THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 21, 1995 TAG: 9504200192
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY NANCY LEWIS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
A committee planning how to spend $800,000 to help Virginia Beach homeless now includes a subcommittee to discuss how best to protect the human rights of the disenfranchised.
``It's not enough to say, `We'll respect everyone as an individual,' '' said Dennis I. Wool, member of the Homeless Advisory Committee and executive director of the city's Community Services Board.
The committee met Wednesday to discuss its plans for a homeless service-shelter it proposes to buy or build with the federal funds. Six other local organizations have also applied for part of a nationwide $900 million federal Housing and Urban Development grant earmarked for the nation's homeless.
Committee members held a lengthy discussion Wednesday on the issue of protecting the human rights of those who might use the facility.
Safeguards for potential users of a planned homeless shelter need to be delineated, Wool said. His concerns include such issues as ``life safety, privacy, access, non-discrimination'' and rights of ``individuals versus families and non-English speaking'' people.
Andrew Friedman, a member of the full committee and director of Housing and Urban Preservation for the city, added, ``Who is admitted and who is not is critical.''
Deborah Maloney, who runs the city's Winter Shelter Program for Volunteers of America, pointed out the importance of defining just who would be eligible to use the shelter, something the program subcommittee she sat on did not address.
``Would the intoxicated or mentally ill be turned away?'' asked Maloney. She asked, too, about those without identification and ``working homeless.''
If people will be denied service based on these and other issues, then the program would be ``exclusive,'' said Maloney.
``It's a large issue,'' said Brenda McCormick, director of Mothers Inc., an advocacy group for homeless. ``Democracy is a process of protecting'' rights.
McCormick suggested the committee collect basic documents which define human and civil rights of American citizens and with them ``educate providers'' of services to the homeless.
Members of the full committee hope to receive information from people who believe their rights have been violated in the past so that it can define guidelines to protect rights in the future.
The project's program committee has recommended a 24-hour facility which would sleep as many as 100 people - including several families - and would also provide referral and counseling to homeless participants.
But where such a facility might be located is still up in the air.
While the site subcommittee has identified some potential spots for a facility and has begun researching and reviewing these sites, that information will not be made public yet because they are afraid the price will go up, explained Friedman.
He did say the Virginia Beach Boulevard corridor was seen as the most likely location for a shelter.
The site subcommittee will meet May 1 and the full committee, May 3.
KEYWORDS: HOMELESS INDIGENT by CNB