From the article:
"What research has shown and what we have seen from visits to cities like Philadelphia, Chicago, Portland and New York is that you need to combine good social outreach with law enforcement."

From Portland? Say What???

"This is quality of life for everyone... ...we have seen from visits to cities like Philadelphia, Chicago, Portland and New York is that you need to combine good social outreach with law enforcement. One city official estimated that nine out of 10 say they are not interested in a shelter or housing when approached."

A study of human behavior shows that when a person is unwilling to change, positive change will seldom, if ever happen. This seems to elude many homeless advocates, but it's a big part of the puzzle if the advocate is wanting to help people make positive changes to reenter society and not be homeless. If the goal is to provide a hot meal and a "Dignity Village," that's a different thing altogether.

One of the more interesting homeless programs I visited, located in the San Joaquin Valley, is successful in transitioning homeless men, women, and families back into society. A major aspect of their program is that the evaluators/couselors require positive change. Yet, through compassionate analysis, one person's progress was not compared to another's progress. When proper care was administered AND expectations were communicated correctly, change WAS measured and used as a tool to measure progress.

Ultimately, the goal of giving the homeless the tools and requiring them to apply these tools to move them into the mainstream of conventional society, improves their mental and physical health and well-being. And lastly, this takes us back to the fact that is is also about the "quality of life for everyone."

You can't change the authoritarian sociopathic hate-talk fascists, (LIARS, Lamebrain, O'LieLie, et al.), until first they have to want to change.

Not Guilty Verdict In Homeless Feeding Trial, Central Florida News 13, October 09, 2007

Not guilty. That's the verdict Tuesday for the man on trial for violating the city's rules when it comes to feeding the homeless.

Eric Montanez, 22, is with the group food not bombs. He was the first person arrested earlier this year on charges that he broke the rules when it comes to Orlando's limits on just how often the homeless can be fed and how many can be fed at one time.

Montanez argued in court the ordinance is ...

Here in Portland, we need more public investment into shelters in order to get universal acceptance of strong sit/lie ordinances. No one wants homeless on the street, but many of us are loath to tell them to go away without knowing that an alternative exists.

Assuming the city can convince its citizens that there is ample opportunity for the homeless to be fed and sheltered (without religious obligations), there should also be strong laws enacted against panhandling. Maybe a city permit should be required to solicit money on public property. That'd cut back on the Mercy Corps and Greenpeace panhandlers as well. "Have a minute for the environment?" and "Spare some change?" sound remarkably similar to my ears.

Oh, and I've had to clean feces from my own front door as well. Homelessness is definitely a problem that needs fixing.