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Homeless persons “on the
streets” of Downtown Colum-
bus are among the most vulnerable citizens of this community. Now is the time for the City of Columbus to become more directly involved in addressing their needs and, in doing so, improve community stability in “the heart of the City.”
The Open Shelter’s lease ends on June 30, 2004. The official assumption in City government, which owns our building, appears to be that we will go away.
But where are the 100-plus men who stay with us each night to go? That is up to the citizens of Columbus. Can we sit by comfortably in our homes while these men are forced to join the hundreds of persons already sleeping in the bushes and in the doorways? Or are we prepared to insist that The Open Shelter’s lease be extended and that the City agree to help us find an agreeable Downtown alternative location before they turn this “covered piece of the sidewalk,” this Open Shelter, into a parking lot, or green space, or “urban campground?”
This spring, the community’s “Winter Overflow Plan” came to an end. That means that, each night, over 120 homeless men who received shelter during the winter will be on the streets of Columbus without shelter.
The regular capacity of the Community Shelter Board-funded men’s shelter system is 377 beds. This winter, through the overflow plan, they regularly accommodated almost 500 men at night. In addition, over 140 homeless men each night stayed at the Volunteers of America shelter and The Open Shelter, which are not supported with Community Shelter Board Funds. Ending the “Winter Overflow Plan” produces a 20% reduction in shelter capacity for men.
Governmental, quasi-governmental, and philanthropic organizations all point to the “Rebuilding Lives Plan” as the response to ending homelessness in Columbus. But the “Plan” has fallen far short of its goals. The “Plan” said that, by June of this year, 800 units of Service-Enriched Supportive Housing would be produced for chronically homeless men. The plan stipulated that providing this responsive alternative to shelters for that population would enable the men’s shelter system to shrink to 300 beds, four shelters of 75 beds each.
As a result of the focused political will of the “Rebuilding Lives” Funders Collaborative, several social service agencies have finally gotten the financial assistance they needed to provide excellent supportive housing options for chronically homeless men.
The efforts of those agencies deserve our support and appreciation. And no one is more appreciative than The Open Shelter, which has referred more homeless men into this housing than any other service provider in the city. However, only half of the promised units have been created.
There are more chronically homeless men in the shelters or living “on the land” than at any other time in the City’s history. There are more beds in shelters than there were in 1998, when the “Rebuilding Lives Plan” was developed. And, while the shelters “stretch their walls” to accommodate as many people as possible, there are more persons living in doorways, abandoned buildings, and railroad and city park land than at any other time in the Columbus.
It is not appropriate to ignore the fact that so many more are left behind. It is not appropriate to ignore the fact that poverty, mental illness, and unemployment are pushing more and more people into the streets. It is not appropriate to pretend that Columbus, Ohio has found a way to end homelessness.
Community stability and human decency both require us to provide the most basic means of survival for our homeless neighbors. If people are forced to spend all their time struggling for the most basic needs of safety and survival, they do not have the energy or the will to stabilize and enhance their lives. They deteriorate “on the street” and demoralize us all.
It is time to stop pretending that we are ending homelessness. It is time to remember that homeless persons are real people.
It is time to demand that the City of Columbus increase the shelter capacity or that, at the very least, it should not be allowed to shrink.
CALL TO ACTION:
You, citizens who both desire community stability and believe in the intrinsic value of human life, are the people who can protect and bring hope to our most vulnerable neighbors. You can contact our governmental and philanthropic leaders, and ask the hard questions. Ask repeatedly, until you get responsible answers.
You, citizens who both desire community stability and believe in the intrinsic value of human life, are the people who can protect and bring hope to our most vulnerable neighbors. We need your financial help to keep The Open Shelter open until we are no longer necessary. We need your help now.
If you have questions or suggestions on other ways to help those being “pushed into the streets,” please contact Kent or Mary Beittel, Executive Team of The Open Shelter, at 461-0407 (phone) or 461-1397 (fax), kent.mary@REMOVEth4eopenshelter.org. The lives of hundreds of homeless persons are dependent upon your response. www.theopenshelter.org.
