A matter of perception - how should our community view the homeless?
My church community had the privilege of providing a meal for the residents of Camp Take Notice on Sunday (July 10), the very day your article appeared in AnnArbor.com.
My church community, St. Mary Student Parish, along with several other area churches and others of the Ann Arbor area community, have been providing Sunday meals, necessary supplies and moral support for this community of people for some time.
My daughter and I joined some of the campers as they trekked the food and supplies down the steep embankment and a well-kept path to the site of the camp itself. We and other visitors experienced warm greetings from the other campers.
The site was accurately described in your article. It is a tent community, neat and orderly. The main meeting tent is at the center with clusters of individual tents surrounding it. It has a real feel of community. We shared the meal with the residents and afterwards were invited to stay for their weekly meeting.
The strong leadership and the commitment of the residents to the goals of the camp and respect for the neighboring communities were apparent. Members were quite excited about their new “Adopt-a-Highway” project, preparing for their first venture with this effort.
Residents of Camp Take Notice, a tent community off Wagner Road in Scio Township, gather to talk on a recent afternoon.
Angela Cesere | AnnArbor.com
The residents of Camp Take Notice are fortunate that they have formed a strong, supportive community that helps to sustain them with the assistance of devoted volunteers who work to supply the bare necessities for their comfort.
It is a hope of the volunteer organization, Mission (Michigan Itinerant Shelter System-Independent Out of Necessity) that a more permanent site will be found, a place where shelter can be provided with access to transportation and the local services that are available.
The matter of “A Matter of Perception” counts as well. How are the homeless viewed? As members of our community who have fallen on hard times or are they considered as “other” who do not deserve our attention?
As a resident of Ann Arbor for many years, I believe the former is true. We are a community of caring, generous and helpful people who are always interested in lending a helping hand where needed. Ann Arbor is an exceptional community and even though these are very hard economic times for many of us, we are always ready to lend a hand up and help our fellow men and women.
You may contact Mission (Michigan Itinerant Shelter System-Independent Out of Necessity) via email at missiona2@gmail.com or by calling 734-531-8368.
Sara Armstrong King has been a resident of Ann Arbor since 1960. She is the mother of three, the step-mother of four and the grandmother of 10. She is retired from Arbor Hospice, is a member of St. Mary Student Parish, a volunteer at the Ann Arbor Thrift Shop and a U of M football fan.
Comments
Technojunkie
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 2:54 a.m.
For a philosophy book on one approach, read this: <a href="http://www.offoffgrid.com/" rel='nofollow'>http://www.offoffgrid.com/</a> For the nuts and bolts, read these: <a href="http://www.richsoil.com/rocket-stove-mass-heater.jsp" rel='nofollow'>http://www.richsoil.com/rocket-stove-mass-heater.jsp</a> <a href="http://oasisdesign.net/" rel='nofollow'>http://oasisdesign.net/</a> <a href="http://www.cobcottage.com/" rel='nofollow'>http://www.cobcottage.com/</a> And anything else to do with cob construction, rocket stoves, permaculture and aquaculture. I believe the goal should be to rebuild the ability for families to be mostly self-sufficient, being able to drop out of the money economy for extended periods if they have to or simply choose to. There are some amazingly intelligent low-tech solutions out there. Yes, I'm aware of the irony of needing the Internet to find them.
julieswhimsies
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 1:50 a.m.
How should we view the homeless?...with compassion.
shepard145
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 12:26 a.m.
It looks like this reporter has stumbled onto an interesting question: Are those living in this camp poor in need of help to recover from the obama economy or simply choosing a lifestyle. We would expect the answer to be both with a large percentage to be drug addicts or alcoholics who have also chosen to make themselves a burden on those of us who continue to work and contribute to society. Regardless of the reason for the camp – the response should be humane but firm: Those who need help to get back on their feet must be compelled to seek it out. Everyone else, feel free to get on a bus and move on to another state or country populated by working taxpayers who are more inclined to support your impetuous, narcissistic, selfish choices.
C. S. Gass
Sun, Jul 24, 2011 : 3:02 p.m.
Never make the mistake of assuming that someone holds any of the same value systems you do. Take the Bedouins for example, the Saudi Royals built them wonderful high rise apartments in an effort to bring them out of the desert and into the 20th century. They didn't come. US forces were billeted in them during the first Gulf War, as nothing else was being done with them. And we all know who used that as an excuse for starting a war that we will be dealing with long after he was fed to the sharks. My point is, many people are homeless as a life choice. Freedom from the chains that tie the rest of us to one place is a tempting idea. Sure it takes guts, determination and resilience and it is a hard life. But things that are easy are hardly ever worth doing. The idea of 'eradicating homelessness' is as lofty as it is unreachable. Christ correctly pointed out that the poor will always be with us. Making their lot easier is admirable. Thinking they can all live in suburbia is not, it's foolish. You can waste a lot of time and money and have unexpected consequences in trying to perfect life for everyone. Utopia is not a realistic goal.
