Solutions for the Homeless Problem are a Challenge to All Levels of Government
* Homeless in Rogers Park
As the rain falls, a homeless person sleeps on a park bench along the crumbling concrete path between Morse Avenue and Lunt in CAPS beat 2431. Word has it, by tomorrow afternoon, Joe Moore will have sanitized Loyola Park by running all the homeless people out of the park while he holds his annual political picnic. Monday things will be back to normal. . . . . Picture and More
Posted by Craig Gernhardt
The problem of homelessness is truly a profoundly complex and perplexing problem. Given the choice to be homeless or not be homeless almost everybody would take shelter. The problem isn't that easy though. Most people who are chronically homeless have problems beyond lack of financial resources. There are often addiction problems. There are often mental health issues. And their are also those who suffer from one as a result of the other and therefore have both mental health and addiction problems. Two things that are in very short supply these days would make a significant difference in reducing the homeless population; more capacity for the treatment of the mentally ill in our health system and more substance abuse treatment programing.
Neither of these problems are really City Council problems, but they are city problems nevertheless. This is an instance where the local level sees a problem and should work with higher levels of government to address the problem. I don't see this happening today. It is much more popular to provide health care to kids and seniors, which isn't to say that isn't important. They are all important and all need attention. Considering the governor cannot even work with his own party to get a budget together it doesn't seem like it will happen anytime soon.
As to Mr. Hole's point that the police will run the homeless out of the park for the big party tomorrow, I don't know. My sense is that while he seems to have some concern for them, he would like them run out every night. The truth of the matter is that without a solution, the problem simply moves to another location. I would like to see our Alderman, State Legislators and Congress people work on a program to increase the treatment for these to illnesses. Even that will not eliminate the problem, but it will help to provide options for those who want them or need them.
As the rain falls, a homeless person sleeps on a park bench along the crumbling concrete path between Morse Avenue and Lunt in CAPS beat 2431. Word has it, by tomorrow afternoon, Joe Moore will have sanitized Loyola Park by running all the homeless people out of the park while he holds his annual political picnic. Monday things will be back to normal. . . . . Picture and More
Posted by Craig Gernhardt
The problem of homelessness is truly a profoundly complex and perplexing problem. Given the choice to be homeless or not be homeless almost everybody would take shelter. The problem isn't that easy though. Most people who are chronically homeless have problems beyond lack of financial resources. There are often addiction problems. There are often mental health issues. And their are also those who suffer from one as a result of the other and therefore have both mental health and addiction problems. Two things that are in very short supply these days would make a significant difference in reducing the homeless population; more capacity for the treatment of the mentally ill in our health system and more substance abuse treatment programing.
Neither of these problems are really City Council problems, but they are city problems nevertheless. This is an instance where the local level sees a problem and should work with higher levels of government to address the problem. I don't see this happening today. It is much more popular to provide health care to kids and seniors, which isn't to say that isn't important. They are all important and all need attention. Considering the governor cannot even work with his own party to get a budget together it doesn't seem like it will happen anytime soon.
As to Mr. Hole's point that the police will run the homeless out of the park for the big party tomorrow, I don't know. My sense is that while he seems to have some concern for them, he would like them run out every night. The truth of the matter is that without a solution, the problem simply moves to another location. I would like to see our Alderman, State Legislators and Congress people work on a program to increase the treatment for these to illnesses. Even that will not eliminate the problem, but it will help to provide options for those who want them or need them.
Labels: 49th Ward, 60626, Homeless, Loyola Park, Rogers Park
Several times I've asked people on the Hole to give their suggestions on what to do about the homeless population in Rogers Park. Many want to keep kicking Joe Moore around for his lack of attention to the situation (which is somewhat true). However, when I have asked who would support another homeless shelter and more service agencies, none of them have responded, except Mr. Harrington. He seems to be the only one that truly seems to care.
But what I find most odd is the fact that Mr. Harrington has never taken Craig to task for posting pictures of these sad individuals when it's well known that Craig's only purpose in posting these pictures is to get a cheap and sensational reactions from his over reactionary blogsters. And use those reactions in his continual campaign to run down the alderman. Does this make Mr. Harrington feel good that the homeless are being used this way?
I think this whole issue of homelessness makes people feel very uncomfortable. I also think that people stay up in the parks in Rogers Park because they feel relatively safe here, as compared to other areas of the city. Another fact is the Mayor has made it plain that he no longer wanted the homeless to hang out on lower Wacker Drive. So is it totally fair to blame Joe Moore if homeless people have migrated to Rogers Park?
I really think what some of these bloggers want is for Rogers Park to somehow be sanitized of the homeless. They don't particularly care about the homeless themselves and expect that their politicians should be kind enough to remove them from their sight.
Has Craig ever taken the time to get a list of shelters and services that make outreach to the homeless and give the subjects of his photo essays direction to said services?
Posted by
Hayzee |
August 26, 2007