Month: November 2017

Once upon a time there was a tent city in Akron Ohio.
It was not unlike the other tent cities all across the great country of America.
It was filled with intravenous drug users, dirty needles, meth addicts, crack heads, and most of all: alcoholics.
Tent city dwellers love their booze. There is a booze dealer on every corner. Every gas station, grocery store and convenient store is filled to the rim with sweet sweet booze. That’s because in the great country of America we like to belittle crackheads and meth heads. But gin and tonic guzzlers are just relaxing.
And don’t forget to ask your doctor about:

• codeine (only available in generic form)
• fentanyl (Actiq, Duragesic, Fentora)
• hydrocodone (Hysingla ER, Zohydro ER)
• hydrocodone/acetaminophen (Lorcet, Lortab, Norco, Vicodin)
• hydromorphone (Dilaudid, Exalgo)
• meperidine (Demerol)
• methadone (Dolophine, Methadose)
• morphine (Astramorph, Avinza, Kadian, MS Contin, Ora-Morph SR)
• oxycodone (OxyContin, Oxecta, Roxicodone)
• oxycodone and acetaminophen (Percocet, Endocet, Roxicet)
• oxycodone and naloxone (Targiniq ER)

Your doctor can prescribe any of these drugs at any time.
Any way. As I was saying. Once upon a time there was a man that lived in this tent:

That’s right. People live in tents that look just like this.
The zippers to the door have been torn out long ago. If they are lucky they find a paperclip and hold the door shut at night so it’s not totally wide open.
They often don’t have all the poles to their tent.
They almost never have a tarp covering their tent. So it rains directly inside their tent.
They have no ground cover to put their tent on. So their leaky tent sits directly on the ground so not only does it rain ON them, rain pours into their tent from the bottom.
I’m sorry. I digress.
The man that once lived in that tent was named Silk. No one knows his “real” name. But that’s what his friends at the camp all called him.
One night, Silk was sleeping in the tent you see there.
In the middle of the night another homeless man (currently on the run from the law) who has significant mental health issues was hopped up on some drug.
He came down to Silk’s tent, with a hammer, and bludgeoned him repeatedly on the head with this hammer.
Here is a picture of Silk’s pillow that he was sleeping on that night:




We’ve lost track of Silk. The last we heard he was hanging on by a string at City Hospital.
This is the story of tent cities that exist all over the great land of America.
Death, violence, drugs, alcohol, disease, filth, lack of sanitation, trash. Truly hell on earth.
These are the places that every city in America will tell you that the homeless “have chosen to live in” therefore there is nothing they can do. NO ONE chooses to live like this. Being homeless is being choiceless.
These people are citizens of America and the cities of America. 
It is neither just or morally acceptable at any level that cities allow the poorest of the poor to live like this.
The answer they provide is never a solution. The answer is to close the camps.
This is a completely absurd move that defies all logic and common sense.
What do these cities believe will happen with these people after they kick them out of their current tent city? Do they think they will magically awake like Snow White and say, “Silly me. What was I doing living in a tent? I’m going to go live in a house.”
The wait list for housing in Akron has over 10,000 people on it. Getting into housing, if (and that’s a big if) you qualify, takes anywhere from 5 months to 3 years.
THERE IS NO PLACE FOR THESE PEOPLE TO GO.
They have been kicked out of shelters. They can’t handle the strict rules of the shelters. They can’t function in that setting.
They have no family. Their family is dead. They have no friends with homes. They have no place to go other than another tent community.
But now they need to start all over again. They have to rebuild again. And then they just wait for the next time they get kicked out again.
The good news is we have adopted this particular tent city. We now have them signed up with the Food Bank and we deliver them food. We are getting them better tents. We are getting them tarps. We will get their tents off the ground. We will clean up all the trash.
We will help them when no one in positions of authority and responsibility will. No other shelters are helping them. And certainly no one from the city is helping them.
They are just left there to fester and die.
THE END.
The moral of the story is:
These hell on earth tent cities are the product of city administrations that turn a blind eye to the poorest of the poor. The weakest of the weak.
Second Chance Village is a transitional stepping stone to get those people out of that hell and put them in a community that loves them and supports them. We work with all the other agencies in the city to help with mental health issues, addiction issues. The health department comes here regularly to talk to us about communicable diseases. We demand everyone use hand sanitizer before the touch any food. We have gotten trained and have on hand Narcan to treat people from opiate overdoses.
We have a shower and laundry facility they are free to use.
We have been given a grant by the Akron Community Foundation to start a recovering opiate users experiencing homelessness program.
This is what our tent city looks like:

