tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post8386097015201831229..comments2024-03-29T07:22:16.258-05:00Comments on Uptown Update: Anna of Green Gables, or The REST Of The StoryUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-64130623779510120802009-10-30T10:31:49.000-05:002009-10-30T10:31:49.000-05:00Guess who is out of CCDOC custody... Keep your eye...Guess who is out of CCDOC custody... Keep your eyes open for Anna's tricks and not-so-much treats and call 911.meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04615883482297341657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-41474623769432655112009-10-28T12:24:27.917-05:002009-10-28T12:24:27.917-05:00The major streets in Edgewater and Uptown tend not...<i>The major streets in Edgewater and Uptown tend not to be overrun by pedestrians. Broadway and Sheridan, for example, have sidewalks that are much less congested. In addition to the fact that this makes being distrubed much less likely, for a homeless person carting around bags, etc. this makes a huge difference.</i><br /><br />I think the chicken-and-egg argument fits here. <br /><br /><i>These factors are for many of us positive aspects of living in our neighborhood as opposed to Lakeview, but we also have to realize that this makes it more attractive to the homeless as well.</i><br /><br />What you say here is odd because you're sort of saying that homeless people are attracted here because we have great amenities for homeless and non-homelesss alike. What??! I simply reject these notions that Uptown has a set of fixed attributes that cause it to be attractive to homeless people. What we have are decisions---at the national level, state-level, city-level and by aldermen in the city's wealthiest wards. Only part of Uptown's homelessness issue is the result of personal choices by homeless people trying to get by. I can't believe that you wold be homeless advocate and not see that the way homelessness services are organized are in reaction to decisions made elsewhere. <br /><br />I really mean this: please help me understand your perspective. Why aren't people like you who work with the homeless ANGRY!?? Why is the anger you do have almost entirely focused on the prejudicial, insensitive, NIMBY-oriented thoughts of individuals rather than a <i>system</i> that has done little to address the problem. Again, I ask, how's that 10-year plan to end homelessness coming along? Looks to me like we've got a lot of talk and not enough action. We were supposed to be building affordable home ownership opportunities for families near UIC. However, connected insiders got a hold of the properties and flipped them. Wilson Yard has a high cost for the number of units it is creating. How many more units could have been created (here or elsewhere) if these city tax dollars were spent differently? Few Aldermen have opted-in to the affordable housing set-aside ordinance. Will Michael Reese really be developed into affordable housing units or was that all talk too?<br /><br />For the love of all that is good in this world, we MUST change the direction of the conversation. We are getting nowhere seeing this as a NIMBY issue.Sassyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07023321034518238290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-45096082236948574592009-10-28T12:21:03.761-05:002009-10-28T12:21:03.761-05:00For a variety of reasons completely separate from ...<i>For a variety of reasons completely separate from the presence of shelters, Uptown and Edgewater do and have historically attracted a greater number of homeless people than other neighborhoods.</i><br /><br />Wrigleyville gets an influx of Cubs fans during baseball season. That has its pros and its cons but the bottom line is that the community has infrastructure in place to accommodate non-residents using the space in ways that are often contrary to how residents wish to use the space. If it is natural that we would we get homeless people seeking shelter here because of the way the trains run and how the park is, then why shouldn't we make better arrangements to accommodate this kind of interest in our community? Furthermore if this is some inevitable effect of the way Chicago is, why aren't more City resources directed towards us to accommodate the disconnect between people who live here and number of people who are drawn here for our resources? A network of shelters and services needs infrastructure to accommodate them just as for-profit businesses that attract customers do.<br /><br /><i>South of Irving Park, the lakefront is much busier and homeless people are routinely harassed to the point where it becomes difficult to stay in one place. And, anyone who has been on the lakefront this far north late at night knows that there are very few people around.</i> <br /><br />So you are saying that South of Irving Park is busier. I can grant you that. As for the rest, what came first? Chicken or Egg? If homeless people are "harassed" more South of Irving Park and they are not "harassed" North of Irving Park then we have one reason why homeless people choose to be here. Does that cause fewer people to use the parks late at night or is it a consequence of it? Being "harassed" in one area and not another is not something inevitable. Policies should be enforced equitably everywhere. If we choose not to, then accommodations should be made to deal with the effects of concentrating the issue in one area over another.