One thing that came out of Monday night’s Committee of the Whole meeting is that the Number One concern of those who want to eliminate the 500-foot restriction (from nursery and elementary schools) from the proposed zoning ordinance text amendment is not “the homeless”: it’s about making sure that PADS gets the Park Ridge homeless shelter franchise.
That’s right, it’s all about PADS.
So why didn’t PADS officials show up Monday night to state their case for why PADS is the right choice to solve whatever homeless problem Park Ridge may have? Why did they leave it up to PRMA ministers, a lawyer from the Chicago Archdiocese, a parade of former Park Ridge aldercritters, and an array of white-shirted supporters of the PADS franchise to explain the need for PADS?
Those are questions posed by occasional Watchdog contributor “Kaiser Sosay,” who shared with us what he would have liked to have heard PADS say Monday night, but didn’t:
* “We understand you are concerned about the safety of your children. We take safety as our first and foremost goal when it comes to our guests, our volunteers and each community in which we operate a shelter. The following are all of the safety measures we currently employ….”
* “These are the extra things we are going to do at St. Paul of the Cross to ensure the health and safety of the children….”
* “Here is a list of the other elementary schools in/near where we operate shelters on nights where school will be in session the following day….”
* “Here is what we do (or will do) to make sure that our guests enter and leave the shelter area before the children begin to arrive….”
* “Here is what we do (or will do) to make sure that no contraband will be stored around the church/school building by any of our guests….”
* “These are the costs that the City may incur as the result of our shelter being opened in your town, for which we will reimburse the City….”
But I really would have liked it if representatives of the PRMA had stopped complaining about how there should be no restrictions on a PADS shelter in Park Ridge and told us what the PRMA would be willing to do to help those homeless people they talked about Monday night, like that guy who delivers and installs appliances, or that mom of three kids who works two jobs.
I would have liked to hear the PRMA say that its members were going to “adopt” one or more of these people and actually work to get them up and out of homelessness, not by providing shelter for just one night a week but by providing real housing for up to a year.
I would have liked to hear PRMA say how it and its stable of volunteers would work to provide each of these people (and their families) with training, daycare, food, clothing, a job, help with paying bills and other incidentals as a way to enable these down-on-their-luck folks to earn their way out of homelessness. Instead of just a series of random handouts to whomever shows up on a given Sunday night, I would have liked to have heard about a comprehensive, well thought-out plan to deal with the root problems that have caused these people to become “down on their luck” and give them a boost back up the ladder.
I would have liked to hear how this plan would let the participants know that by the end of that year they would be expected to have made substantial strides toward getting past whatever brought them down and move into the “payback” phase of this program – in which they would contribute their own time, effort, money, or whatever other resources they can spare to help mentor some new person entering this program.
What would happen? I don’t know for sure, but ideally within one year these people would have built ties to our community and transitioned from being part of the problem to being part of the solution – one person/family at time – by “teaching them to fish” as opposed to tossing them a perch one night a week.
That’s what I would have liked to have heard in place of PADS, PADS and more PADS.
We think “Kaiser” is onto something, although it will require more effort and commitment than what the PRMA has signed on for with a lightweight, turn-key PADS “if it’s Sunday, this must be Park Ridge” franchise.
Are the PRMA and its White Shirts up to such a task? Don’t hold your breath…unless you look good in blue.
14 comments so far
Kaiser nailed it! I’m not going to hold my breath waiting for the PRMA to do anything that actually might produce a permanent result when its so easy to let PADS do it one night a week.
There is an organization that provides the exact type of services Kaiser described. It’s called New Hope Apartments and it is run by Catholic Charities. They are located right in Des Plaines.
If you read your materials more closely you will find that our local churches are already involved with Catholic Charities and the new hope apartments, in fact I do believe that Mary Seat of Wisdom sponsors 2 of those apartments.
Understand this ….it will NEVER be enough! One pads site 2 Pads sites tranistional housing perminent low income housing, it will NEVER be enough. As long as there is a system in place that allows people to remain in the system indefinatly, it will NEVER be enough. As long as there are people who have the means to give there will always be those with their hands out for the taking. It will NEVER be enough.
I like Kaiser’s idea because it keeps the homeless in one place for up to a year to connect them with the community and get their feet under them, then kicks them out of the nest to fly on their own. No permanent traveling flop house residency.
It is my understanding that PADS caters to homeless individuals who do not qualify for transitional and/or permanent housing options.
A2:47,
What?!?! Are you saying the PADS clients aren’t the skim off the top of the cauldron of the needy? I’m shocked!!! SHOCKED!!!!!
First of all, WHO makes the decision that those homeless individuals served by PADS “do not qualify for transitional and/or permanent housing options”? If the PRMA chose to set up a program like “Kaiser” suggests, the PRMA could decide who qualifies and who doesn’t, applying its own criteria.
But, for the sake of argument, if the homeless whom PADS serves truly “do not qualify for transitional and/or permanent housing options,” then the people of Park Ridge deserve to know exactly why that is – and to know it BEFORE their representatives decide what kinds of restrictions and licensing requirements will be applied to homeless shelters.
Alpha & Watchdog,
I was thinking the same thing. What does someone have to do or say to not qualify for tranistional and/or permanent housing?
I thought we were told the people served by PADS were good people (top of the cauldron-whatever that means), just simply down on their luck.
I am glad to hear I wasn’t the only one who thought the cauldron lady was a little nuts. I do have to say I was kind of wrapt in attention to what she was saying, if only because I was waiting for her to finish then hop on her broom and fly out of the room.
I hope Kaiser has sent his/her questions as a Letter To The Editor for all to read!!! Thank you for putting into words what so many have been thinking.
c.c.c
Anon at 11:30
You are right on. Catholic Charities has a New Hope Apartment program. Both Mary Seat of Wisdom and St. Paul of the Cross have sponsored a family. They take extra collections at church to support this family. The family has a child with a severe facial disfigurement. The child has been having costly medical treatments. The father lost his job, they lost their house, etc. The two parishes in Park Ridge have been sponsoring the family. Last I heard, the father had gotten a new job and the family was getting back on their feet. This was a family that was truly down on their luck. By giving them a place to live and helping support them, we really showed this family that the Christian Community does care. It was not a flop house for a night, thrown in a gym with no privacy.
Kaiser,
You are so onto something when you ask who doesn’t qualify….
Felons, pedophiles, sex offenders, etc…
i keep reading everything i can find about this homeless shelter debate and about pads, and it totally amazes me how full of themselves the prma and the pro-pads people are for doing so little to really improve the plight of the homeless. they should be embarrassed over how much of a ruckus they are raising, and how much they are patting themselves on the back, over sticking some homeless people on cots in a school gym one night per week. that’s like writing one sentence and calling it a novel.
Fr Carl actually had time today to have this evenings mass. I really liked that he focused his sermon with PADS underlying it. Also, just so you all know, for the next meeting, the PADs folks have been told to “bring flashlights or candles.”
I can’t wait until Fr Carl moves to a new parish, because each week, less people are showing up to mass. Well, they probably found a normal church with a more direct focus, not a social work clinic.
–Young Physician, who has had it with St Paul’s ideas
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