 
 
 
 
 
Oh, and here is a picture of our community on Thanksgiving Day:

 
We are a safe place for women. We are alcohol and drug free. We require everyone to contribute 1 hour a day to the village. And we require that people show proof that they are moving forward in their lives. They need to show proof that they are going to their mental health professionals, to their addiction programs, that they are working on getting a job.
But most of all we are a community. We love each other and help each other to succeed.
We want people to move on from here. We want them in housing. We are just the stepping stone to get them on the way.
 

The glaringly obvious fact of the matter is that the homeless of America are not treated equally to all the other citizens of America.
Because they have no money and often times no identification they have immediately lost all rights to legally live or even exist anywhere in our country. They have no rights. Any service or even place to sit is seen as a great gift from some kind and benevolent benefactor.
If you believe that every homeless person (or even most homeless people) have a place to go with shelters and churches you are misinformed.
Even if you believe the homeless have lost all their rights to freedom of religion and must succumb to mandatory prayer and church services in order to get a “free” meal and bed, shelters become filled. People are kicked out of shelters. There are a number of maximum days you can stay at a shelter if you aren’t in their approved “program.”
But it’s not just that homeless humans don’t have the same rights as other humans in America, homeless people don’t even have the same rights as animals.
In Akron even animals have rights built into the law. 

92.051 – Neglect of animals.
No person who owns or keeps an animal shall fail to provide the animal all of the following needs:
Shelter from the elements, including heat, cold, wind, rain, snow or excessive direct sunlight. If the animal is housed outside, a structure for shelter and protection must be provided that is suitable for the species, age, condition, size, and type of that animal. The structure must be completely enclosed and insulated, having a single entrance/exit secured with a flap or door or similar device. The structure shall be moisture-resistant, wind-resistant, and of suitable size and type to allow the animal to stand, turn about freely, lie in a normal position, and regulate proper body temperature. The structure shall be made of a durable material with a solid, moisture-proof floor and a floor raised at least two (2) inches from the ground. Suitable drainage shall be provided so that water cannot be reasonably expected to gather and stand within ten (10) feet of the structure, and so the animal has access to a dry area at all times. Proper bedding of straw or similar material, that remains dry, must be utilized inside the structure. All structures required by this section shall be subject to all building and zoning regulations.

How can it be that we have spent so much time in our laws thinking about the protection of our animals? But the poorest people in our community have not one single solitary right.
A city is “keeping” homeless. They are citizens of the city. Therefore they are the obligation of the city.
Cities of America are hoping no one thinks anyone should have to be responsible for the homeless people. How can it be that we are proud of our large Animal Control Facility to help homeless animals yet there is not one mention of how the county or the city are taking steps to help homeless humans?
They have fully outsourced homeless human help.
The 19,494 square foot state-of-the-art Animal Control Facility opened in August of 2010. Animal Control is a high performance green facility with administrative office space, an adoption zone, an intake area, outdoor visiting space, quarantine quarters, staff locker rooms, a veterinary clinic and more.