<br /><br /><i>Southside neighborhoods that have a similar combination (though without the same amount of park space) but many caucasian homeless people avoid the south side because of the perception that it is more dangerous for a white homeless person to be in a predominantly african american neighborhood.</i><br /><br />Our crime rate is much better than places on the west and south sides. Why not try to make it in a safer neighborhood? I don't blame any homeless person for that decision. On the other hand, the only homeless shelter along the south lakefront (outside of the Loop) that I know of is St. Martin de Porres. There aren't too many options along a train ride or near the lakefront on the southside. Why is that? If we had more options more evenly distributed throughout the city wouldn't that be a benefit to people who have recently become homeless?Sassyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07023321034518238290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-35288814151754256942009-10-28T12:16:35.886-05:002009-10-28T12:16:35.886-05:00MJS, many of the things that you said were very in...MJS, many of the things that you said were very informative and from the perspective of having worked with homeless people. Thank you. Although I feel you accurately describe the situation faced by homeless people in Chicago, I disagree with the conclusions you come to. At the end of a very long thread, I apologize for responding point by point but here goes:<br /><br /><i>Sassy says, echoing the sentiments of many others, that "Uptown does not somehow generate more homelessness than other areas of the city."</i><br /><br />In this statement I was referring to the root cause of homelessness, namely, people not having a place to live. In our neighborhood we support a varied housing stock from SROs to half-way houses to affordable market rate rental units (our median rent in the 2000 Census was $564---very competitive other similarly "poor" neighborhoods but not with some of our immediate neighbors to the south and west), and affordable subsidized housing. We also have affordable home ownership opportunities for people above the City's average. (See the Trib's story today about middle class homeless families and how even the "evil homeless owners" are not immune either.) In addition, we have a variety of social service agencies that can offer a bit of assistance if someone's situation has changed quickly. For these reasons, I believe this neighborhood generates less (and certainly no more) homelessness than other areas of Chicago. But all of these supports are not without their problems. I think the general tone of the thread is that things are not working as well as they should and that its time for new ideas to come to the table. (The two old ideas---getting rid of shelters and doing nothing different---haven't done much for us in dealing with the issues so far!! LOL!) You yourself show reasons why people are attracted to Uptown. Why is this basic fact that 1) we are a responsible neighborhood and 2) people come here from other areas to partake in what is here such a source of contention? I really do not understand it. We can't have it both ways. <br /><br />That is why I think the conversation must get to: We have created these resources here. They serve a local population but also people who are drawn to them. Some of these people are very troubled. How much can we responsibly take on and how well can we handle what we've got without having a negative effect on the overall community? Even knowing that we could already be doing more, are there any benefits to setting limits on the amount and kinds of services that this neighborhood has for certain groups of people? Is that heartless or responsible? No matter what, I think these are things to think about because these are no longer "emergency" resources as they were intended in the late 1970s-early 1980s. This is public policy. I think it is appropriate for citizens to question the city's predilection for concentrating poverty. (I am not merely talking about Uptown.)<br /><br />[I have to break this into two posts. More to follow.]Sassyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07023321034518238290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-44142428632069607162009-10-28T00:48:33.790-05:002009-10-28T00:48:33.790-05:00Sassy says, echoing the sentiments of many others,...Sassy says, echoing the sentiments of many others, that "Uptown does not somehow generate more homelessness than other areas of the city." Others seem to echo this sentiment with the notion that ridding uptown of these homeless shelters would do much to rid uptown of people like Anna. <br /><br />As someone who has worked with Chicago's homeless for the past several decades, I can say without hesitation that this is flat out wrong. For a variety of reasons completely separate from the presence of shelters, Uptown and Edgewater do and have historically attracted a greater number of homeless people than other neighborhoods. <br /><br />First off, the park (technically lincoln park) along the lakeshore adjacent to Uptown and Edgewater is very attractive for the homeless. South of Irving Park, the lakefront is much busier and homeless people are routinely harassed to the point where it becomes difficult to stay in one place. And, anyone who has been on the lakefront this far north late at night knows that there are very few people around and a lot of open space, making it feasible for a homeless person to find a secluded place where they can sleep undisturbed. Most of us in these neighborhoods enjoy the absence of crowds on the lakefront and the beach. The homeless do as well. There are southside neighborhoods that have a similar combination (though without the same amount of park space) but many caucasian homeless people avoid the south side because of the perception that it is more dangerous for a white homeless person to be in a predominantly african american neighborhood (Remember, for a homeless person, a minor injury can very quickly become life-threatening).