urbanSTL

GelatinousEndive wrote:It's much easier to throw together a lunch time "food ministry" than to seriously tackle problems of homelessness and to work with and within established organizations doiong the hard work with the homeless. Much easier.

Oh yes, those lazy f***s, taking the EASY road.



You may fairly label them as misguided, but these types of comments are outrageous.

these types of comments are outrageous.

I'm with bprop on this one. Misguided? Absolutely.



But, it is wrong to denigrate their intentions or efforts.

Education and enforcement, I think.



I'd like to share on the http://lucaspark.org how samaritans can help the downtown homeless in a strategic manner consistent with the Mayor's Ten Year Plan. This would include a list of the strategic organizations, what they do, and their contacts. Additionally, I'd like to share what is not considered appropriate and why it is bad. Where can this information be found?



Isn't there an existing city pamphlet as well. How can I obtain a digital and/or print copy of it?

Bastiat wrote:

throatybeard wrote:Someone asked what Jesus would do. I'm no Biblical scholar, but I think he was pretty clear on the matter:



Matt 5:42 "Give to anyone who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow."

"If a man will not work, he shall not eat." - 2 Thessalonians 3:10

I'm no biblical scholar either, but I'm pretty sure that isn't a Jesus quote.

Limited to WWJD only eh? Guess the rest of the bible is suggestive reading only?

Theology aside, common sense dictates that we have a "moral" responsibility to take care of the sick and the needy, but NOT the criminal and the lazy. Also, feeding homeless as far as they are not in "your" backyard is not something that is mentioned anywhere in "any" religious text. As stated before, if these churches have such a strong need to satisfy their faith, please take these homeless with you and try to get them jobs and make them do something constructive for their food.

A forum like this probably isn't the ideal place for a theological debate but...dealing thoughtfully with social issues today may require more than quotations from ancient text.

Has anyone noticed that since Sky house project pulled down the old brick building, Rice's shelter stands out as an eyesore from Washington?



I also see cars parked in the lot next to NLEC. Do they have an active "ministry" in there, or are these volunteers?

Rice's shelter stands out as an eyesore from Washington?

It's a great looking pair of buildings. (Speaking of which, the demo site of the old cleaners is currently the eyesore: the construction fence is lying on the sidewalk, the hole is starting to gather trash.)

Speaking of trash, I drove by NLEC this morning and there was trash everywhere on the street, sidewalk, up against the buildings on both sides of the road. I was thinking that there needs to be some accountability for this mess. So. The following link is to the CSB "request a service" page for reporting refuse accumulating around an occupied building.

CSB

Larry Rice's Address is: 1411 Locust

Make sure the CSB knows about any and all violations.[/url]

I was walking the dog a couple weeks ago in Lucas Park and have some experiences to share. I will admit I like how having a dog makes you seem more approachable to people. A homeless man was sitting on the bench when he complimented the dog. I stuck around for about 10-15 minutes, talking to Sean.



Basically, I just listened to him, asked about his situation and what he was doing to improve it. He said he came recently from Alton in search of a job. He said he enjoyed cooking and has experience in manual labor. I asked him about his experiences with homeless services in the area and he said they varied. Basically, he had good things to say of St. Patrick Center.



He said that many homeless lose confidence in themselves and even beat themselves down emotionally. Some lose hope, motivation, and I'm guessing their sanity. Some may gain addictions as well, I'm sure.



I shook his hand, told him to keep his head up, and wished him well. I left, and he had asked me for nothing. Nothing except someone that would listen to him and not pretend he doesn't exist.



Another day, a homeless gentlemen noticed me cleaning up the dog's output and thanked me. I think this means that there are still people out there that aren't doing their part. A doggy bag post nearby the park inbetween the Rudman and the former Children's Center is a godsend and more people should utilize it. I will admit that when walking at night, sometimes I can't readily see the chocolate delights to clean them up. Perhaps better lighting would help.



Many times when I'm there I pick up trash while walking the dog. Believe me, this isn't easy while walking an 80 pound monster full of vim and vinegar. I like to do this, not only to clean the park, but to show that residents take pride in the park and they could too. I think this should be more organized though... Hmm, like once or twice a week and a drink afterward?

This should help. Hopefully, the politicos do NOT give money to Rice, but rather drive towards a better solution:



http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/s ... enDocument



<b>

St. Louis gets $11 million HUD grant

ASSOCIATED PRESS

01/09/2008



ST. LOUIS -- The city of St. Louis is getting $11 million from the federal government to help the homeless.



The office of Mayor Francis Slay says the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development money will fund housing and support services for homeless people. St. Louis competed with several other cities for the funding.



In addition to renewing existing programs, the grant will provide 75 housing beds for the homeless and help fund a second safe haven.



Over the past six years, the city's Department of Human Services has received nearly $50 million from HUD's Continuum of Care competition. The $11 million grant is a record for the city.

</b>

^Don't ask questions like that. You are being insensitive to the plight of the of homeless.

So they know they are going to build 75 new beds.... Where!?

^^^^ Ask and ye shall receive, Miguel.



http://www.mayorslay.com/news/display.asp?prID=798

City Gets $11 Million Homeless Services Grant



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, January 09, 2008



From the home office:



Mayor Francis Slay and Human Services Director William Siedhoff today announced an $11 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to fund homeless services.



St. Louis successfully competed with thousands of cities across the country in securing this award, which in addition to renewing existing homeless programs will fund new projects that will provide 75 permanent supportive housing beds and provide resources for the city’s second safe haven. In the last six years, the Department of Human Services has received nearly $50 million from HUD’s Continuum of Care Competition but this year’s award of $11 million sets a new record.



“This HUD grant is the largest we have ever received and it will go a long way toward our goal of ending chronic homelessness,” said Mayor Slay. “The homeless people who will be helped by these agencies are the real winners.”



The organizations/agencies that will receive funding under the 2007 award are:



Missouri Department of Mental Health: $3,980,304

Peter & Paul Community Services: $2,740,940

The Salvation Army: $878,011

St. Louis Transitional Hope House: $766,669

Queen of Peace Center: $599,565

Humanitri: $359,398

St. Patrick Center: $304,723

Metro Homeless Center: $239,054

Catholic Family Services: $173,370

YWCA Metro St. Louis: $156,931

^What, NLEC doesn't get anything?

By the way, I'm surprised that the nearly omniscient urbanstl forum-goers have yet to mention anything regarding one of the Mayor's 2008 predictions.



http://www.mayorslay.com/desk/display.asp?deskID=880

- The St. Louis Board of Aldermen will pass a new ordinance restricting panhandling; I will likely sign it.

The Central Scrutinizer wrote:

zink wrote:So they know they are going to build 75 new beds.... Where!?

Lucas Park

Or not.

The numbers above total $10,198,965.00.



What happened to the other $800,000.00? This could provide at least one more bed.

The max going to Mental "help" for the homeless shows that we (or at least our reps) recognize the real need and are acting towards that.



WE have received $50mil + over the past 6 years. Hopefully we can chanell this 11mil to help resolve the Lucas Park issue. If NLEC goes, perhaps the "true" charities will be able to help the problem (as opposed to NLEC masking them).