But a person who is responsible for an animal doesn’t have to simply house the animal.
They also are required by law to provide:

• Clean, potable drinking water at all times, and suitable food, of sufficient quality and quantity as to ensure normal growth and the maintenance of normal body weight;
• Food and water receptacles that are kept clean and disinfected, and located so as to avoid contamination by feces or other wastes;
• Regular exercise sufficient to maintain the animal’s good health;
• Necessary veterinary care;

Doing a search of the Code of Ordinances | Akron, OH | Municode Library shows exactly how much more we care about our animals than our homeless.
A search for the word “animals” produces 75 results including items like:

92.02 – Abandoning animals.

92.051 – Neglect of animals.

92.05 – Cruelty to animals.

 
How many times do you think the times the homeless are mentioned in Akron law?
ZERO. Not one single time.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
And quite honestly I sort of am glad.
When cities mention the homeless in the law it’s rarely a good thing. There are currently laws in other cities like:

• Restricting the public areas in which sitting or sleeping are allowed.
• Removing the homeless from particular areas.
• Prohibiting begging.

There is so much wrong with how we are treating the poor in America.
26 percent of all Akron residents now live below the poverty level.
42.5 percent of ALL kids in Akron live below the poverty level.
How can this be? How can we be drowning in poverty?
Truly, I’d like to deal with that issue too. But the way we treat our poorest of the poor, the way we treat people that make no money, have no medical care, have no food cards is brutal.
I can’t morally ignore the tragedy, the crisis, the monstrous way we ignore and abuse our poorest of the poor.
And here’s the thing. I’m not even asking the city to take care of the homeless. They clearly don’t think it’s part of their job description to care about them.
All I’m asking is that they let me take care of them for them.
It’s not convenient having to care for the homeless. I’m sorry it makes you feel uncomfortable. But I don’t care.
I would truly love to work together with you on solving the homeless epidemic in your city (as apposed to hearing passive aggressive rumors about what you think of me and what your plans are). I’m not irrational. I’m not obstinate. And I did not invent these people I’m caring for in my backyard. They were (and still are) festering in your city, under your bridges, in your woods.
But one way or another, we’re fixing the homeless problem in Akron. When we’re done every homeless person in Akron will have the right to live somewhere that is near their needed services and food.
 

Here is the interview I did with Jasen Sokol at WAKR:

 

A common talking point I hear is that homelessness is a choice.

• They get kicked out of shelters because they don’t follow the rules.
• They would rather do drugs than use a shelter.
• They are lazy.

I like to play these kinds of philosophical games.
“Is homelessness a choice?”
I guess the first step is that we all have to agree what the definition of homelessness is.
This is how the government defines being homeless:
What is the official definition of homelessness? | National Health Care for the Homeless Council

A homeless person is an individual without permanent housing who may live on the streets; stay in a shelter, mission, single room occupancy facilities, abandoned building or vehicle; or in any other unstable or non-permanent situation.

If we accept that definition of being homeless then I think it’s fairly easy to imagine how someone becomes homeless.
Their home gets foreclosed. They get evicted from their rental. And they have no family or friend support system.
One of the key parts of homelessness that many people find hard to imagine is the total and complete lack of a support system.
If you got evicted it’s possible you would be able to turn to a friend or family member to let you “crash” on their couch for a while.
Technically, you are still homeless because you have found yourself in a non-permanent situation. But maybe you don’t feel homeless. And you are in the enviable position of having someone to help you.
And then there is this:
For First Time In 130 Years, More Young Adults Live With Parents Than With Partners : The Two-Way : NPR
Adult kids are just going back home to live with parents.
They also don’t feel homeless. But without their parents to support them it’s quite possible they would end up homeless.
In big cities homelessness is significantly increasing simply because of the lack of affordable housing.
Homelessness increasing in big U.S. cities – SFGate

Homelessness increased in New York by 11 percent from 2014, by 13 percent in Seattle and 8 percent in Chicago, data show. Major cities accounted for almost half of all homeless people in the U.S., and more than one in five were either in New York or Los Angeles, the report said.

