tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9827454.post375425966941416864..comments2023-10-23T12:23:54.134-05:00Comments on Larry James' Urban Daily: Housing challengeLarry Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06124477733714017000noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9827454.post-14980146581259672182007-06-14T08:46:00.000-05:002007-06-14T08:46:00.000-05:00On Wed 6/13/07 Yesterday, Ed Oakley voted to destr...On Wed 6/13/07 Yesterday, Ed Oakley voted to destroy one of Dallas’ natural treasures. I guess money is more important than poor people and the environment.<BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>http://dallasprogress.blogspot.com/2007/06/ed-oakley-doesnt-care-about-poor-people.htmlMichael Davis-Dallas Progresshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00831025960436600726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9827454.post-51554316903441447302007-06-12T17:16:00.000-05:002007-06-12T17:16:00.000-05:00Last week I was told by Tyrone Passmore, the very ...Last week I was told by Tyrone Passmore, the very able Director of our only city-run homeless shelter, the Day Resource Center, that Miami Dade County’s Homeless Shelter was an excellent model. <BR/><BR/>I went to their website, and I was stunned by what I found there (in a good way), but I was also overwhelmed.<BR/><BR/>The ‘good way’ was that I downloaded 40 pages to study from the website, and it seemed to me to be an astonishingly comprehensive plan. I encourage everyone interested in housing and homelessness to look at it.<BR/><BR/>http://www.miamidade.gov/homeless/home.asp<BR/><BR/>The sense of being overwhelmed came from this: Where did the PUBLIC WILL come from to accomplish such a result????? What would it take for Dallas to approach it?<BR/><BR/>I also learned what I’ve heard from people around the homeless situation in Dallas: that our upcoming Homeless Assistance Center, though absolutely essential and an excellent step, is only one piece of the puzzle and will not solve the homeless problem in Dallas. <BR/><BR/>There are many other pieces, but probably the most important is... HOUSING, both transitional and permanent. <BR/><BR/>I’ve said it before and will doubtless say it many more times: to be a truly great city, we MUST address this issue. We are late in the game compared to many other cities, but that doesn’t mean we’re too late.<BR/><BR/>I am not the first person to observe that greatness involves compassion -- that concern for those among us who are in difficulty is the ‘enlightened’ part of ‘enlightened self-interest.’ It is in the interest of each of us to take these problems seriously and to work together to solve them -- including and especially the long-term housing needs of our city -- because we CANNOT and MUST NOT continue to pretend they can be hidden or swept away by ordinances and half-measures which attempt to make homelessness and poverty invisible.<BR/><BR/>When I’m profoundly in need of inspiration and direction, I often go to Henri Nouwen. He never disappoints me. Here’s a quote from his essay entitled “The Path of Power,” from the book Finding My Way Home:<BR/><BR/>“We ask ourselves, ‘Where are the men, women, and children who are waiting for us to reach out to them?’ Poverty in all its forms, physical, intellectual, and emotional, is not decreasing. To the contrary, the poor are everywhere around us and beyond -- more than ever. As the powers of darkness show their hideous intentions with increasing crudeness, the weeping of the poor become louder and louder and their misery more and more visible. We who yearn for peace must thrive to keep listening and to keep looking. We must not run away from this painful sight.<BR/><BR/>...I am convinced that we are people who are ready to help with money, time, and talent. But we are often afraid to ENTER INTO THE CHAOS SURROUNDING SITUATIONS OF POVERTY, and WE WILL REMAIN PARALYZED UNLESS WE DARE TO TAKE NEW RISKS. If we need to HAVE ALL OUR BASES COVERED BEFORE WE MOVE INTO ACTION, then nothing exciting ever happens, but IF WE DARE TO TAKE A VEW CRAZY RISKS BECAUSE GOD ASKS US TO DO SO, many doors that we didn’t even know existed open before us.” [emphasis mine]<BR/><BR/>I see the problems on the streets of Dallas first hand on a weekly basis, but rarely, if ever, feel that I have any answers. But, you, Larry, have so much information about the solutions and the challenges to implementing those solutions. Thank you for being a beacon in putting them out there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com