We Can Do Better

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Dignity Village in Portland, Oregon

A civilized homeless center "still with problems"








We are lucky. We have homes. The situation facing the homeless is absolutely ridiculous. We can do so, so much better. These are citizens. They are not criminals and mental cases. They are no different than those facing such problems during the Great Depression or those running from the Dustbowl of the 30’s as shown in the great film “The Grapes of Wrath”. Those folks were not drug addicts or criminals and the bulk of today’s homeless are not either. 


We have left the burden on churches and nonprofits to set up our modern day Hoovervilles. These tent cities provide some level of decency and dignity. They have rules and security. They have community rooms with electricity. There is sanitation and protection. However the problem of homelessness is far larger than what is being provided and far more complex than the simple town and city ordinances that attempt to govern these so called tent cities. 


Most of these tent cities, often located on Church properties, need to move every 90 days. Most only house 100 or so residents.. The housing situations provided do not provide an adequate stepping stone for people to better themselves. Transportation, communication, counseling and guidance are not really available. 



We are not putting our best efforts into solving this. This does not need to be a financial burden on society. The funding required in helping these people out of homelessness is money well spent for our nation. The return on this investment will be real in families saved and real in helping these folks return to being useful members of society.




For more information, here are some helpful links: 

http://www.allgoodnw.org


https://nationalhomeless.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Tent-Cities-Report-FINAL-3-10-10.pdf

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