And I would think you’d have to be pretty cold-hearted to blame the 2.5 million homeless kids in America for their lack of a house.
One in 30 American Children Is Homeless, Report Says – NBC News

That’s about 2.5 million kids, and an 8 percent increase to “an historic high,” according to the study from the National Center on Family Homelesness. Just over half are younger than six years old.

I could continue this exercise with statistics and anecdotes for quite some time.
But my point is this: Would you agree that some homeless people are homeless not by choice but by circumstances?
So, perhaps a more accurate statement would be: “Some homeless people are homeless by choice.”
The next step would be to ask: “Do any homeless people choose to be homeless?”

Living in the National Forests

Did you know that you can legally live totally for free in the National Forests? This is a thing people do.
There are little communities that exist in National Forests. You can hunt, fish and just live off the land as along as you want.
The downside is that there is no running water. There are no toilets. There is rarely any access to a cell phone signal. You are out there all alone.
And then there is Ted Kaczynski – Wikipedia

In 1971, he moved to a remote cabin without electricity or running water in Lincoln, Montana, where he lived as a recluse while learning survival skills in an attempt to become self-sufficient.

I believe these people are not homeless.
The people that live in National Forests and live in isolation have created a home.
I think there is the possibility for examining whether or not these people have complete autonomous, free will in their choice to live like this. Clearly Ted Kaczynski has mental health issues. And I wouldn’t be surprised if many of the people living in the National Forests also are fighting issues like PTSD, depression and other mental health challenges.
But let’s just assume they have other options available to them and therefore they have “chosen” to live in isolation in a homeless-like setting.

The defining factor of the homeless is: non-permanent.

They live in an environment that could change at any given moment. Today they could be sleeping in a tent somewhere and tonight it could be legally taken from them.
This non-permanence is the major destabilizing factor of the homeless population. They can’t rely on where they live from one day to the next.
Imagine how you feel Sunday night when you have to go back to work. Or if you’re a teacher, the last couple days of summer break. Transitions are incredibly challenging for humans. We crave a foundation. We need consistency.
A homeless person has no stability. The fundamental grounding of a permanent place to live is non-existent for them.
A homeless person is someone who is in a system where they have no control over their fundamental living stability.
If you don’t know where you’re going to live from one day to the next and you have not chosen that existence you are homeless.
At that point all your energy is focused on survival and minimizing suffering.
Your mental health issues spike because of the chaos of your life. Then your addictions spike as you attempt to self medicate. You are cold. You are hungry. You are dirty. You have no choice but to focus on basic survival.
Homelessness, by definition, is a total lack of choice.
You have nowhere else to go but where you are right at this moment.
If I spend the year camping I am not homeless. I could return to my home at any time.
If a homeless person spends a year camping in the same exact locations I camped they are homeless because they don’t have a choice.

Being homeless is being choiceless.

If you think the homeless have a choice in their existence you haven’t spent much time talking to the homeless.
And further, your simplistic views of the most poor, most weak (the VERY people Jesus told us to love) is hurting them even more. Your words make others turn on the poorest of the poor.
These people have no ID’s, so they have no jobs. They have no food cards. They make zero dollars a day. They couldn’t be more poor. And yet you see the “sense” is blaming them for their poverty and their plight.
If you don’t have even a tinge of compassion for the poorest of poor in your neighborhood when DO you have compassion?
So I’m actually BEGGING you. Please stop saying homelessness is a choice. You are just making a bad situation worse.

