Churches will continue to help homeless

Hyannis, Massachusetts. Church volunteers will continue to help the homeless even in the face of new state regulations.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20100425mass_churches_vow_to_keep_helping_homeless/srvc=home&position=recent

Honolulu, Hawaii. This is an update to the ban on tents in city parks. (Editor note the original story is found in the April 19, 2010 entry.)

Since the tents are banned in the city parks (including a $500 fine) the homeless living the park have found a loophole to the ban----setting up the tents on the sidewalks.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100424/NEWS01/4240328/Honolulu+homeless+move+tents+onto+sidewalks+in+legal+loophole

Police say homeless cannot stay at Illinois church

Buffalo, Illinois. Church tries to house homeless, but local police say that the homeless cannot stay in Buffalo. The church has been helping 12 to 20 homeless individuals for almost a month. The police say that the church building is unsafe due to possible fire safety issues. Police say that the church needs to go through the proper procedures to obtain a license.

This seems strange because the church says that there are regular events at the church with individuals staying overnight and fire safety much less a license was never needed in the past. Another situation that smells bad. What do you think?

http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x1394807252/Buffalo-calls-halt-to-church-lock-in-for-homeless

Private landowner has tent city in the backyard

Indiana- A private landowner in a suburban subdivision allows tents to be set up for homeless in the backyard. This is an interesting example of what a private landowner could do as far as tents and the homeless. The landowner has tent space for about eight to ten people per night. However, the neighbors are not very happy about the situation because of what they see as declining property values. The local government is a bit chagrined because apparently there are no laws being broken.

The mayor said “[i]s this a homeless shelter, or simply someone using his private land as a place for his friends to stay? We have to weigh [the landowner’s] rights with the rights of his neighbors, who have made it clear they are not happy. In my personal and professional opinion it seems clear that you don’t allow someone’s backyard to become a homeless shelter, but that opinion is not one that’s based in the law. I think this is Hal’s way of provoking action.”

Check out the entire article here:
http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/stories/2010/04/23/news.qp-4784548.sto

More from New Jersey

Another tent community in New Jersey faces shut down and "relocation."

Apparently there are around 30 campers in this community.

Once again in this article the local government is faulting the camp for allowing new members to join the Mayor saying “[i]t [the camp] seems to gain residents faster than this committee can get them out.”

Not sure if the "get them out" in this statement is meant to mean helping the homeless find shelter or meant to mean kick the camp out of the place where it is now. In either event, how is the local government able to time-and-time again fault a tent encampment for allowing new people to stay at the camp.

If the local government does not provide adequate shelter---where are these people supposed to go? It is not the tent camp’s fault. The burden lands squarely on the shoulders of the local government.

The Township is gearing up to shut the tent camp down. In the legal brief the township attorney does not use the word eviction but instead substitutes the word relocation because he does not like the word eviction. However, changing the word DOES NOT change the meaning of the overall attempt to shut down and evict the campers.
(Editor's note - Please read the comments to the story)

http://www.app.com/article/20100419/NEWS/4190360/Tent-camp-dwellers-facing-relocation

This also is part of the story and has a MUST WATCH 4 minute video about the camp and short clips of New Jersey State Senator (and mayor?) Robert Singer.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/lakewood_proposes_relocating_h.html

Boulder Camping Case Dismissed

Boulder, Colorado has dropped a case against three homeless men. The three men were ticketed for sleeping in public and for camping in the city of Boulder without a permit. The tickets carry a $100 fine, but this may be exchanged for 12 hours of community service for those that have no means to pay. The men decided to fight the tickets on the basis of the Eight Amendment Cruel and Unusual Punishment clause. But the city prosecutor has dismissed the case citing lack of evidence.

The true ownership of the property where the men slept and camped was not known at the time the case was to go before the court. And since defendants in the municipal courts have the right to trial within 90 days of entering a plea the prosecutor ran out of time.

This all seems very strange.

The prosecutor’s office could not in a 90 day time span find the true owner of a piece of property within the city of Boulder?

In 90 days the prosecutor could not figure out who the owner of the land was?
Either Boulder needs a new prosecutor or this smells really bad.

See the last line of the article that states the Boulder City Council on Tuesday is set to decide whether camping is allowed at all in the city. This is another politically decided case involving the homeless, and camping. Does the city of Boulder really think that by banning camping in the city limits that the homeless will simply disappear? Tell us what you think.

http://www.dailycamera.com/boulder-county-news/ci_14915978#ixzz0lfGjMSJ1

San Francisco Public Library

The San Francisco Public Library works with local social workers and the health department to help homeless patrons of the library. The library recognizes that everyone, even homeless individuals, is welcome at the public library. In conjunction with the social worker, four previously homeless individuals were hired by the library to work as monitors of the library and the restrooms.

http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/american-life/Library-Hosts-Social-Worker-for-the-Homeless-91522499.html