Meeting addresses homeless concerns

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor

SPRINGFIELD Aggressive panhandling may have been one of the main agenda points for the meeting of the Civil Rights and Race Relations Committee of the City Council on Aug. 17, but a wide-ranging discussion of the problems both real and perceived created by the city's homeless soon dominated the sometimes contentious two-hour meeting.

City Councilor Domenic Sarno, chair of the committee, had noted the meeting's purpose was to have "a discussion of possible solutions in dealing with the 'epidemic like' homelessness situation occurring in our South End, Downtown, Riverfront and State Street corridor areas."

Sarno said there has been "aggressive panhandling and public drug and drunkenness issues" that have accompanied the homeless problem.

Sarno said that new programs to address the problem "won't happen over night."

The City Council chamber was filled to standing room only with residents, city officials, business people and homeless supporters who carried signs calling to be treated with dignity.

"We have to have a respectful approach to individuals who are down on their luck," Sarno added.

"This is an issue that is crushing business in downtown and needs to be addressed," Paul Lessard said. He was one of the business people and downtown residents who spoke at the meeting.

Homeless advocates and several homeless people themselves, however, spoke about separating bad behavior from economic status. They want people to stop stereotyping them.

One woman, who identified herself as "Debbie," said that many of the homeless are college educated. She appealed for the opportunity to have permanent housing.

"Put a hammer and sheet rock in our hands," she said, explaining the homeless would renovate buildings to create housing for themselves.

Springfield's current shelters, the Friends of the Homeless on Worthington St. and the Warming Place on Columbus Avenue, provide only overnight accommodations. Gerry McCafferty of the city's Office of Housing and Neighborhoods spoke on the progress of a city-sponsored plan, which has been two years in the making.

She said the plan is not ready for discussion, but did say it would address the root causes of homelessness and seek to provide affordable housing to get people off the street.

She said that by next summer there should be a "visible reduction in street homelessness."

A new facility adjacent to the shelter on Worthington Street will be completed in "18 months or so."

Before the meeting started, Michaelann Bewsee of Arise for Social Justice handed out a proposal to members of the press calling for Sarno, who is the executive director of the South End Community Center, to dedicate part of the center as a day shelter for the homeless that Arise would recruit and train volunteer staff to operate.

During a period in which residents and business people were invited to speak, Holly Richardson of Arise presented the proposal to Sarno.

Sarno called the proposal a "red herring," and added that the community center, with its large youth clientele, was not an appropriate site to serve a homeless population that might include sex offenders.

Sarno said he had not been approached about the idea prior to the meeting.

When given the opportunity to speak, Bewsee brought up the issue of the Springfield Police Department photographing homeless people. She said that, although the photography was supposed to be voluntary, alleged incidents with the police have caused four homeless people to seek legal counsel.

Kevin Noonan, executive director of Open Pantry Community Services that operates the Warming Place, spoke more in depth on the photography program. He said that police officers came to the Warming Place on Aug. 10 and asked to photograph the homeless people there as part of a homeless database. The shelter's co-director, James Laster, refused them permission to take the photos.

Although Police Commissioner Edward Flynn had attended the earlier part of the meeting, he was not present to hear the discussion on assembling a database. He did not speak about it when he was present.

Noonan said that he did not disagree with the concerns about the behaviors some people exhibit. He said that under the Constitution someone can ask for money, people are not obligated to give any. He said he never gives to panhandlers.

He said the idea that there are many sex offenders among the homeless is a "myth," and that police are "pushing" the homeless out of the downtown and towards the riverfront.

Noonan said a 24-hour operation at the Warming Place would be possible if the city would fund it.

"We need to work together not against one another," Noonan said.

After the meeting Sarno said he believed participants had "got everything out on the table," and that he would continue to work on the issues with other city officials and homeless service providers.