Isn't it amazing how people who don't have anything can be so
demanding? I'd like to be on welfare for 50 years please... (DBMF)
Anyway, what impact if any have homeless people made in regards to
crime in your jurisdiction? Do you arrest many homeless people or do
you give them a ride to the edge of town and tell them goodbye?
Homeless protest new Salvation Army policy that sets cap on nights
shelter is available
Emacs!
Protestors picket in front of The Salvation Army on Dauphin Street
in downtown Mobile Tuesday Aug. 16, 2011. (Press-Register/Victor Calhoun)
MOBILE, Alabama -- When Ronald Carter was released from the hospital
Saturday, he called the Salvation Army to let the staff know that he
needed a bed for the night.
The 60-year-old homeless man said he was told that there was no room for him.
Carter said that he slept under a bush.
Carter and about a half-dozen other homeless people protested in
front of the Dauphin Street Salvation Army Tuesday, carrying signs
claiming they have been shut out of the shelter.
Maj. Alan Hill, the new area Salvation Army commander, said, "We
only have the ability to house so many as set by the state fire marshal."
He said that it's a "life safety" issue.
Prior to his taking command, he said, people coming to the shelter
for the night could sleep on the floor if beds were full.
Also, Carter said, the Salvation Army has revised a policy about how
often someone can stay there for the night. Previously, the number
was 7 nights a month; now, it's 7 nights every 3 months.
This way, as many as 112 a month can come in. "That gives us
opportunities for others, not the same ones staying over and over," Hill said.
He added, "This is supposed to be an emergency shelter, not their home."
He said the shelter has only limited space and is trying seek ways
to "best serve the whole population."
Demetrius Martin, carrying a sign that read: "Shelter From the
Rain," said he wasn't allowed in the shelter during a recent storm.
"I had to stay in the rain on the ground."
Another protester, Jody Mobley, said if the homeless end up stuck on
the streets, they'll get arrested for loitering.