There have been a couple times in my history where authority figures were surprised I listened to them.
When I was 14 a manager of Perkins Restaurant told me I was doing too much. He said that between my dish washing job, playing the cello, playing the trombone and other school activities I needed to quit something. I came in the next day and thanked him for the advice. I quit my dish washing job. He told me that’s not what he meant. (My cello got me a full ride to Baldwin-Wallace College. There was no place on the application about how well I washed dishes.)
Then in college the conductor of the symphony made a statement to the entire orchestra that if any of us weren’t serious and thought there was something else we should do with our life we should get the hell out of music. So the next day I switched my major to English. I was the principal cellist in their orchestra. He called me into his office to tell me he wasn’t talking to me. That’s not what he meant.
I listen to what people tell me.
Once a week, I drive to the Akron Canton Regional Food Bank to get food for our food pantry at Second Chance.
Every week I drive across Rosa Parks Dr. as we get our food for the homeless of Akron. It was named in 2010. 
I am a devout follower of Martin Luther King Jr. He is the man I want to be.
I want to be as brave as him.
I want to be as good a speaker as him.
I want to strive to make as much change as him.
I. Love. That. Man.
So when I drive across Rosa Parks Dr. what do you think is going to happen? Do you think I’m not going to listen to her?
Are you going to tell me “that’s not what we meant?”
We don’t want the 381 day boycott she started. We just want to say the words “Rosa Parks” and not listen to her movement.
I am listening.
You told me to listen when you put her name on a street. You can’t have it both ways.
Society is a bus.
Every single person in society has the right to sit on this bus.
Every single person has the right to exist on this bus.
We first have to admit that the homeless are not invited to sit on the bus. They are chased off the bus at every turn.
When you have a city you have a moral and legal obligation to allow every single citizen, regardless of income and net worth, a place on your bus.
Every human deserves a place to exist. It is unjust to think you can kick them into deeper and deeper holes in your society until you no longer have to look at them and think about them.
Rosa Parks means something to me.
The homeless deserve a seat on your bus.
 

Come hang out with us at our FRIENDS giving BASH. All proceeds go to Second Chance Village, a tent city in Middlebury Akron.
We’re having live music, food, and an auction.
We’re featuring: Valley Girls, The Effangee Band, Brandon Cruise and Umbrella Corporation Z-Squad.
Second Chance Village is a tent community that is run BY the houseless of Akron FOR the houseless of Akron.
Many of the people who live at Second Chance Village make no money, have no support services and see a tent community as a way up and onward in their lives.
Second Chance Villagers are incredibly resilient and optimistic and hopeful. They are just looking for that second chance to get back into society.
We would love for you to come to this benefit dinner and concert to show your support of the poorest of the poor in Akron. They truly need our help. Some of them will be at the event so you will get a chance to talk with them and learn their stories.
Doors open at 7pm and the music starts at 8pm. Our auction will happen throughout the evening.
There is a $10 suggested donation for entry. You can pay at the door or online.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

No one has ever done this for us before. So we are SUPER excited.
Let me set the stage:
Each year, Spring Garden Waldorf School holds a Children’s Festival and Artist’s Market. (In full disclosure my kid goes to SGWS. It’s awesome. You should check it out too.)
It’s this super cool festival of really neat attractions and events for kids. We go every year.
Each year they donate $1 of the $3 admission price to a charity.
This year they are donating that dollar to US!!! We are super excited. In fact, we are going to have a table in the Artist’s Market. Some of our houseless (they prefer to be called houseless instead of homeless) residents at our Second Chance Village make items to sell.
The first step in solving the homeless epidemic is getting society to accept the houseless people of our country. We must acknowledge that they (and all of us) have a right to live and exist in our country. Only then can we help them overcome the issues these people face in their personal lives.

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
— Proverbs 31:8-9

So, Spring Garden choosing us as the charity they are benefiting this year means a great deal to our particular charity. But it means even more to the entire houseless community of America. America is not a heartless country. Every part of our value system tells us to take care of the weakest among us. We all must stand with the weak and downtrodden.
Thank you Spring Garden for choosing us this year as the charity you are sponsoring. You are awesome!
And, seriously, if you have never gone to the Spring Garden Children’s Festival & Artist’s Market, take your kids. They will love it! It’s $3 per person to get in. And then you buy tickets for the events. It’s not a lot of money. But I just want you to know that’s how it’s setup.
Here are the specifics:
Saturday, November 18 at 10 AM – 4 PM
Spring Garden Waldorf School
1791 Jacoby Rd, Copley, Ohio 44321
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE.