Schroeder Hall

City Council did not support Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske's motion to rescind using the Schroeder Hall property to house the Village-MHA. The mental health and homeless advocate facility is currently located on 5th Street downtown. Schipske put in the motion after constant pressure from residents in her district who are oppossed to the site being in their neighborhood.

I attended the City Council meeting when the plan was approved. I wondered what part of that piece of property is mandated for use in conjunction with the homeless. If the deal had been rescinded, Long Beach would have no say in the property's future use. Tho' I attended that original meeting to show support for the Village, when I heard the reports, I would rather the property be used as a sorely needed year-round homeless shelter.

The Council stipulated in Monday's decision that the Village would have to accept restrictions. One of them being that it can not be a drop-in center. Sad.

The Village could provide stats. I am guess-timating that between 80 - 120 homeless people "drop-in" the Village every morning. There they wait patiently to take a cold shower. Some use the clothing room. Some do laundry. Others have appointments to visit their Case Worker or psychiatrist.

Appointment, shower, laundry done, they leave. They do not hang 'round the Village Grounds. Homeless also drop in to pick up their mail or make telephone calls. That mail and those calls are important. A homeless person applying for a job gives their worker's extension number. The worker can not call the homeless person to say "They called for a job interview," so the homeless person can return the call ~ right there using the Village members phone.

There are some Village members who do hang out at the Village. In the Garden. They are usually homed people. Rules changed and Security Guards had to check for appointment cards. No hanging out allowed. Others in the Garden are waiting upon there turn to shower.

There are various other programs at the Village-MHA. A limited number of homeless can rent very tiny lockers to store their stuff. Especially useful for a homeless person going on a job interview or to potential job sites to fill out applications.

I hope the Village declines the stipulations and I hope the Federal government mandates a year-round shelter on the Schroeder Hall property. The complaining neighbors had less to fear from the Village-MHA being there, especially with a new police substation on the property than a shelter. Not that they had anything to fear from a shelter.

The quickest way to rid a neighborhood of homeless hanging 'round is to rescind sales of single cans of beer, pints, 1/2 pints, shorties, especially sold from Mom/Pop stores. The less liquor stores or grocers who sell alcohol, the less homeless will be in the area.