Turnout is enabling

As a city resident and provider of services to the city's homeless population, I agree with discouraging drop-off services at Lincoln Park. (See LBPost article here) While there are sufficient meals and services located downtown and throughout the city -- every day -- there is an element of unintentional enabling to these drop-off services. This is a tough thing for any provider to state, but I feel we need to have enough courage to say it.

For some it will bring howls of a lack of compassion, or worse. But for those who fully understand the issues involved in homelessness, they know that effective AND compassionate service should be "reciprocal" and move people toward inter-dependency. Services that lack this focus tend to destroy pride and initiative. Our focus should be in developing the person, not merely aiding the temporary need.

The result of prohibiting drop-off services will be to assist those who are truly in need to go to where the services are provided -- where options for leaving the street will also be offered. Those providing the meals and supplies to the parks can then increase the capacity of those providing these services, thereby expanding the ability to fully serve those needing immediate assistance as well as those desiring to get off the street. This initiative, along with an anti-panhandling campaign will go far in changing the perception and landscape of the homeless persons in Long Beach. I welcome open and reasonable discussion on this matter.