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Predictably, some of the Santa Ana Civic Center homeless will not use the newly opened transit garage for shelter from the ravages of our occasional rain storms, according to news stories. “Too many rules” one is quoted as saying. Another says “too many cops checking for drugs or weapons.” 
At least one reporter bemoans that the open air facility, while providing a roof to protect from the rain, has no heat for the residents. And, worse of all, no beds, just mats!
Anyone who has ever tried to serve the hard-core homeless who make up most of the civic center homeless population knows that these complaints and problems were very predictable. We have seen this movie before, but the pressure is on to try again.
Many of the “free spirits” who are homeless are in that situation, at least partly, because they will not follow rules, they will not do without a weapon (for self-protection perhaps), or they prefer to be high as much as possible on alcohol or some other substance. Some are confrontational and assaultive, others are withdrawn and non-communicative and others babble, sometimes very angrily, to people who are not there.
Even some of the non-profits who serve the homeless prefer the cooperative and motivated and shy away from these folks. Is it any wonder?
Is it reasonable to expect government to do any better?
Gee, who could have predicted any of this?
Can we at least wait for this thing to open before labeling it a failure?
If such homeless people don’t stay there, then what’s the problem? Others won’t be like that and they probably will.
“Others won’t be like that and they probably will.”
Who would those be? Where are they?
If you look at the images on Norberto’s website the first thing you notice is the A-frame sign posting…a bunch of regulations.
The thing was meant to keep the Civic Center homeless denizens, dry. Who else is going to show up?
I grow a bit weary of people dealing with “the homeless” as some sort of abstraction – an abstraction that always seem to reflect a subjective urge to just do something, almost anything.
Better a desire to do anything than a desire to do nothing.
I refuse to condemn those trying here.
“Better a desire to do anything than a desire to do nothing.”
If it makes the doer feel good, or gets them good publicity, then I guess there is some benefit – in so far as that goes.
I have never advocated “doing nothing.” But acting on feelings instead of common sense is a sure way to fail.
Another way to fail is to pursue the course of public relations – which is exactly what the Supervisors did here: they let Norberto Santana dictate his own agenda, which is no more informed than the homeless bureaucrats employed by the County.
And consider the first real action by the County, and ballyhooed by all: the most expensive, most time consuming option conceivable, that will help nobody for two years (if ever): a permanent shelter (in the wrong place) for people that don’t want to follow our rules.
“And consider the first real action by the County, and ballyhooed by all: the most expensive, most time consuming option conceivable, that will help nobody for two years (if ever): a permanent shelter (in the wrong place) for people that don’t want to follow our rules.”
Indeed. Let’s.
Good for them. Even if it is the most expensive time consuming option conceivable that won’t help anyone for two years– good for them. Good for them for building a permanent multi-service center in the wrong place.
Good for them for trying to help someone– anyone– even if many of them won’t follow our rules.
Good for them.
*No Andy Gumps? No Meal Trucks? No Medical or Dental Mobil access? No bedrolls,
no pup tents, no place to secure their possessions? Without these things, they could
have picked two Freeway Underpass location and put out stakes with red flags and said they were homeless shelters.
Unfortunately, none of these things can hold up that bronze plaque with Shawn Nelson and Todd Spitzer’s names on it.
Why is it we serfs could see this fiasco coming well in advance and yet it came as a complete surprise our elite county government officials who decided to spend millions of our tax dollars on this albatross? No wonder I have occasional flashbacks of “Car 54 Where Are You?” when I read about the management of our county government. Of course the onus of the blame will get piled on the inherently recalcitrant homeless population for refusing to use an albratross purchased by the Board of Supervisors. That should go without saying. No surprise. I used to get blamed for wasting my mom’s time when she occasionally cooked cow tongue for dinner and I refused to eat it. No wonder progress in this county is at a premium. They’re all mad.