<br /><br />Second, many homeless people ride the trains during the day and the red-line is the best line in the city to do this on because it is above ground and lengthy. Only the brown line has the same combination and it isn't quite as long. Put yourself in their position, would you rather ride a line all day that is underground or in the middle of a highway or one that runs through neighborhoods.<br /><br />Third, the major streets in Edgewater and Uptown tend not to be overrun by pedestrians. Broadway and Sheridan, for example, have sidewalks that are much less congested. In addition to the fact that this makes being distrubed much less likely, for a homeless person carting around bags, etc. this makes a huge difference. <br /><br />These factors are for many of us positive aspects of living in our neighborhood as opposed to Lakeview, but we also have to realize that this makes it more attractive to the homeless as well.<br /><br />If you think that getting rid of these shelters will solve the problem, you are deluding yourself. The fact is that the likely result would be more people like Anna wandering the streets at night, sleeping in alleys and most notably along the lake. In addition, if shelters started turning away any people who misbehaved, acted out, had a bad history, etc, they would be virtually empty.mjshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07502447731583975116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-82506488560424528122009-10-27T00:04:09.695-05:002009-10-27T00:04:09.695-05:00Just a joke, IP. No offense intended. And I agre...Just a joke, IP. No offense intended. And I agree with the rest of your post as well, although I still don't understand the first sentence of it.Ralphabethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10802207174762573719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-7740624534261124532009-10-26T19:34:27.688-05:002009-10-26T19:34:27.688-05:00Sean, perhaps the administrator sends out thought ...Sean, perhaps the administrator sends out thought waves to the mentally ill to encourage them to pick up after themselves. Yeah, that must be it. ; )holy moleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18006600794546900502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-65898661964195874812009-10-26T13:56:37.899-05:002009-10-26T13:56:37.899-05:00holey moley....telling more lies to support you ag...holey moley....telling more lies to support you agenda I see. The Tribune article absolutely does not say that anyone from the nursing homes goes out to the parks to check on their check on their patients to ensure they are picking up after themselves. The article states that the nursing home administrator says that he does his best to ensure that his clients are respectful and pick up after themselves. Nothing more than that. It is right there for anyone to read, the article titled turf war at Evanstaon park on the Trib's web site.Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05173712914081376243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-66601178576479005202009-10-26T08:44:04.326-05:002009-10-26T08:44:04.326-05:00The Trib has an interesting article today about a ...The Trib has an interesting article today about a little battle going on with area residents and residents from a facility for the mentally ill in Evanston. It's regarding the use of a nearby public park.<br /><br />Get this, someone from the facility goes out to this park and checks to make sure their clients are picking up after themselves.holy moleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18006600794546900502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-20859505066530128372009-10-23T21:26:17.116-05:002009-10-23T21:26:17.116-05:00I don't know, but it seems to me Sean is paddl...I don't know, but it seems to me Sean is paddling upstream defending the failed social service experiment in Uptown.<br />I'm no expert, but H.M's comments make the most sense.Starck Madhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05608390964188305181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-71242204780028548292009-10-23T21:23:08.170-05:002009-10-23T21:23:08.170-05:00we have heard both sides with their points and dis...we have heard both sides with their points and discussions... may we also ask for policy proposals (from ALL sides) how we can balance all these points, so services can be provided for those in need while the neighborhood becomes safer and more inspiring? so far we have just been hearing bickering... solutions are what matters!!! and it doesn't matter who started the 'discussion' in uptown... if you have a policy proposal and can express it in a civil tone we would like to hear it! Again, both sides points matter!unedenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16312171080134438375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-16080813231984536272009-10-23T19:07:43.901-05:002009-10-23T19:07:43.901-05:00Not-for-profits all over the country have been lea...Not-for-profits all over the country have been learning from other organizations about identifying who their real customers are. For the area shelters, their customers are the homeless, the local residents, businesses, hospitals, educational institutions, community leaders, and elected officials. They worked to establish good relationships with all of them. Those that don’t will struggle with funding and finding volunteers. <br /><br />Uptown is unique because social services here never had to learn that lesson. They could excuse themselves from any accountability, shrug their shoulders, and say, “It’s not our fault. We can’t control them.” Their alderman always rescued the shelters and this allowed them to continue in their alienation of the rest of the community. Some were rather vocal, like Cornerstone, but even they are backing off because they see the writing on the wall.<br /><br />But just like the auto industry, REST was shortsighted and didn’t count on changes in the economic climate and worse yet, to their horror of horrors, a possibility that one day Helen would not be in office. Now they face the terror of reaping the alienation they sowed in the community with their divisive behavior from the likes of Sean and others who don’t live in the neighborhood but rush to judgment when residents complain about viewing BJ’s.<br /><br />I’m not saying REST and the other shelters are doomed, but they have a ton of work to do to improve their relationship with the community. I personally don’t know if they can do it. If they wait until Helen is out of office, it may be too late. The ball is not in the court of the residents. It’s in the court of the not-for-profits. The community can be fairly forgiving, but the not-for-profits are pushing their luck right now, and Sean is not helping them at all.holy moleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18006600794546900502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-69709716697354653782009-10-23T17:27:53.773-05:002009-10-23T17:27:53.773-05:00Sean and HM,
Thank you both for the information. ...Sean and HM,<br /><br />Thank you both for the information. When I first read the OP I thought there was an obvious approach. I quickly realized that what I thought was obvious, was rather naive. I have a lot of thinking to do before I have a well formed opinion.<br /><br />There are 2 main aspects I get out of this. One is the necessity for a personal approach to social services. The need to give these people something positive to live for is great. Second is the importance of the entire community developing and supporting a comprehensive approach. <br /><br />On the second point, I know this is a difficult time for social services in Uptown. The current political and economical climate (within all of the ward, city, county and state) is not helping. May I suggest that the shelters like REST (and other social services) need to do a better job of reaching out the the community? I don't mean by asking for money or lobbying government officials (both of which I have seen increasing recently) but by educating the community on what they are trying to do. Currently the only image many of us have of some of the social services are the Anna Greens . Personally I think this level of community involvement is a large part of Inspiration Corp's success. (Which other social service sponsors positive loitering?)Physically Knottedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08437342360559638458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-11111238952183459422009-10-23T16:56:44.686-05:002009-10-23T16:56:44.686-05:00We had difficulties with REST at Epworth church th...We had difficulties with REST at Epworth church they preach to help the homeless yet they didn't know hwo was at the shelter. They preach how other sshould be compassionate, yet a 72 y.o man was never helped by REST. Until Cornerstone took over and with the same funds are paying double the rent and are paying the gas bill. REST is in serious need of a new outlook and the government should do some forensic accounting. Shiller needs to put her foot down, Smith did and we have a 90% improvement in the management of the men and frankly more human. REST does not seem to get involved with its homeless but just uses them for moneyDorothyParker007https://www.blogger.com/profile/12335896289011168986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-10671444515386399182009-10-23T16:44:55.741-05:002009-10-23T16:44:55.741-05:00holey...you have no idea what other shelters in th...holey...you have no idea what other shelters in the city do, you just want to malign Shiller. You write a lot and say very little. You write that you would say to Anna that you'd love to help her, but it would come with some requirements. What help exactly and what requirements. Be specific (if you really understand what that means) If all the help she wanted was a place to sleep at night, what EXACTLY should the requirements be (and there are requirements for people who want that from REST). If she wants to get into one of RESTS housing programs or what exactly should the requirements be (and REST has some specific requirements for people in their interim and shelter plus care housing programs). And you write that if she does not want that, fine, but that if would restrict what they could do for her. What EXACTLY would be restricted? Please be specific, cause that is what REST needs to know. If Anna only wants a place to sleep at night and is not interested in services that might help her better herself, what exactly should be restricted? And you wrote that it is fine if she were on the streets to be hassled and to hassle and be arrested by the police. Interesting.