Comments on: Video of Urban Jacksonville interview on First Coast News

By: Uturn

Uturn — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 19:00:17 +0000

“you did look kinda Ashton Kutcher-ishâ€¦”

I agree, but we gotta do something about that metrosexual accent of Joey’s.

And, fawn, why do you feel so guilty about your success in life? I’ve found that when people have extreme “bleeding heart disease” for the homeless it’s because, within themselves, they don’t feel worthy about the good life they’ve been blessed with, i.e. the Hollywood types of Martin Sheen, et al.

By: porgie

porgie — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 11:17:32 +0000

i want to 2nd john on the ashton kutcher look— very impressive!

By: PCollins

PCollins — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 00:31:12 +0000

Yah, there ARE jobs everywhere. I guarantee it. I could lose my job tomorrow and get another one. It might be cleaning out sewers or picking up trash, but I would most definitely have a job. And if I were stinking of poo I would clean myself up in the creek and go to Goodwill and get some new clothes.

And this is assuming I had no family, no bank account, no car…no personal support system.

There is nothing that would make me give up.

There are plenty of options for the motivated.

I think everyone needs to read a bit of Ayn Rand.

So, I think we’ve established that the info is out there (little green pamphlets and street outreach services), the services are available, and there are people who care. The only missing link is transitional/low-income housing.

Phil

By: John

John — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 21:49:28 +0000

Copper stealing has been all over Springfield, not just the SPAR forum. Therefore, it’s apparent that not being a part of the SPAR forum is not the only thing you are missing. Getting out doesn’t mean from your front door to the car. I’ve not had copper stolen, but i’m very aware of it happening and i’ve learned this from being at meetings, get togethers, hangin out at Main Street Restaurant, NOSH, riding bikes throughout ALL of the neighborhood, not just around my little bitty block of a world….

By: John

John — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 21:19:46 +0000

By the way, there are free showers in these shelters, as well as they are able to use the shelters address to obtain a job. So being stinky of BO & pee is no excuse… for the rest of the comment I agree. I hate to enable those that do not work w/ extra excuses… there’s enough excuses out there for them…. there are options out there for them, it’s what they do w/ those options.

By: John

John — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 21:12:25 +0000

Joey beat me to it about the shelters as opposed to under the bridge. Makes more sense to me… That said, I spoke to a guy about the shelters “filling up” once & this is not as common as one might think. The shelters that do not have many requirements (as far as taking a shower, being sober, no weapons, not being offensive or disrespectful to others, etc) fill up fast, the others, not so much. Not sure if anyone watched the news 2 nights ago when they talked about it getting cold, but Salvation Army said that it opens up a second “emergency shelter” when it is apparent that they cannot cover the demand. Which, would mean to me, they aren’t turning people away. Now, my understanding about Salvation Army is they want to help you beat your addictions. That is not something the homeless that we see trying to get a couple bucks and sleeping under the bridge is interested in, atleast for the most part.

By: fawn leibowitz

fawn leibowitz — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 21:01:57 +0000

“There are jobs everywhere.”

- perhaps you would like to hire, or help get a job for, a man who has no presentable clothes, no shower to rinse off the stink of BO and pee and crap, no relevant skills, and no reliable transportation?

No? Don’t think you can make that one happen?

YES, we would all like to see the homeless work, but to say something like “there are jobs everywhere” ignores the quiote obvious fact that just because a jobs are “everywhere” (that alone is debatable) doesn’t mean these people can get hired.

By: sp

sp — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 20:41:22 +0000

They need to get a job and not work for seven dolla to get their drugs. There are jobs everywhere. I do think Jacksonville needs homes for lower income levels. That is homes for people that try not for slackers.

By: jd

jd — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 18:59:45 +0000

Joey-
In regards to why people do not want to walk the 3 blocks to the downtown shelters…the reasons are many and varied. (I’m not necessarily endorsing these reasons, just saying from past experience working with homeless/mentally ill/addicted persons, these are the reasons I have heard.)
1) As someone noted, the shelters do fill up, especially on cold nights. The homeless population in Jax has increased greatly over the last few years.
2) The shelters are not necessarily a safe place to be, especially if you are transgendered.
3) Restrictions on behavior. (Especially relevant for people with addictions)
4) Restrictions on what you can bring with you (think about the folks who push around their shopping carts with all their earthly possessions.)
5) Time limits on how long you can stay in a shelter.
6) People who have been on the streets for a long time are often mistrustful of shelters and housing programs because they have simply grown more comfortable playing by the rules of the street than those of society. The street becomes home.

I’m sure there are plenty more reasons, those are just the ones I heard the most often.

I urge you all to check out the concept of “housing first” and how it has worked in other cities. Jax needs fewer shelters and more long-term and permanent housing opportunities for homeless and low-income people.

By: fawn leibowitz

fawn leibowitz — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 17:45:50 +0000

sox- i do feel for you. i guess maybe had this happened to me i would feel the same way. actually, no guess about it, i would feel the way you do. i gues maybe because– despite my handle– i am a bigger guy who has big dogs, people don’t mess with me and i have never had any of the problems you all seem to have had. a matter of perception and experience.
Joey– i think you make an EXCELLENT point i didn’t think about. why would one sleep under a bridge instead of the city rescue mission? i have no idea, but id o know from helping out there in my youth that they only take so many people a night.

i don’t know, i didn’t mean to seem like a dick, because i want springfield to get better. i guess maybe i just have affluent person’s guilt over forcing someone less fortunate than me to do something/act a certain way because i moved into the neighborhood (DP- maybe this makes me a bleeding heart?). but then again, is it so much to ask to not have people create a small garbage dump out in public?

i guess the whole issue can be summed up by looking at all th posts here– its complicated with no easy answers, and we’re just talking about garbage dumping and sleeping under bridges, not the whole issue of homelessness in a revitalizing neighborhood.