A2transplant
Sun, Jul 24, 2011 : 8:56 p.m.
If a community wishes to reside in tents, I see no reason to stop them. I would support basic sanitation efforts (drinking water, bathrooms). They are probably less than a nuisance than many apartment/home dwellers in my area. I doubt I'll have to put up with my windows and floors vibrating constantly from their "boom cars." Having a roof over your head does not necessarily mean that you are "civilized" or have any kind of respect for your neighbors. I say give tent communities a chance.
tim
Sun, Jul 24, 2011 : 6:05 p.m.
Good point, I rented the movie "The Soloist" last night. It's a true story about a homeless street musician and a news paper journalist. One of the major challenges was getting the homeless guy to want to leave the streets.
Ron Granger
Sun, Jul 24, 2011 : 2:57 p.m.
"how should our community view the homeless?" If the mass media are our guide, we should view them as stereotypical caricatures on a reality TV show.
Sally
Sun, Jul 24, 2011 : 2:20 p.m.
I agree that we need to set aside a place for our homeless. Yes "our"; it's time that we own them. Camp Take Notice is a tenting community, so perhaps one of our many treasured parks would suit the need. One with rest rooms would be ideal. I can already hear the outcry, but we need to do something, not just say no to every possible solution. Just a thought. If you disagree, please come up with a workable solution of your own.
kathryn
Sun, Jul 24, 2011 : 2:50 p.m.
What happened to affordable housing? Why are we talking of providing land so people can live in permanent campgrounds instead of apartments?
EyeHeartA2
Sun, Jul 24, 2011 : 1:47 p.m.
I guess you must not live next to this mess, that might change your attitude.
actionjackson
Sun, Jul 24, 2011 : 12:53 p.m.
Didn't our own police chief comment that he use to bus homeless folks to the Ann Arbor area from his previous city as they would be treated well here?
DBH
Sun, Jul 24, 2011 : 12:42 p.m.
Ms. King, I will ask you the same question (to which I have not received a reply) I posed in the opinion piece by Rev. Dan Reim yesterday. How does one person, or a community, help the homeless in a broad sense without making that community a magnet for the homeless from other communities? This has always seemed to me to be a likely paradox of helping the homeless. Such efforts, if successful, seem destined ultimately to be victims of their own success.
Laurel
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 1:39 a.m.
Part of my reply was erased. The second to last paragragh was supposed to include that the students worked with their paired person to find colors and prints that they favored so that the student's work would be not only a donation to the person, but a creation for the individual, and it was something useful and greatly appreciated. Everyone learned a lot and were deeply changed.
Laurel
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 1:37 a.m.
The answer is hard to find because it is not something that should be a city by city issue, but unfortunately it is. Homeless should be helped everywhere, if we were adequately helping the homeless in every community, then there would be no need to go to a neighboring community for help. Help should be widespread and volunteers should participate in the betterment of not only their own community, but also to neighboring ones too. No matter who you are or where you are, there is some role you could fulfill just by volunteering time, sometimes it's something so little as just someone to sit down and have a cup of coffee with. Just taking the time to listen helps. To drive, students are required to take classes to prepare them. Students are required to take classes to graduate and hopefully get a good job one day. If classes were offered where students spent time volunteering rather than say...in gym class which is required for graduation even though not everyone can participate due to their own health/fitness, our youth would learn a lot not only about homelessness and the forces in society that contribute to that, they would learn about their community and there would be more hands readily available to help. I know someone who, in a fashion class at her alternative school had students meet individuals who stayed at a homeless shelter and each student was paired with someone and was asked to make a scarf, hat and gloves. This was to be their final for the semester. Each student even worked with their assigned person to find out. We need to start making our youth a priority and education is a major piece of this. If we can tackle that, we can begin to chip away at the number of homeless in the community. There are many factors that contribute to homelessness, we need to strengthen the community atmosphere and realign our priorities, until that happens... Homelessness like education, will continue to spiral down the abyss.
DBH
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 12:54 a.m.
Well, Ms. King, like Rev. Reim, by the lack of a response it appears that you, too, have no answer to this question either.