Thursday, July 03, 2008
Social agencies may move to follow those in need
From the RoundTable blog
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Jan Keister
Keister, of Roanoke, is active in safety and fundraising for a Roanoke neighborhood organization.
I live near downtown Roanoke not far from the Samaritan Inn and RAM House, which provide food, shelter and job services to homeless people and others in need. I'd like to point out some problems not mentioned in your June 28 news story "Unlikely neighbors."
The Samaritan Inn and RAM House are well-intentioned services and very beneficial organizations that have helped many people genuinely in need. I hope that I never need their services, but it's reassuring to know that they and other organizations are there. Nevertheless, there are issues that should be dealt with.
The neighborhood near downtown is recovering from a period of serious neglect. Investors and do-it-yourself homeowners are snapping up properties. Average sales prices in the area have increased significantly while remaining flat in other parts of the city. There are still a few bargains out there, but not many; it's the last place I know of to buy a big house at a low price. Part of the attraction of this area is an award-winning neighborhood organization that has successfully worked with police to reduce crime.
In order for users of services of organizations like RAM House and the Samaritan Inn to remain peacefully in this area as the residential population changes, some issues will have to be addressed.
First of all, these organizations are gathering people who have very few assets into a concentrated area. Some are in need of services because they are alcoholics, drug addicts or mentally ill. Many of these people are desperate for money. Petty theft and trespassing are common in the area. Because of homeowner and neighborhood organization efforts, these crimes are poorly tolerated and result in arrests.
Many users of RAM House are messy, throwing food out into the alley. A noticeable number are just plain rude, staring at homeowners from the RAM House property and occasionally swearing at them.
I can't speak about other agencies, but RAM House clearly is enabling alcoholics and drug addicts by providing them with food so that they can use all their money for their addictions. I am not surmising this; I know some of these people. Essentially, RAM House is giving some service users assets so they can buy illegal drugs and alcohol. I wouldn't want my donations used in that way, would you?
The news story states that staff and users of the Samaritan Inn are concerned that they will have to move. Well, is that such a bad thing? I think agencies serving the homeless and extremely poor population should consider a move away from downtown, but not because they are bad neighbors.
Clearly, with rising real estate prices and property improvements, the neighborhood is changing to one inhabited by higher-income residents. Many of my low-income neighbors use the services of RAM House because, for whatever reason, they want free food. As fewer inexpensive rental units are available in the area and intolerance of petty crime increases, my neighbors using RAM House and similar services have been moving on.
The service providers can best serve their users by moving to the areas populated by those most in need of their services; these people are migrating away from downtown Roanoke.
