Real Concerns & NIMBYism

The Freeman reports on the Saturday meeting regarding Hebron House's overflow shelter that was opened recently.

I think those kind of neighborhood meetings are very helpful if neighbors have specific concerns, such as "people are walking along the easement behind the properties" that Hebron House can deal with.  That's the kind of concerns that organizations appreciate hearing-it could mean there's a problem they need to do a better job of fixing, or perhaps it's something they didn't know about.

But then there's neighbors that apparently are opposed to the existence of the overflow shelter, want it gone no matter what.  Those kind of neighbors are not helpful at all.  They're doing what is called Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY), and very often people engaging in NIMBY behavior do not have any real solutions other than "I don't want to see it at all."  Wishing a place out of existence doesn't mean the underlying problem is gone.  I very much doubt those neighbors can offer a solution on what to do with the 26 men who are staying there.

Hebron House and other service providers for the homeless searched for months, if not years, for a permanent place for the overflow shelter.  Elected officials and the media were aware of this search.  The fact that they settled on the school means that there were not many other options (actually, none).  Closing the shelter would mean that the men in the overflow shelter has nowhere else to go for a safe place to stay.   Long-term solutions would include more services on mental health issues, more funding for homelessness prevention, more funding for job programs, and a whole host of long-term programs and services. 

Unless they're willing to support that kind of social net, there will always be people on the streets and a need for shelters.  If not this overflow shelter, the NIMBY people would be protesting churches trying to shelter homeless people on cold nights (which actually was being proposed by some churches), or protesting low-income housing that could provide affordable housing (which has happened many times), etc.

If you don't want an overflow shelter in your neighborhood, then be involved in your community's solutions so that one is not needed..