First thing this morning, Glen got notice that there'd been a fire behind Moon Plaza where an encampment of unhoused people has been for several years. The smoke had been enough to alert the surrounding neighborhoods and the fire department was called in.
That's the east end of Moon Plaza in the background there. You can see the smoke.
So Glen went down there and there was no damage to the plaza and most importantly, no one was hurt. However, this is a problem that's been just waiting to catch fire for quite awhile. I'm not going to go into all of it but Tallahassee's attitude about the unhoused is basically- make things as tough for them as possible and they'll go away.
In fact, the police had just visited the camp a few days ago and told the people there that if they weren't out by a certain date, they'd be arrested. It's public property and the city has recently made laws saying that no one can camp on public property in Tallahassee.
When Glen got there, the site was a smoking mess. Detritus everywhere and at least thirty shopping carts. There was evidence that electricity had been hooked up at one point and that certainly had to have come from the plaza.
So we are involved and it's impossible to ignore any part of the situation or view the matter from any one perspective.
Why does the richest country on earth (supposedly) not have a way to provide safe shelter for all of its citizens?
So we are involved and it's impossible to ignore any part of the situation or view the matter from any one perspective.
Why does the richest country on earth (supposedly) not have a way to provide safe shelter for all of its citizens?
Glen's in communication with the Tallahassee Police Department liaison department for the unhoused and supposedly, they're going to get the area cleaned out and cleaned up and blah, blah, blah. But where are these people supposed to go?
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Y'all. I am way behind tonight on getting dinner made and I'd like to feed my husband. He's had a very long, hard day. As he said this morning as he was just about to go out the door, "This is not what I thought retirement would be like."
But.
Here are a few camellia pictures. Some with an ant! And a very, very small black winged insect.
Love...Ms. Moon
Homelessness is an issue everywhere, I fear. Especially as the costs of living spiral out of control.
ReplyDeleteI am glad Moon Plaza wasn't damaged in the fire but, as you say, what will happen to those responsible and where will they be moved to?
The camellia photos with supporting cast are lovely and I am glad you fed your husband!
I've just done a little research and have found that Norway has a pretty small homeless population. Of course, they have a small population in general. However, by working towards eliminating homelessness there, the number has been halved in recent years. Japan reports zero homelessness and that may or may not be true. But their population is immense. Perhaps families take care of each other there better.
DeleteSadly, not every homeless person wants to go to a shelter or a safe place because of the others that are there and, the necessary rules and regs! It's a tough thing to know some just don't want help!
ReplyDeleteI work at a shelter for unhoused families and it is so much more complicated than "they don't want help." Often times shelters are not safe at worst and a (tiny) step above jail at best. Not to mention waitlists and other barriers. We criminalize homelessness in this country and especially in Tallahassee.
DeleteI wonder, Marcia, if given the choice of sleeping outside in freezing temperatures or staying in a shelter, even if it's far from ideal, what many people would do. I don't know. But even if some people do not want to go to shelters, many, many people do.
DeleteAnonymoous- Thank you for chiming in. We do criminalize homelessness here, especially with recent laws. And isn't the only real shelter in Tallahassee way out west of town? How are people who have no transportation supposed to get there? We should be so ashamed.
Build tiny homes? Not a cure, but a tiny help.
ReplyDeleteFunny you should mention this, Tallahassee actually has a community of 120 tiny houses for low income folks. But they are at full capacity always. https://www.thedwellings.org/
DeleteThat's a start.
DeleteIndeed - where are the homeless meant to go? Sometimes the official philosophy seems to be - ignore them and they will go away. What a crazy world we live in when some people have two or three houses while others have none.
ReplyDeleteWhere isn't the philosophy "ignore them and they'll go away?" Some countries, I'm sure. Maybe not even some states here in the US. Or individual communities. And as Anonymous said above, Tallahassee, for one, actually criminalizes homelessness.
DeleteI'm so glad no one was hurt and the plaza didn't burn. The homeless situation is disturbing, I don't know what the answer could be. There are many here, too.
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone knows what to do. Not really.
DeleteWe have a large homeless population in Edmonton. Nobody seems to know what to do, although some progress has been made, getting people help. The really big problem here is winter. Homeless people end up with frostbite and gangrene. The city has cold weather programs now that kick in when temperatures drop to a certain level and more warming places are opened up.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad nobody was hurt and that the plaza wasn't damaged. Mr. Moon needs to work harder on being retired:)
It got below freezing here last night. Not nearly as cold as it is in Edmonton, but cold enough. And in the summer, the heat is overpowering, not to mention the bugs. We are being inhumane with how we deal with folks who do not fit neatly into society's slots.
DeleteYeah. Glen's not doing so good at retirement.
I am a member of our county homeless coalition. It is basically meeting to spin our wheels. We have no funding. Our state talks about funding but doesn't allocate anything. Local communities whine but don't allocate funds for anything. No one wants a shelter in their neighborhood. No one wants a drug rehab in their neighborhood. They are all sad that we have homeless people, homeless families, homeless children, homeless elderly. But we can't fix anything without money.
ReplyDeleteNIMBY. Right. I know. And nothing, NOTHING can be accomplished without funding. You are right. Anyone can be sad at the plight of the homeless but when it comes time to actually try strategies that might work, no one really wants to go to that extreme.
DeleteThat was a wrenching day. I'm glad there were no casualties. But what to do, what to do.
ReplyDeleteFound out this morning that one woman was treated the hospital. The regular news sources are bing really lame about this.
