Sad to see the homeless Bluff lady back at the Lone Sailor. Much outreach has taken place to no lasting avail. Can we sleep while she - and so many more - are out there? On my walk this morning a LB Fire Engine crew stopped to ensure a Bluff Park "camper" was alive and well. She wasn't too appreciative at being awakened, and moved on.
A terrace and a row of bushes house a constant stream of tenants. Many are there by choice, but some no longer have the ability to choose to leave the street. What is our response as a community? Perhaps when we rebuild the Bluff we can add Bluff-side lofts and formalize the present situation, keeping them – and the cats – out of sight.When it builds up in me I call or e-mail the city-powers-that-be and 
ask that something be done to (both) get them off the street – sometimes forcibly – as well as to protect the fragile Bluff vegetation that keeps erosion to a minimum. I feel I'm looking out for the quality of life for the homeless person AND the community.
When asked by some, “then where will they go” I answer to the Rescue Mission and the city’s Multi-Service Center where help can be obtained. Then some ask “what if they want to live like that” . . . that, my friend, is a choice – and as I said earlier, some have lost the capacity to make that decision; so the community must make it for them – the court’s past rulings about personal rights notwithstanding (which caused the emptying of institutions).
A community’s actions to the most vulnerable in its midst is the measure of its capacity for compassion and humanity.
ask that something be done to (both) get them off the street – sometimes forcibly – as well as to protect the fragile Bluff vegetation that keeps erosion to a minimum. I feel I'm looking out for the quality of life for the homeless person AND the community.When asked by some, “then where will they go” I answer to the Rescue Mission and the city’s Multi-Service Center where help can be obtained. Then some ask “what if they want to live like that” . . . that, my friend, is a choice – and as I said earlier, some have lost the capacity to make that decision; so the community must make it for them – the court’s past rulings about personal rights notwithstanding (which caused the emptying of institutions).
A community’s actions to the most vulnerable in its midst is the measure of its capacity for compassion and humanity.
2 comments:
Jim,
Does this sound like it might possibly be a project for NLP graduates? Some of them have spent considerable time on the streets and that experience may give them a little extra credibility with those who are still homeless.
Cindy C
This homeless filipina has issues that preclude us from assisting her other than looking out for her general wellbeing. She has been placed in housing only to find her way back to the street.
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