<br /><br />One area you did get specific on is that you write that REST staff should patrol the streets looking for people who have stayed in their shelter to monitor their behavior and give them polite warnings. Interesting, at least it is a start. When should they be doing this patroling? At night? During the day? Both? What staff should be doing these patrols? Should the overnight staff leave the shelters to do these patrols? Should the day time staff leave the clients they are working with who are working on goals and in programming, ignoring them to patrol the neighborhood? Are you going to provide REST with funds to hire additional staff to do thie neighborhood patrols? Exactly what are they warning them about? What gives them the authority to issue warnings to private citizens on public land? What authority do they have to move people out of public bus shelters? I don't think the police even do that, but REST staff are supposed to have powers to do so above the police? What consequences are they warning them about exactly? And in Anna's case EXACTLY what should REST have done? Should they have had staff patrolling the streets at night like the police looking for people who had previously stayed in their shelter and who might be up to no good, and do what? Tell them to get into the shelter? And if they refuse? Tell them not to commit any crimes? That is going to do the trick? You just blab generalities about being a 'good neighbor' but have no idea what you are talking about.Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05173712914081376243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-18746162881942527402009-10-23T16:04:45.739-05:002009-10-23T16:04:45.739-05:00What is interesting about this case is the jail pi...What is interesting about this case is the jail picture of Anna here in this entry identifies her as a male. Also the picture of her does not match the picture of a female Anna Green that is found on the IDOC web site. The Anna Green listed on the Cook County Jail website cited by Meg has the same arrest date as is recorded on the picture accompanying this article and it also has a birth date that matches the birth date of the female Anna Green seen on the IDOC website. I think the Anna Green shown in this article is a man who is using the identity of the female Anna Green from the IDOC web site who has several drug and prostitution related arrests. Not that this has anything to do with all the previous discussion, but it is interesting because I don't think the true identity of the person arrested on 9/19 for prostitution and discussed here is known to the authorities and it is not the same the person as the Anna Green with the same birth date pictured on the IDOC web site. So who really is this guy?Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05173712914081376243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-68719093821333622122009-10-23T16:02:21.644-05:002009-10-23T16:02:21.644-05:00Sean, I would probably do what other shelters outs...Sean, I would probably do what other shelters outside the 46th Ward would do. Certainly that means engaging her and understanding what she hopes to gain from receiving the services she’s presently after. Then tell her we would love to help her, but with that comes some requirements. She has to be engaged in case management to help get her back on her feet. If she’s not wanting that yet, that’s fine, but it restricts us from what we can do for her.<br /><br />She might have a bit of a puzzled look on her face because this notion of accountability had never come up before, but the cold air and her hunger has her thinking that maybe it’s worth exploring getting some real help. If crack is speaking louder than the need for warmth and getting fed, that’s okay. She’s out on the streets and she will get hassled by others out there who will try to take advantage of her, the police who will arrest her, and the community who will call the police when she breaks the law. Eventually, the cold and the hunger seem worse than the crack addiction and a door starts to open to being receptive for real services that provide real change.<br /><br />When she gets help from the shelter, she will also notice another strange phenomenon. Either a volunteer or a staff person from the shelter makes the rounds monitoring the street activity, noticing if clients are not acting appropriately, and afterwards, this representative from the shelter will speak with businesses to make double sure the shelter is being a good neighbor to the rest of the community. Why, Anna might even notice that a representative from this shelter attends CAPS on a regular basis to make sure they are being good neighbors just in case staff miss something during their regularly scheduled rounds done at different times of the day. At the CAPS meeting, if the staff member hears that clients from the shelter congregate at a certain bus stop, that staff member stops by the bus stop to check in with the clients and gives a polite warning.