Fort Lauderdale is planning to close Tent City, its squalid downtown refuge for homeless people, when a new $7.9 million shelter opens in January. But, as revealed in last week's (8/19/98) City Link, a homeless man is suing to keep Tent City open. Should Tent City be shut down?
Jim Puckett,30
Land Surveyor - North Lauderdale
I agree that the people do need some support making the transition from the slump that they're in now to maybe a little better place, maybe a position or a job...given a second chance. But then again, the taxpayers do have a point on the money and where it's being spent to help out the homeless, and the homeless have to help out themselves or after they get help they're just going to sit back and keep taking, taking, taking. Does that mean shutting down Tent City?Just pushing them into a park is not going to make anything better. They do need a place to stay. They're down on their luck enough as it is without somebody hassling them.
Since the city is trying to provide a new place for them to go, they should understand that the city is still trying to help them and that's a lot more than they do in other places. I lived in New York and the homeless people slept in the train stations or the bus stations or wherever they could, and it was cold there. I think the homeless people should be thankful that they are being given a shelter and try to help themselves.There's not enough room in the new shelter for all of them, so should they be allowed to sleep in the park?It's a little unnerving, a little scary to walk by them, if they wouldn't approach you...I don't think many of them should be allowed to sleep in the park.
If the city is taking steps to provide additional services, then it's probably time to shut it down. If the new shelter won't accomodate all of the homeless, I would hope the city would be making other arrangements for the remaining people residing in Tent City. If the city is not making those kind of arrangements, then I would say they should. I can't advocate Tent City being kept open indefinitely because I think there's got to be a better solution, but until that solution is realized... Any ideas on a better solution? Probably a shelter similar to the one they're getting ready to open. If the people in Tent City don't want the restrictions...I don't think the city has any obligation to provide them with something specifically tailored to their needs. I have to live by rules in my life, and I think other people should too.
I think it should be shut down. We don't have to take care of homeless people. They should maybe give them a job. There are a lot of drugs there and it's really just really helping them stay homeless.Should homeless people be allowed to sleep in the park?No, it's a public area and it's closed after hours.Do we have an obligation to help the poor?Tell you the truth, maybe they shouldn't close Tent City. But they should have some restrictions on who can visit, what can be done there,make it better.
Yes, shut it down. Why don't these people work? If they worked just a little bit, they'd have money to sleep in a house - $75 a week. I wasn't born in this country. I came to this country with a 2-year-old girl and I worked my ass off. I put my daughter in a private school. I support my ex-wife and ny daughter, too. Some of them, it's not their fault but there are too many people on the street and some of them can do something. There are a lot of homeless people in Europe, too, but too many people don't want to work. If you give them a dollar, they don't spend it on a hamburger.
Commentary from City Link August 26, 1998