THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 29, 1995 TAG: 9510270221
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 07 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Long : 109 lines
The Kaleidoscope titled ``In a homeless shelter, what rules and restrictions apply?'' (Beacon, Oct. 15) made me wonder how this facility would operate. The portion reprinted from the report of the Homeless Advisory Committee's Standards Committee seems to indicate there would be very little emphasis on rules; none are mentioned, but much emphasis is given to rights and appeals. The list of rules and agreements from the proposal by Judeo-Christian Outreach Center seems to be more in line with the proper operation of a shelter. I could find nothing in the list that seemed to be offensive.
Also, the question of money seems to be on the minds of a lot of people (and rightfully so). The $800,000 is plenty to build a shelter, but the big questions are: How does it operate and where does the money come from?
According to the news article, Ms. Maloney, program director for the present winter shelter program, spends in excess of $100,000 for a six-month program that has no facility to maintain, no services to provide and no food to supply. Based on this figure, it would seem that the cost to run a 12-month, 24-hour-per-day program would be very high.
Because the article didn't mention it, I called Judeo-Christian Outreach Center to inquire about its budget. In 1994, the center spent only $174,000 to operate a facility with three buildings housing 50 people 12 months a year, providing food, clothing, access to substance-abuse programs, mental-health programs, job training and some transportation. In addition, the center feeds an extra 40 to 60 people seven days a week. It seems they get more for their dollar than Ms. Maloney's Volunteers of America program.
There was concern about the number of churches which support the homeless program. The article states that 35 churches support the six-month winter program. When I talked to Judeo-Christian Outreach Center, I found that they have 70 churches, synagogues and civic groups supporting their program. That would seem to be a good percentage of the 200 churches in Virginia Beach.
Last, I would beg to differ with the Rev. Guy that homeless people cannot pull themselves up by their boot straps. Anyone can pull themselves up; sometimes they just need a little help. But first they should make the effort to reach for the bootstraps. Part of the problem with our society today is that we have offered too much to too many and asked nothing in return. In the United States today, the old saying ``when the going gets tough, the tough get going'' has been replaced with the attitude ``when the going gets tough, lower the standards.''
I support the idea of another shelter in Virginia Beach, but the city should not own or operate it, and funding from city sources should be watched carefully.
William Kimball
60th Street
Homeless due a `fair hearing'
Thanks for taking a good stab at explaining the complex issue of homelessness in Virginia Beach. Here are a few points that often get lost in the political mud of the homeless issue:
1. Most of the homeless here are not drug addicts; they are, in fact, children.
2. To shelter everybody who is homeless in Virginia Beach today, we'd need 2,700 beds.
3. Shelter rules can be as simple as this: DON'T BUG US - the staff, the other guests - AND YOU CAN STAY.
4. There are many reasons we should have a city-owned building for shelter. But the best reason is that having a ready work site will generate lots of new, willing volunteers and new groups. God knows, there's plenty of work to go around.
5. To clarify the issue of shelter rules and the human rights of the homeless: There are as many philosophical approaches to the homeless issue as there are people already working in this arena and some who are considering it. Volunteers of America, Judeo Christian Outreach Center, Mothers, the government agencies for housing, mental health and social services, every religious group, civic groups, academia, commerce - all have their ideas about what works in a humane and cost-effective way. Here's the fundamental split on ``rights'' in a nutshell:
Who says that a homeless client has violated the rules and loses his right to continue in the publicly funded program - whatever that program may be?
Administrative Review - The current policy of local shelters, it means ``whatever the boss says goes.''
Fair Hearing - A policy which recognizes that even the boss may not have all the facts and subjects this vital decision to the scrutiny of mediation by a non-partisan hearing officer. This democratic process gives both sides - the shelter and the client - a fair chance to be heard before terminating the client from the publicly funded program. This process is fundamental to democracy and is nothing new to the rest of society.
The information in the Beacon was incorrect. The Fair Hearing democratic process, not the Administrative Review, was the recommendation by the Virginia Beach Homeless Advisory Committee to City Council on Sept. 26, 1995.
We need to keep complex homeless issues as clear and accurate as possible. Years ago, we thought homelessness in Virginia Beach was a temporary crisis that could be simply patchworked. We know better now. Homelessness, temporary and chronic, has become a new rung of the socio-economic poverty ladder. That's why issues such as the human rights of the homeless are coming to the forefront - not just here, but across the nation.
Brenda McCormick
Executive Director
Mother's Inc.
Arrogant, incompetent toadies
I would like to commend you on your clear coverage of the School Board financial fiasco. It clarified the issue for me as to the arrogance of our former superintendent and the incompetence and toadying of the School Board and staff. The least that should be done is to remove the board as well as firing our chief financial officer.
John Bannon
Virginia Beach by CNB