<br /><br />As a social service, I might even be an extra good neighbor and when I find the need to expand my services, I wouldn’t do it in a neighborhood already besieged with too many homeless shelters in the area. <br /><br />You might think that staff don’t have the time to be good neighbors to the community because they are so busy helping the homeless. Staff from other shelters know that being a good neighbor brings in lots of neighborhood volunteers to help so they don’t mind being a good neighbor. Better yet, being a good neighbor means the shelter won’t need Sean to be on a message board defending the shelter’s lack of accountability to the community.holy moleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18006600794546900502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-25100814769605480032009-10-23T15:24:00.095-05:002009-10-23T15:24:00.095-05:00physically knotted, I answered how I would approac...physically knotted, I answered how I would approach Anna. As far as to what REST should do if she came to their door again, they should offer her a warm and safe place to sleep at night. If they are able to engage with her along the lines of how I described, great. If Anna doesn't want to talk, then they should offer her a warm and safe place to sleep at night because for every night she is in the shelter (or jail) is a night she is not being a nuisance to the neighborhood. I think it would be better for Truman and others demanding that REST be held accountable for Anna to answer as to what REST should do. So tell us, Truman, Freddie, Holey, et. al., what should REST do?Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05173712914081376243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-66538317010858971322009-10-23T15:14:01.869-05:002009-10-23T15:14:01.869-05:00Physically knotted,
I apologize, you did ask a le...Physically knotted,<br /><br />I apologize, you did ask a legitimate question and you deserve an answer. Before I would tell you what I would do, I want you to know that no social worker can force a person to change or force them to accept treatment or any type of programming, or control where they go and what they do with their time. Now a judge in a court of law can, which might be the best hope in Anna's case, 'cause other than that it is completely up to Anna to change her ways. Which is also why it is important for people who may witness her soliciting or buying drugs to call the police, have her arrested, and serve as witnesses.<br /><br />If I encountered Anna in the shelter I would start by trying to get to know her and to develop a trusting relationship. I would introduce myself and ask her permission to talk with her (I can't force someone to talk to me and asking permission is a sign of respect, which is necessary if we are going to have a therapuetic relationship). I would explain to her who I was and what I do and honestly answer any question she may have about me and my role, especially as to what I could and could not do for her (the worst thing a social worker can do is make promises they can't deliver or otherwise BS a person to gain their favor. Being very frank and honest goes a long way in gaining someone's trust). I would work to get to know her and her history, find out what type relationships she has in her life, both with people and institutions. I try to find out which relationships were good or beneficial to her and which ones were not and try to lead her to make use of and strengthen the good relationships and minimize or end the bad ones. I would find what her strengths are and try to have her make maximize use of those. I would try to find out what she wants for herself, what she might want to change, to develop goals with her. She might not identify getting off of crack or whatever drug(s) she might use as a goal, but maybe she might identify obtaining stable housing as a goal and maybe I could use that goal to address her drug use, use motivational interviewing help her see that addressing her drug use might be a necessary step in getting housed. I would try and develop a few simple and realistic goals for her to start with (starting with goals to quit drugs, get a job, and rent an apt. to be a positive, contributing member of society might not be realistic to start with). If, say, she is staying in the shelter an average of 2 or 3 nights a week and working the streets and drugging the other nights of the week, we might shoot for a goal of staying in the shelter 5-6 nights of the week (every night she spends in the shelter is one night she is not being a nuisance to the community). If she tells me she really wants to quit using drugs ASAP and is motivated to do so, then great, I would try to get her into a long term treatment facility for substance abuse. It might take a few weeks to find an opening somewhere, but sometimes you can get someone in right away. If she needs detox first, I'd work to get her into detox. And not that, wiz bang, once she is in treatment, problem solved. Usually it takes a lot of attempts to get clean. <br /><br />There is a lot of focus here on Anna who is not yet a success story, but there have been hundreds of success stories that have come out of REST through the years. I recently ran into an old client I knew in the mid to late 90's. He too had stayed at REST, was a crack addict, and had numerous arrests for prostitution and drug possession. It took a few attempts, but he eventually got himself clean, has been sober for nearly 9 years, has completed college and earned a Masters degree and now is employed full time.Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05173712914081376243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-90131937066194654412009-10-23T15:11:02.238-05:002009-10-23T15:11:02.238-05:00or is this more of a personal mission?
