Corruption - Homelessness

It isn't nothing no where near how it sounds. This city literally spoils their homeless people. These people here have been sleeping at the park for forever....it's just the city implemented a rule years ago that said the homeless can utilize the parks and even sleep in the parks but they can't erect structures in the parks. No tents, no cardboard boxes or any other such visible shelters. Actually that is basically their park, it's call Heartside Park, located in the Heartside District named mainly after a man who was mayor named George Heartwell who prior to being mayor was a minister who worked with the homeless organization and ministered to the homeless. He was instrumental in improving the health and overall well being in the Heartside District during his time as mayor. I see (and seen) these individuals sleeping under the pavilion there all summer, no one bothers them, that's because they don't have to resurrect structures to do so, they also sleep in the park on the grass in sleeping bags. Right around the corner from there is what's called God's Kitchen, they serve two hot meals a day to the homeless, a short distance from there is Degage' Ministeries, a coffe house they can go to and congregate and also do their laundry, recently they have installed one of what will be a couple of permanent bathrooms that will replace the temporary one's outside for them to use, they are being built with special lighting that will keep them from being able to go in the bathrooms and shoot up drugs, the lights make it impossible for them to see the veins in their arms, about three weeks ago they introduced a mobile shower on wheels, it's like a bus that will enable them to move around the area so that the homeless can take showers. There are other coffee houses run by ministries also in the city that the homeless can go to, they can get free coffee, donuts and other donated food items like pizza's. Plus there is a ministry around the corner from me that if they bring in any type of government issued card or shows they are on government assistance they can get a free bag of clothes once a week. They also have a free medical, dental and mental health clinic's nearby. You have to understand it's not just covid, yes they probably do need additional space right now because of covid but a lot of these people don't want to come in by 8 pm every night, which is the requirement to get into a shelter, you have to be in by 8 and sober, you can't just wonder in drunk and high whenever they feel like it. They must be out of the shelters by, I thinking it's seven, in the morning. My son works in a factory right around the corner and I often see them start wondering out in the early am. I go by that park every weekday to get back on the highway. The only time they are exempt from being outside during the day is when the weather hits near or below zero, then local ministers team up with police and they go throughout the city and force them all inside for the night. That often isn't a easy task locating them all, some are deep into wooded area's and under expressways, once in awhile they miss one or two like they did either last year or the year before and they nearly died. Their feet were frozen to the point they couldn't walk, one crawl on the ground to get help. I think three, four years ago one person did die living in a structure in some woods made out of plywood. A lot of these people you also have to understand receive SSI, they'd rather live outside so they can have all their money even if they have a payee. The problem is that it doesn't cover rent let alone anything else so the state makes up the difference, plus food stamps, utilities, etc., except it leave them no money for drugs and alcohol, that makes up the vast majority of the homeless here.

Actually I forgot to mention I have been gathering pictures to do a blog on the homeless here. I took my last picture a couple weeks ago just been to busy on blogs with the presidential stuff.

thank you for the post, have a great day to you

i am very sorry that in the modern world people have to live on the street