Tent City Youngstown

[jay]

Surplus city school buildings could have been converted into housing for the homeless.

[Peggy Gurney]

This reporter was at the tent city yesterday.
Good article.

http://wkbn.com/2014/12/23/tent-city-volunteers-work-to-connect-homeless-with-services/

[Peggy Gurney]

Peggy, Jay means well I'm sure, but like so many of us who have nice homes to come home to, plenty of food to eat, and people who care about us, it is hard for him to walk in the shoes of one of those unfortunate people who are forced to live under bridges. These men have been robbed of their dignity and forced to become social outcasts, and for many of them, even if they were given a home to live in, no matter how humble, they couldn't regain their self respect.
Remember Jay, these people were not born into this lifestyle. For one reason or another they hit rock bottom, and can not find their way out, and this is their only reality, and try as we may, we will never understand it.
These are people who society has written off, and for too many of them, they have not only lost possessions, but many have even lost their identity so far as the state is concerned, for they have nothing to prove who they are, just foggy memories of their past, and no one to fill in the gaps.
Because they do not have a permanent home address, these people can not even qualify for many of the welfare programs.

Exactly.  Here's even more reality for you... the veteran, Mike, is a Iraq and Afghanistan veteran. A veteran who is waiting for his claims to process - over a year now.
He refuses to sleep at the Mission because of the parolees being housed there - he is afraid for his safety and feels safer among the folks at the tent city than at the Mission.
I met a couple who have been there for a week - He was layed off from his job 8 months ago, has not been able to find another job, their car was vandalized, they could not pay their mortgage, and to top it all off  - she is 5 months pregnant.

This is the reality for many of these people. Not all I know. Some of them CHOOSE to live this way.
But these two are there through no fault of their own.

Note:  A social worker is working with the couple to find housing and a job for the man, so that their baby is not taken from them by social services at birth.

[Peggy Gurney]

Jay did you not read my post above.
These people do not want to sleep where paroled criminals are being sent.
So they choose to live at the Tent City.
With that kind of choice, I would too.

[jay]

The Rescue Mission has many programs to help people with their education and to gain the skills to lift themselves out of homelessness.  All that is needed is to leave the tent city and take advantage of these free programs.

[Towntalk]

What you failed to mention Rick is the fact that it was the ACLU and the extreme left wing radicals that slammed the doors shut on shelters  that were offering sancuaries for the homeless, by claiming that it was everyone's constitutional right live under bridges, over grates, and on park benches in the dead of winter, and to take them to proper shelters was a violation of their civil rights.

[Rick Rowlands]

To give this some perspective.  Those few people who we are so upset about live exactly like about 4 to 5 billion people in other parts of the world. Squatters living with no amenities under a bridge or in a ramshackle dwelling, that is reality for most of the earth's population. 

Be damn thankful that we Americans built this wonderful country where we can escape that type of existence, and fight to your last breath those who would take that away from us.  And I'm not talking about foreign enemies either.  The antifrackers, environmentalist wackos, occupiers, white privilege apologists, etc.  Its all the same group of self loathing fools who cannot appreciate how good they have it.

Just imagine if everyone lived under that bridge.  Welcome to Bangladesh. 

[Towntalk]

 http://wkbn.com/2014/12/23/area-agencies-get-state-money-to-help-homeless/

http://wkbn.com/2013/06/02/oh-homeless-veterans-get-funds-to-help-find-homes/?relatedposts_hit=1&relatedposts_origin=115432&relatedposts_position=1

[Towntalk]

Peggy, Jay means well I'm sure, but like so many of us who have nice homes to come home to, plenty of food to eat, and people who care about us, it is hard for him to walk in the shoes of one of those unfortunate people who are forced to live under bridges. These men have been robbed of their dignity and forced to become social outcasts, and for many of them, even if they were given a home to live in, no matter how humble, they couldn't regain their self respect.
Remember Jay, these people were not born into this lifestyle. For one reason or another they hit rock bottom, and can not find their way out, and this is their only reality, and try as we may, we will never understand it.
These are people who society has written off, and for too many of them, they have not only lost possessions, but many have even lost their identity so far as the state is concerned, for they have nothing to prove who they are, just foggy memories of their past, and no one to fill in the gaps.
Because they do not have a permanent home address, these people can not even qualify for many of the welfare programs.

[Peggy Gurney]

Jay, there are 3 different Tent City's.  Not just one.

Additionally, did you know that because of budget cuts, Parole Agents are forced to put violent offenders without homes in the Mission?
Would you want to stay there under those circumstances? 

I'd rather live in a tent.

[jay]

The existing tent city is near the St. Vincent DePaul Dining Hall downtown.  It's near the WRTA bus station and is next to slow moving freight trains.  Also, it's only a short walk to the Rescue Mission facility.

[AllanY2525]

Agreed.  We are not doing everything we should be to help our veteran servicemen in this
country.  It is shameful and embarrassing.

[Peggy Gurney]

With all of the vacant homes in Youngstown, even vacant buildings in that area of downtown, any one of them could be opened to allow these people to have a warm safe place to lay their heads.

[Towntalk]

I know what you mean Peggy. It's sad that any of our Vets ends up having to live in a tent city. I don't know if there are any mothballed bases but if there are, why couldn't one of them be reopened to house homeless Vets till they could get back on their feet?

[Peggy Gurney]

I visited one of the Tent Cities today.  Met a very nice man, an Air Force veteran.
I tell you, it turns my stomach that we have homeless US military men and women, living on the streets, needing care both medical and mental, and not getting it.
Yet.