RE: http://community.cnhi.com/local/local_story_123164032.html?start:int=15

This is wonderful, Joplin Great going! "Lets Clean Up Downtown". I'm all for this, however, let's touch on the city of refuge situation....

What are you doing? you are taking people out of a shelter and putting them on the streets. There's no other place for these people to go.

So....Here we go! Clean Up Downtown, Lets put up tents! Shaw I think you've made a serious error. Instead of having these people congregated into one single area now we are going to have homeless camping out downtown.

Great work cleaning up! Keep that money flowing in your pockets city council!

How about helping out the less fortunate for a chance? Let's all quit thinking about our wallet for a minute and think about human lives, the City of Refuge poses no threat EXCEPT IT HOUSES THE HOMELESS! which for some reason "upper class" downtown see's as some sort of a threat lowering property value.

These are good Christian people, give them a break.

Scott -

That link did not go through... is there some other way to post the content or another link, please?

http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/local_story_123164032.html

So... in other words, because of insurance liability risk management concerns the city of Joplin is willing to put people on the street who have no other place to go, from a facility that in all other respects is operating a useful public service for the indigent and down-on-their-luck?

Is that it?

How 'bout this... one or a consortium of the local insurers who make a good living from the tax payers, drivers, property owners and businesses in town... they get together and DONATE to the City of Joplin (as a deductible business charitable expense) sufficient insurance coverage of the proper kind and level so as to permit Refuge to continue shelter operations.

The Chamber of Commerce could take the lead in coordinating this effort, in an outstanding gesture of improvisation under urgent conditions, so as to demonstrate its responsiveness to quality of life emergencies in our wonderful village.

The people who want the City of Refuge ought to put it in their own neighborhoods. I think the people who have renovated their own homes near downtown ought to pool their money together and buy some land to the people that want the City of Refuge near downtown. Then they can have drunks sleeping on their sidewalks, and tossing their empty Vodka bottles on their lawns.

The City of Refuge let's their inhabitants come in drunk and they do not have a curfew. All of these vagrants that walk around downtown do our city no favors. Think about a physician considering moving to Joplin and seeing all of the homeless people hanging out.

Let's all come together and buy property and help the homeless by buying property near those that want this near downtown.

quote:

Originally posted by 4Joplin:
The people who want the City of Refuge ought to put it in their own neighborhoods. I think the people who have renovated their own homes near downtown ought to pool their money together and buy some land to the people that want the City of Refuge near downtown. Then they can have drunks sleeping on their sidewalks, and tossing their empty Vodka bottles on their lawns.

The City of Refuge let's their inhabitants come in drunk and they do not have a curfew. All of these vagrants that walk around downtown do our city no favors. Think about a physician considering moving to Joplin and seeing all of the homeless people hanging out.

Let's all come together and buy property and help the homeless by buying property near those that want this near downtown.

The experience of other growing prosperous communities is that doing what you suggest causes the exact thing you most do not want to have happen in Joplin. You won't believe it or accept it as true, but it is.

That experience also shows, amply, that the sooner proper provisions are accepted and made for the needy and homeless, the sooner residents, investors and businesses can carry on with increased property values and profit.

Ignoring or blocking reasonable solutions to this social ailment do nothing, NOTHING, but upset people and make things worse.

Most of the people who are complaining the loudest about this problem are themselves, usually, not more than 60-90 days away from total financial disaster, through no fault of their own.

Drunk? Have you spent any time there? where are you getting your facts from?

Talked to these people for a minute, think about who your neighbors are.

I'm not judgmental, that is not up to you, me or anyone else but god himself.

These people ARE NOT HURTING ANYONE.

Get your facts straight before you post, Whether or not these people are drinking They still need a place to go, rather than your front lawn.

I am diversity
I am peace
I am prosperity
I am help for those who are less fortunate

The forgotten is helping the homeless. Most of these people who have been disclocated are not drunks, they have problems of their own and if you examine it closely they are problems that both you and I face every day.

Open your heart and have some compassion

Michael, you sound like you will be a great neighbor to the City of Refuge. Where do you live or what area so we can put in a City of Refuge right next to your house. You'll love it.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael S. Bell:

quote:

Originally posted by 4Joplin:
The people who want the City of Refuge ought to put it in their own neighborhoods. I think the people who have renovated their own homes near downtown ought to pool their money together and buy some land to the people that want the City of Refuge near downtown. Then they can have drunks sleeping on their sidewalks, and tossing their empty Vodka bottles on their lawns.

The City of Refuge let's their inhabitants come in drunk and they do not have a curfew. All of these vagrants that walk around downtown do our city no favors. Think about a physician considering moving to Joplin and seeing all of the homeless people hanging out.

Let's all come together and buy property and help the homeless by buying property near those that want this near downtown.

The experience of other growing prosperous communities is that doing what you suggest causes the exact thing you most do not want to have happen in Joplin. You won't believe it or accept it as true, but it is.

That experience also shows, amply, that the sooner proper provisions are accepted and made for the needy and homeless, the sooner residents, investors and businesses can carry on with increased property values and profit.

Ignoring or blocking reasonable solutions to this social ailment do nothing, NOTHING, but upset people and make things worse.

Most of the people who are complaining the loudest about this problem are themselves, usually, not more than 60-90 days away from total financial disaster, through no fault of their own.

quote:

Originally posted by 4Joplin:
Michael, you sound like you will be a great neighbor to the City of Refuge. Where do you live or what area so we can put in a City of Refuge right next to your house. You'll love it.

I hear ya... don't think I don't.

I have chosen to rent in a neighborhood which has been zoned for single family occupancies, for generations. I did this specifically because I do not like living in the urban interface, though when younger I did enjoy that hubub a lot more.

At one time, I lived in a nice enough Joplin neighborhood that had one major problem. About 3-5 times a day a freight train would roll by a couple of blocks away laying on that damn horn for what seemed like an eternity... VERY disturbing to the nerves, afternoon nap and normal human conversation. So, I found somewhere else to go... I didn't try to get the railroad to move its tracks or stop using the horn.

Not suggesting that the neighbors all pick up and relocate, because this shelter is not of that level problem. There are ways to make it work, and I believe the neighbors should use their considerable power and persuasion to help the city accomodate the shelter any which way YOU feel would be safe and sane for you.