Homeless in New Albany

This post originally started as a reply to a comment in an earlier post, but as it grew I decided to go further into detail and let if be it's own post.

It's my position on the homeless issue in New Albany.

The homeless issue is a problem, and the way it's dealt with in southern indiana is the police just take them to Louisville. There are very few resources on this side to the river.

I'm not saying this to condone it, but by not having resources it almost eliminates a homeless problem. Whether it's intentional or by accident, the lack of shelters keep most homeless out of the area.

I actually looked into the possibility of purchasing a home in New Albany for the homeless or for those transitioning back into the workforce. One of the obstacles was where it could be located without affecting the neighborhoods.

The more I've learned, especially recently working with Wayside, is it really takes much more than just food and housing. Wayside has an incredible recovery program for those who are ready to get off the streets. The resources needed to have a successful program are overwhelming.

Here's what I believe it would take to have an effective Homeless solution:

1. It would have to be important, not only to the citizen's, but to the Mayor as well.
The coalition for the homeless in Louisville was founded by two Priests from two churches who met with the Mayor concerned about the increasing number of homeless begging for money. It seems the formula for success were concerned citizens witnessing a problem and wanting to do something about it, and a Mayor who cared about the people of the city to take some action and do something about it.

2. Location. It would have to be located somewhere that had the least impact on the neighborhood. Wayside Christian's location isn't in the best part of town, but they must still be diligent in being a "good neighbor". As large as Wayside is, I found this interesting in their Q&A section:

Q: What are the major constraining factors for the program's implementation and goal achievement (lack of knowledge about cause-effect relationships, the target group, political disputes, administrative factors, etc.).

A: Major constraints would be lack of funds and keeping our business neighbors happy (if we don't keep them happy, they do have the political ties to influence the government powers that be).

I can only imagine the struggles that a shelter would have in New Albany, since it is such a smaller city.

3. People to run it.
It takes people with passion and a love for the lost to run a facility like this. It's not your normal 9-5 job. I don't believe you can hire or appoint just anyone for this type of job.

4. It's not shelter, it's a homeless solution.
The Homeless coalition of Louisville's mission statement is not to take care of the homeless, but more importantly the "prevention and elimination of homelessness".

5. Money, and lot's of it.
Wayside Christian Missions annual budget is over 2.6 million dollars a year. Although some of the money is probably federal grant, Reverend Tim Moseley said they run off of donations.

That's the top 5 things that would need to be established to begin a program in New Albany.

I don't mean to be negative, so please don't take this as "I don't think we should do it". I just don't think we can do it. There's a big difference. I don't think the political climate would support it. I don't think the citizens would support spending money on it. I'm not sure where we could put a shelter without upsetting residents.

I think the best thing you could do for a homeless person is take them to Louisville where they can get help. They have the shelters and the PROGRAMS that can make a difference in their lives.

The bottom line is if you have a shelter and no program to get them off the streets, you're going to have an ugly problem. If you can be intentional, and develop and put in place the programs to help people off their addictions and back in the workforce, then you've really accomplished something. Anything less than that would be a mistake. Not only for the people your providing shelter to, but to the other citizens in the city.

There's not too many homeless in New Albany. That's not to say the soup kitchens are not busy, because there are a lot of poor people in New Albany.

There's all kinds of things you can do to help. Check out some of the local soup kitchens in New Albany. There's one somewhere almost every night of the week.

Contact one of the shelters to see if you can volunteer. They are all in need of more help.
For a list of shelters, you can click here.

If you see a homeless person, buy them some food. DO NOT give them money. You're usually just supporting an addiction. The truth will come out when they're asking for money for food and you tell them you're going to buy them something to eat. All of sudden they won't be hungry and tell you they really just need a couple of dollars for "a drink". The ones that are sincere will gladly take you up on the offer. If you're at a fast food restaurant, walk in with them and tell them to order whatever they want. You'll be amazed at the response.

Ever feel bad about the guy at the off ramp of the expressway? Tempted to give them money? Wondering what job you can give them so they can work for that food? A couple of years ago, my son (8 years old at the time) knew we should be doing something for this person. He came up with the idea that whenever we saw someone, we should give them some food. It was the beginning of what we called the "homeless bag". My son put together a "homeless bag" consisting of a bottle of water, some vienna sausages, chips/crackers, toothpaste, toothbrush, poncho, and I think even nail clippers. Purchasing most of the items at Dollar Tree, he assembled the bags for just a couple of dollars each. We kept these in the car, and whenever we would take our exit on state street, we would roll down the window, and he would bring out one of his homeless bags and hand it to the person. It was actually the beginning of our families involvement with the homeless ministry.

****Important Note****
For safety's sake, when I mentioned above that the best thing to do for a homeless person was to take them to louisville, I am in NO WAY suggesting that you, an individual person , be the one to give them a ride. Call Wayside and they can send someone out. I'm not saying all homeless people are bad, but there is a percentage that are homeless to stay off the police radar. Use your own discretion, but be advised and be careful. The same goes for buying them a meal. If you're at the restaurant, go in and pay for their meal. If you're not, then buy it and bring it back to them.