Hi All, Thought I would share my letter to my 3 brothers that live in various parts of the US who wanted to know what was going on in my neck of the woods. I continually try to promote the basis for any group that is results oriented that “In Action” is the #1 requirement. Brothers, All is quiet on the SW Front. I think I may have sent you the letter I sent to our Mayor and city council regarding our homeless situation. I offered criticism about city policies that exacerbate the situation along with suggestions that could ease the dilemma. I got an immediate reply from the Mayor saying they were in the process of forming a community task force on homelessness and asked if I wanted to be on it. Absolutely I said, as did 3 others from our Conservatives in Action group. I do not have a picture yet of the scope or purpose of the task force but as I always do am trying to be prepared (the only thing I got out of Scouts besides how to build a fire and terrible cases of poison oak) by studying up on homelessness. I found a great study done in England, “The Culture of Homelessness”. In England they learned to look at the situation a little differently since a noteworthy percentage of the people who are what they call Rough Sleepers are very much at home in the communities they live within as they are miles better than the homes and environments they came out of. Due to the extreme diversity of causes of being homeless they have switched to more appropriately calling them “Roofless”. As I see it, the outcry by the homed citizens is more about a visual problem like litter than a humanitarian issue. It embarrasses them and even mentally destabilizes them as to the security in their own lives. From my reading and now investigation I am finding that due to the convoluted nature of the so called homeless population we have a multitude of what are called homeless industries that are funded by various methods defined by categories that can be used best to solicit funding by either government or philanthropy or a combination of both. These industries do not work together as they compete for money to perpetuate themselves (more about self serving). In recently deceased Paul Farmer’s book “Haiti After the Earthquake” he describes the same dynamics in the relief efforts follow their last big earthquake. In speaking with a L.C. Community of Hope worker (more government funded) about the Rescue Gospel Mission (takes zero government money) which Henry Young runs or about Alcoholics Anonymous (100% self supported) as a resources they see those organizations as wrong in methods and demand city funding by continually throw the government responsibility to just care for them in their and the citizens face. Like we need to just build housing for them even though many are transient and actually do not want the responsibility of a dwelling let alone an actual job. This could help some but defers away from the larger scope of the situation which is the chronic nature of Rooflessness. There are no simple answers for complex problems but government gets us to fund non issue resolving problems with simpleton solutions. It is all about marketing. How’s that for what is going on here? I guess all is not quiet on this front. Hey, we just got rated as the least safe state with respect to crime. 51st in education, 31% dropout rate, 50th in child well being and now 50th in community safety. The former slave states have nothing on us. Rob