DeleteI wish that I had some wise words, or some solution. I don't. It just seems as if this might be a wonderful project for local churches to get behind. Put their money where their mouth is, so to speak. But...
ReplyDeleteDebby, it doesn't seem to me that going to church or being religious has a whole lot to do with service. Especially when it comes to the homeless. Some have food programs, which is good. But I don't know if any churches (around here at least) have tackled the shelter situation at all.
Deleteants on flowers are absolutely fabulous, They are gay ants, I bet. The homeless fire is concerning fore sure, We lost a good portion of our downtown due to that problem. They had to get warm somehow....I agree with Debby- churches, tax free mission of "good and christ" should step in.
ReplyDeleteIt would be lovely if churches all stepped in to help but the big ones seem not to show much interest and the little ones have no money.
DeleteWasn't that camellia ant a darling?
Those ants look s shiny! The plight of the homeless is evident in all counties and it's only going to get worse as people lose their homes to the banks because they can no longer afford the mortgage paymenst. In general, the cost of living has skyrocketed and those at the top of the heap couldn't care less as long as they have profits to count.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we can make the broad statement that all of the wealthiest turn their backs to the plight of the homeless. I am sure that there are many wealthy people who do care very much. But you're right in that many do not. And you are for sure right about how more and more people are going to find themselves out on the streets.
Delete"so" shiny.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad (hope?) no-one was hurt in that fire and that Moon Plaza was undamaged but, as you say, where are these people supposed to go? Marcia is right in that some people don't want to go into sheltered housing because of other people already there, or they won't accept their pets or whatever, but what is the alternative? Tiny homes sounds wonderful and I've seen a few projects where living quarters have been made out of shipping containers, but without funding, again, what is the solution. When they have a major event (visit of the Chinese President or the Olympic Games) they have no problem "hiding" the homeless, but where do they go? It's so very sad, isn't it!
ReplyDeleteI have no answers but dammit! It would seem like cities should be able to come up with ideas that work. Ugh.
DeleteUnfortunately, the attitude means no solution from city/county government.
ReplyDeleteYes.
DeleteIt just keeps getting worse. What a world. There’s so much money and so little put where it’s truly needed.
ReplyDeleteThe camellia close-ups are stunning. I thought the first was an ant on some rich fabric.
Our system of government ensures that there are those with millions and those with nothing. That's capitalism, baby! At least here in the USA.
DeleteThat camellia petal looks like velvet, doesn't it?
A comment from Debbie for local churches re homeless people.. who does she thinks will pay for it, the Congregation???
ReplyDeleteIf churches don't want to follow the teachings of their god(feed the hungry, house the homeless) they should pay taxes.Especially the mega churches, which are clearly not hurting for money
DeleteThey are called ministries, Chris. They do what they can do, and they grow that ministry by fundraisers and volunteering. It is called walking the walk. As opposed to talking the talk. And just to be very clear, I used to be an every Sunday churchgoer. For 30 years.
DeleteI'm staying out of this one.
Deleteprobably for the best. I could launch into a sermon at any point.
DeleteMy husband and I have an informal ministry to the homeless population in our town. Mostly, we just try to get to know them and help with small requests. Our church and other churches do have ministries that help in other ways and support various non-religious shelters. The liability and red tape involved in opening a building for the purpose of shelter is outrageous. Of course. Mental health is the most glaring issue, in my mind, as to why so many people seem to choose to stay on the streets instead of pursuing assistance. Also addiction which in many cases goes hand in hand. In the early 80’s the US stopped federally funding a ton of state run mental institutions. I think it would be a good place to start addressing the issue by exploring a new model for those type of facilities. -Dayna
DeleteScary situation at Moon Plaza, especially given the fires we're seeing out west. I know Florida isn't such a tinderbox, but still, the destructive potential is there. I agree the USA has got to manage its homelessness problem better -- basically we've got to find a way to more evenly distribute wealth, as it was in the '50s and '60s. What we have now is an oligarchy of the super-rich.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Steve. Countries with the fairest and highest taxes have the least amount of homelessness. Higher for the upper 1% or whatever, anyway.
DeleteFire is fucking scary. Glad Moon Plaza was unaffected. And yeah, the greatest country on earth ain't so great. it's all fuck you, pull yourself up by your bootstraps even if you don't have any boots, and it you get sick, well, just die.
ReplyDeleteYep. I've always said that there's no way to pull yourself up by your bootstraps if you don't have any boots.
DeleteThe myths that America uses to rationalize its attitude towards the most needy are going to be the end of us.
Being a landlord comes with lots of demands. That said, it is a good investment. The fire behind the plaza is one scary event. I'm glad the plaza is okay.
ReplyDeleteHomelessness is a big problem everywhere. Encampments (tents) can be seen in most cities. In Massachusetts, officials come in and attempt to move people to shelters. Especially during winter months.
Yes. Being a landlord is not all sweetness and light and getting a big check on the first of the month. Sheesh.
DeleteHere in Tallahassee the police just try to move people out without really offering them an alternative.
So complicated, which is why itbis difficult to resolve the homeless issue. Some don't want to be housed, they like their lifestyle as it is, odd as that seems to me. Others are forced into it by life disasters, others by mental illness, drugs, alcohol...any number of reasons and each probably will need a different approach to a solution.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry though, that you and Mr. Moon are having to deal with the after-effects. And those poor people, where will they go in such cold weather?