Homeless left out as food kitchen closes

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1204055,CST-NWS-soup06.article

UPTOWN | 400 to 500 daily were served at 30-year-old Salvation Army shelter

October 6, 2008

BY STEFANO ESPOSITO Staff Reporter [email protected]

There's Steve, the Richard Pryor look-alike, who always has a grin on his face and carries a shabby notebook he says is part of a plan to get his GED.

And the man with most of his front teeth missing who never forgets to say, "God bless you!"

Or the lady with the hair that sticks straight up who rarely utters a word to anyone.

Last week, they ate their final meal at the Salvation Army's Tom Seay Center in Uptown, a bustling soup kitchen and shelter that first opened its doors to the needy some 30 years ago.

The building is crumbling --and too expensive to fix --says the Salvation Army, and so the clients must go elsewhere. The regulars here know many of the neighborhood's condo owners, and the folks hoping for a new Target store across the street won't miss them.

"They don't want the homeless people around --we're an eyesore," says a middle-aged woman who identified herself as "Kristy." "But they are probably one paycheck away from being where we are, and then we'll see if they can survive out here."

[Hydra]

1. "But they are probably one paycheck away from being where we are,

and then we'll see if they can survive out here."

Sums up my thoughts for more than 2 years now. Since no one wants to fix the system, this is the world we have created and continue to expand.

[4 t 4]

2. That is so sad.

weren't there any vacant buildings they could just relocate to? WTF?

[ceile]

3. The two comments after the story are nauseating.

"I was never clear how handing out a meal helps the homeless become more stability. From what I've observed, the food enabled them to avoid needed case management in order to address the very reason why they became homeless."

"Yes, underground works for me!"

I don't who's sadder, the homeless or these two asses.

[tjwash]

7. "I was never clear how a meal helps the homeless become more stability"

...okey-dokey there Einstein. :rofl:

[amdezurik]

4. see? the plan is working as intended...n/t

[wvbygod]

5. Perhaps some DU references to the Salvation Army are in order here

http://www.democraticunderground.org/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x4356241
http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/01/07/18_outing.html
http://www.democraticunderground.org/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x157148
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/TaleWgnDg/29

just sayin'

[arikara]

6. Does not surprise me...

Sally Ann could well afford to fix up the building. But first and foremost they are a right wing religious corporation. A few years back when a new neo con gov't gutted the labour laws, the Sally Ann who owns and operates a large retirement home quickly proceeded to fire all the workers most of whom were middle aged women coming on retirement and hire new workers for half the wages. Naturally the patient care didn't improve. I know from an ex driver for them that the cream of the donations are taken directly to the captains and other bosses homes. They advertise like a corporation, and their thrift stores (of which every thing is donated...) around here are so overpriced that you can go to anyplace that sells the same Chinese crap new and buy it cheaper. I have more stories about them but this will suffice to say that I have no use for them and will not drop money into their kettles. I do however drop notes that say "I love my gay aunt."

[OakCliffDem]

8. Kick