The Open Shelter’s lease ends on June 30, 2004. The official assumption in City government, which owns our building, appears to be that we will go away.
But where are the 100-plus men who stay with us each night to go? That is up to the citizens of Columbus. Can we sit by comfortably in our homes while these men are forced to join the hundreds of persons already sleeping in the bushes and in the doorways? Or are we prepared to insist that The Open Shelter’s lease be extended and that the City agree to help us find an agreeable Downtown alternative location before they turn this “covered piece of the sidewalk,” this Open Shelter, into a parking lot, or green space, or “urban campground?”
This spring, the community’s “Winter Overflow Plan” came to an end. That means that, each night, over 120 homeless men who received shelter during the winter will be on the streets of Columbus without shelter.
The regular capacity of the Community Shelter Board-funded men’s shelter system is 377 beds. This winter, through the overflow plan, they regularly accommodated almost 500 men at night. In addition, over 140 homeless men each night stayed at the Volunteers of America shelter and The Open Shelter, which are not supported with Community Shelter Board Funds. Ending the “Winter Overflow Plan” produces a 20% reduction in shelter capacity for men.
Governmental, quasi-governmental, and philanthropic organizations all point to the “Rebuilding Lives Plan” as the response to ending homelessness in Columbus. But the “Plan” has fallen far short of its goals. The “Plan” said that, by June of this year, 800 units of Service-Enriched Supportive Housing would be produced for chronically homeless men. The plan stipulated that providing this responsive alternative to shelters for that population would enable the men’s shelter system to shrink to 300 beds, four shelters of 75 beds each.
As a result of the focused political will of the “Rebuilding Lives” Funders Collaborative, several social service agencies have finally gotten the financial assistance they needed to provide excellent supportive housing options for chronically homeless men.
The efforts of those agencies deserve our support and appreciation. And no one is more appreciative than The Open Shelter, which has referred more homeless men into this housing than any other service provider in the city. However, only half of the promised units have been created.
There are more chronically homeless men in the shelters or living “on the land” than at any other time in the City’s history. There are more beds in shelters than there were in 1998, when the “Rebuilding Lives Plan” was developed. And, while the shelters “stretch their walls” to accommodate as many people as possible, there are more persons living in doorways, abandoned buildings, and railroad and city park land than at any other time in the Columbus.
It is not appropriate to ignore the fact that so many more are left behind. It is not appropriate to ignore the fact that poverty, mental illness, and unemployment are pushing more and more people into the streets. It is not appropriate to pretend that Columbus, Ohio has found a way to end homelessness.
Community stability and human decency both require us to provide the most basic means of survival for our homeless neighbors. If people are forced to spend all their time struggling for the most basic needs of safety and survival, they do not have the energy or the will to stabilize and enhance their lives. They deteriorate “on the street” and demoralize us all.
It is time to stop pretending that we are ending homelessness. It is time to remember that homeless persons are real people.
It is time to demand that the City of Columbus increase the shelter capacity or that, at the very least, it should not be allowed to shrink.
CALL TO ACTION:
You, citizens who both desire community stability and believe in the intrinsic value of human life, are the people who can protect and bring hope to our most vulnerable neighbors. You can contact our governmental and philanthropic leaders, and ask the hard questions. Ask repeatedly, until you get responsible answers.
You, citizens who both desire community stability and believe in the intrinsic value of human life, are the people who can protect and bring hope to our most vulnerable neighbors. We need your financial help to keep The Open Shelter open until we are no longer necessary. We need your help now.
If you have questions or suggestions on other ways to help those being “pushed into the streets,” please contact Kent or Mary Beittel, Executive Team of The Open Shelter, at 461-0407 (phone) or 461-1397 (fax), kent.mary@REMOVEth4eopenshelter.org. The lives of hundreds of homeless persons are dependent upon your response. www.theopenshelter.org.