Yesterday, I attended a meeting of the Lee Street Merchants Association. I was invited by a GPD Community Resource Team sergeant, to talk to the group about the homeless folks who sleep and hang out in the Lee Street area.
I listened as the merchants and a pastor talked to the two CRT sergeants (and City Council member Sandy Carmany) about the problems they have with homeless people in the area, and about their issues with residents of the Coliseum Inn. It was really difficult to hear. I was torn between the desires to apologize, explain, defend and sympathize.
Chronically homeless people do cause problems for businesses. Merchants deal with crime, drug use, prostitution, and more. (The pastor told me later that he’s cleaned up urine, vomit and feces on his church property.) While I know the explanations for the behavior behind the problems (and I know that some of it is beyond the control of the people doing it), explanations still don’t excuse wrong behavior, nor do they fix the problems. And when people have to deal with this side of homelessness, it makes it much more difficult for them to see the “human face” of homelessness.
When it was my turn, I talked about our community’s gaps in clinical substance abuse treatment and mental health treatment for the poor, and the lack of affordable housing. These needs are contributing to homelessness in our community, and if the Coliseum Inn were to close tomorrow, we would just have more homeless people on the street.
I acknowledged that the Lee Street Merchants can’t solve all these problems alone. But the good news is, they don’t have to. I told them about the Task Force to End Homelessness, and our Ten Year Plan that focuses on permanent housing with supportive services for chronically homeless people in Guilford County. I also mentioned the new county drug treatment facility, expected to open this year.
I really appreciate all the kind words that I heard from the folks in that room after I spoke. In spite of the problems that chronic homelessness has caused for them, their businesses, their patrons, and their church members, I heard genuine expressions of compassion and concern for the homeless and the poor, and it reminded me that we can all get frustrated and worn out from dealing with difficult people, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t still care about them. Sometimes, we just need a little help to handle the problem. (And sometimes, we can even be the “difficult people.” I know I can. Thanks for the reminder, God.)
My hope is that the Task Force will be the help that the Lee Street merchants need. And I hope that NightWatch can partner with the pastor and his church.
