility (1515 West Monroe) will become a primary intake location for those needing drug and alcohol treatment.

    For more information, please view our press release.

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  6. Well clearly that press release did't bode well with the reporter so the same ole same ole mantra had to be repeated. Reporters are getting lazy.

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  7. My favorite line from this story was how homeless shelters and help was hard to come by on the "north side".

    They should come visit my block... I've got at least 5 or 6 places for folks to go!

    Talk about one-sided reporting. We have know idea what kind of 'neighbors' REST has been to this church. For all we know, the visitors to the shelter might have vandalized the building, injured staff or parishoners, taken advantage of their hospitality, or they may have done nothing at all to deserve to be evicted. How do we know? We don't, because the 'reporter' failed to write a complete, balanced account of what is occuring.

    Nice reporting Mark... it must be nice to only have to do 1/2 your job and still get paid!

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  8. Correction - We have no idea - sorry, I need an afternoon shot of coffee.

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  9. Are we more hard-hearted these days?

    That is a very good question. Its too bad that the reporter did not bother looking for all the answers.

    I think the reality is that people are just tired. Maybe its "sad" or "selfish" or whatever, but getting asked for money on the street every day gets old. Being crowded out of bus shelters by homeless people gets old. Most of us have enough problems of our own.

    So maybe it is cold, but I don't know what else to say. I feel bad for the truly homeless, but I don't feel as the articles suggest that I am one paycheck away from living on the streets. I couldn't pay my rent if I didn't get a paycheck, but I would have a long way to go before living on the streets of Uptown would be my only recourse. A very long way. I would a) find a new job, b) move some place cheaper, or c) move out of the city. I might be homeless, but it sure as hell wouldn't be here.

    Why wouldn't it be here? Frankly, being homeless in Chicago and other large cities is a way of life. If you don't want to be homeless, you have to fight that stereotype. Go to a smaller town and you'll have a better chance of getting back on your feet.

    I support helping the truly homeless, but how do you tell the difference? I suspect that a lot of people are tired of trying to be kind as this form of kindness is wasted on a subset of the "homeless" who make it their way of life to beg and stay on the streets.

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  10. You should write him if you disagree. He's a pretty responsive guy. I wrote to him several times, got personal responses and even helped generate a column for him (on McCuddy's the bar that used to be across the street from old Comiskey Park).

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  11. A woman quoted, in the article said 'they don't want the homeless people here, we're an eyesore'

    The reality is, Uptown/Shiller cannot solve every problem of the homeless. The alderman has frenetically, in the most self-serving and myopic way, tried to make Uptown a Disneyland for the disenfranchised......while ignoring the danger of the result.

    NOBODY 'hates' the homeless.....but I for one, question her motives.

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  12. Well, people hate it when the status quo changes and the homeless are no exception. It's a pity that the Sun-Times article quoting the unhappy Tom Seay clientele didn't include the information that the Salvation Army's focus is changing ... away from concentrating their services in Uptown ... and toward permanent housing and services all over the city:

    The Salvation Army offers significant expansion of services to the city's homeless by closing the Tom Seay Corps Community Center in Chicago’s Uptown, a deteriorating facility, and re-investing resources where they will do the most good. As the homeless population has become more dispersed throughout the city, it’s clear that a new strategy is needed. "After a comprehensive study, it's been determined that we can enhance our services by becoming more mobile and not restrict our programs to a single building," said Lt. Colonel David Grindle, Metropolitan Divisional Commander. "Continued use of the Tom Seay Center is no longer the most effective use of our resources for meeting the unmet needs of Chicago."

    Mobile feeding units currently providing about 600 meals daily to the homeless will now service the entire city, including the south and west sides. The homeless served will receive food, comprehensive case management, transportation, and health services. "By expanding the depth and quality of our services, we will reach more people in a more cost-effective way," said Col. Grindle. "We’re also working closely with the Chicago Department of Human Services and other providers, to furnish immediate referrals so the homeless will get the help they need faster."

    "The Salvation Army is an active and important partner in the City’s effort to end homelessness," said Chicago Human Services Commissioner, Sheryl McGill. "We will work with them on their expanded outreach initiative and help connect clients to programs and services that lead to permanent housing.

    The new outreach unit includes multiple vans that will transport willing clients to detox facilities, hospitals, shelters or social service agencies. A mobile office trailer is also part of the new unit where a nurse and two social service workers will make assessments and referrals. Additionally, The Salvation Army's Harbor Light facility will become a primary intake location for those needing drug and alcohol treatment. "We want to increase our level of impact and provide assistance to those who need us most," explains Col. Grindle.
    The Salvation Army plans to launch the new program, and close the existing structure, September 30th.

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  13. Well I am not heartless but I want my uptown area to be safe and healthly for all that live in it specially my children. We all are tired of see all the low-lifes hanging out all day and night that these building cater to. I say I hope they all move out and get them into another area except for my home area uptown. I am very sad to see how it has changed for the worse with the help of the alderman too.............

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  14. 'Barry' I hear ya.....
    I've lived here for 17 years, and am sick and tired of always 'being on alert' walking down the street.

    Is this person mentally ill, and or prone to violence, or is he/she just panhandling?

    Again, the irony, is none of this exists on our Alderman's peaceful block on Carmen.

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  15. maybe we should devote an hour or two of our day to dressing shabbily and panhandling on her street...with undercover cameras of course

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  16. You're several years too late. Walter Jacobsen actually did this on local TV and it really was an eye-opener.

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  17. But Gayle, we could go one step further than Walter Jacobson. Let's pretend to be homeless and witness the crappy care provided by REST that enables the homeless to be stuck in poverty. Now that would be an interesting story.

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  18. The following email is from a member of Epworth Church Responding to
    a recent email sent publically through EBNA's Yahoo Group.

    "Thank you for giving me a chance to respond. The contents of the
    message are disturbing and actually a defamation of character with unsupported information circulating. Epworth has supported
    the "Homeless Ministry" for almost 25 years, started by concerned
    Epworth members and later supervised by agencies due to the strain on just a faithful few.

    Through the years heating costs have escalated to the point that
    Epworth UMC can not paid the cost. In October, 2005 Pastor Joseph
    Johnson and I met with ECRA for assistance and community involvement for a long term plan and financial help with the heat for the warming shelter. Several Faith Communities provide food and
    donations on a monthly basis albeit not enough to pay the
    skyrocketing costs. Epworth is still paying heating cost from the
    2007/2008 season. The congregation made a decision to not renew the
    Space Sharing agreement with R.E.S.T. for many reasons. Mostly
    importantly: There is not a plan for this season or the future for
    funding heating costs. (2.) Epworth UMC utilized funds earmarked for Epworth operating costs and repairs.

    The congregation made the decision and feel that Epworth UMC can
    celebrate more than 24 years of ministry and will continue, but frame differently and view through more realistic lens. Pastor Joe and I met with R.E.S.T. in September and there still no plan for heating costs. We were asked to check with ECRA, we did and Pastor Joe and I met with ECRA and the Director of DHS regaring the "Warming Shelter" and it was stated that the City of Chicago has 100 beds 65 of which can be utilized for the R.E.S.T. clients."

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