news-record.com

So, if the homeless people who are out side choose to be out because they don't trust the shelters, they why should anyopne help them. They won't even help themselves. I don't get it. Eitherway, they will stay outside and begg for money when they could have shelter and food at the shelters. I know my view is simplified and probally dismisses a lot of factors, but it still seems silly to me.

To gso 27 and anyone else.
I think you fully understand the plight of some of these people.
Granted you have some common sense but a lot of the homeless people lack that.
Some have fallen through the safety net that we as a society no longer provide funding to due to budget cuts.
People once on medication now go without.
They are incoherent.
There are also people I know and have seen that drive to some corner of the city, park their car and just hang out and some collect over $200 a day by begging.
Not a bad day at the office so to say.
i feel the decision by the local police department was appropriate.
You never know that one day you could be the one they extend a hand to.
I was there once and by no means do I wish that on anyone.
Lose a job, your home and a spouse and see what happens.
Just a thought.
jls

Wow...
......I understand these sentiments and they are probably true in some cases
......but ... wow ... how cold our hearts have become...

This short message is to anyone who doesn't have compassion for the less fortunate. It is true that I have limited compassion for the people who are bilking the welfare system when I can hardly make it, but to be homeless and to have lost hope whereby you trust no one is unfortunate. I have been homeless, but I never lost hope. People don't know the background of the homeless and whether they have a family member who can provide assistance. My family offerred no assistance and I am not a criminal nor thief. I never stood on a corner asking for money; but a helping hand has made me a survivor. And if I could afford it or had means to property whereby these less fortunate human beings could come in out of the cold, I would provide it.

Isn't the city council was going to convert the old metal works building in College Hill to a homeless shelter?

Spend a couple of hours serving breakfast to the shelter residents at Urban Ministries and your views about the homeless population will almost certainly change. You will be surprised at just who relies on the shelter for help. Not all of them are addicts or suffering from mental illness. Many are just down on their luck. Some even have jobs but for one reason or another no longer have a place to stay. It can happen to just about anyone in this economy. One of the shelter's volunteers recently found himself one step away from living at the shelter himself after losing his job in a layoff and losing his home to foreclosure. He never thought that kind of thing would happen to him.

I just have to say that I am not totally shocked by some of the responses and I pray that our views on other human lives change. God has created us all beautiful and unique in His ways. I have met with, talked to, and have taken into my home a few homeless. You will never know their story unless you take the time and find Jesus in your heart to open up and share with someone. I have met those who have been beaten, raped, drugged, prostituted out by their own family members. The ones who were to love them and care for them. I have met people who lost their jobs, and homes and family all in one blow. There are those who are out there who want to be there because it is what they know, nothing more can hurt them there, and those who have addictions they can't battle on their own, or those who have just given up on the fight and feel they are not worth much better than what they are getting. So the next time you drive by a homeless person instead of judging why they are where they are, pray for them. Pray that they are lifted up and shown the grace and mercy of a loving God in a world that has so totally rejected and turned their backs on them. If you don't want to give them money, that is fine.. no problem, offer a cup of coffee, a burger, or even a hello and a smile. God bless you all and may the love of God shine through you to brighten another's darkened day.

There are lots of people and places that would open their doors to homeless people during freezing weather. But Government gets in the way. First they would say you have to build a wheelchair ramp, and you would have to have X number of bathrooms for X number of people. Then if you serve any meals the health inspector would have to come in and make sure your water heater is heating the water to the proper temperture. And you will need to make sure you have exit lights and smoke detectors. And heaven help if you don't have NO SMOKING signs in place. I think a minimum of $50,000.00 to $75,000.00 would be a start on being able to house these homeless. But by-gosh they'll be safe.

Of course, we could put them up in Skip Alston's new proposed $200 a night luxury hotel. It would be cheaper.

There have been pieces done in the local papers giving faces to some of these homeless folks, an excellent one not so long ago by Yes, Weekly. How can any of us can judge the lives that these folks now lead? How many of us are that far removed from standing beside them? One paycheck, two, ......, one emotional event too many ...one too many tours of duty in needless wars,.......and in today's economic struggle, there are many of us that are a hairs breath away from the same plight.

When it is stated that some refuse to come inside, you have to remember, what got them into their current situation, they obviously have some type of issue or they wouldn't be living in these conditions, whether extraneous or internal, something caused by others, or self afflicted.

The ones that live on the corner and bring in $200 a day by begging or pan handling.... I think are few and far between. Most of the chronic homeless have mental issues or chemical issues that dominate their lives and decision making skills. They may have had loving families at one time, but have strecthed that source to the breaking limit. Some are mean, some are manipulative, but then we have that in the "housed" populace too.

It is good to know that this officer's heart is in the right place.

Rob Brown seems to be watching a walrus. Harris Teeter canvas bags are a certain size. A quilted house shoe and a boot are perfectly placed for a photo op. The grey blanket may be making a statement. It may not be a homeless man seeking the warmth of the sun. Our homeless are real but this photo may not be.

I believe that homeless folks come in many shapes, sizes and backgrounds. For instance, I see daily what appear to be very fit individuals standing in the blazing sun all day or in the cold all day looking for handouts. Down the street, I see another person walking back and forth the entire day advertising for a jewelry store for gold purchases. Could the homeless not do this type of job instead of begging? On the other hand, I noticed a handicapped individual who was homeless and my heart sank for this person.

Not everyone has the fortune to stay with a family member when they are down and out.

Often it is a complete stranger who lends a hand.

The world is not as colorful as some of you may think.

There comes a time when we all need a hand.

Granted you have a home that is paid off and are liquid enough to get by for a couple of years but then what happens when you are broke.

Never think you are immune from becoming the person you condone .

To thy own self be true.

jls

i am appalled at the responses some individuals have to this article. this was a good deed done by the gso police department out of the kindness of their heart. whether you would have done it or not OR whether you agree with their decisions or not..atleast someone is trying to help. what if that was you? time hasn't run out, there's still a possibility of that being you. so think about it.

i, personally, agree with their decision and support it 100%! i've actually devoted my senior project to homelessness.