you might ...or is this more of a personal mission?<br /><br />you might try checking with them<br /><br />they might say, "Sean, you're absolutely right, of course, but best knock it off, you're scaring people."Hughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15522429207805068382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-67250800185424377632009-10-23T14:53:32.122-05:002009-10-23T14:53:32.122-05:00"I also consider countering the falsehoods, m..."I also consider countering the falsehoods, malice, and ludicrous assertions spewed here against REST and other homeless service providers part of my mission in social work."<br /><br />do your bosses consider explaining to neighbors that providers' responsibility ends at the threshold part of your job?Hughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15522429207805068382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-66090963122666882602009-10-23T14:07:56.637-05:002009-10-23T14:07:56.637-05:00Hugh...you seem to be following the same MO as tha...Hugh...you seem to be following the same MO as that fgfmagain poster from the tribune story. Are you one in the same?Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05173712914081376243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-86558837855803583112009-10-23T13:50:12.406-05:002009-10-23T13:50:12.406-05:00Sean, your own community where you live would not ...Sean, your own community where you live would not be having this discussion. The outside world (outside of Uptown) wouldn't put up with clients of a shelter causing all kinds of problems. Epworth overnight shelter doesn't allow it in Edgewater.<br /><br />Anna has had no incentives to change. None, nata, zip. She could continue to prostitute and do crack and some organization would always come to her aid making sure she felt comfy and well fed.<br /><br />If crime was low around the 2 blocks of this shelter, maybe you wouldn't be hearing these complaints. But go to ClearMap and look at the rate of violent crimes and then compare it to other areas with shelters in other wards. I don't begrudge REST. I just think they took on more than what they could handle. <br /><br />The homeless come to Uptown from all over, including YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. Before you call us NIMBYs, it's already in our back yard. Now it's time to put it in your backyard as well.holy moleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18006600794546900502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-52534154521339478672009-10-23T13:29:46.960-05:002009-10-23T13:29:46.960-05:00"I also consider countering the falsehoods, m..."I also consider countering the falsehoods, malice, and ludicrous assertions spewed here against REST and other homeless service providers part of my mission in social work."<br /><br />keep it up<br /><br />every comment is making it harder on legit providersHughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15522429207805068382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957537260422450632.post-19795067502656607802009-10-23T13:19:01.109-05:002009-10-23T13:19:01.109-05:00Truman...if this woman is committing crimes on the...Truman...if this woman is committing crimes on the streets at night then she is not staying at REST. On nights she is staying at REST, clearly she is not on the streets committing crimes. She can't be in two places at once, now can she? Or maybe you can tell me on which of the nights that she spent sleeping at REST she was simultaneously prostituting herself and buying drugs on the streets. Take away REST and she spends more nights on the streets committing crimes. Is that what you want?<br /><br />Just how does this accountabiltiy by REST supposed to work according to your 'thinking'? How many nights does a person have to stay at REST for REST to then be accountable for whatever that person might do when they are not sleeping at REST? One night? If someone spends one night at REST, is REST then forever accountable for the person's behavior in public? Is it a week? Two weeks? And for how long after the last night someone stayed at REST is REST responsible for that person's behavior? A month? A year? The rest of the person's life? And what is REST supposed to do to stop someone like Anna on the nights she doesn't stay at the shelter? Should the shelter staff leave the shelter unattended, to go out and search the streets with a big net looking to capture Anna and drag her back to the shelter to ensure she doesn't turn a trick or buy some drugs?<br /><br />And what MAGICAL interventions are REST staff supposed to use to instantaneously stop a person who has spent a night or several nights in their shelter from ever being a nuisance to the public again? Please, tell us how its done Truman, people the world over would love to discover the solution.<br /><br />And I am getting a lot of work done today and helping a lot of people. I also consider countering the falsehoods, malice, and ludicrous assertions spewed here against REST and other homeless service providers part of my mission in social work.Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05173712914081376243noreply@blogger.com