Last Friday (June 15th) Cleveland police closed down the "tent city" under the pedestrian bridges by Cleveland Browns Stadium. Officials claimed it wasn't because they were creating an eyesore but rather that the area was not equipped to handle a tent city.Quick link you can google more.
Meanwhile some communities are attempting to raise awareness to the plight of the homeless by creating their own tent villages in protest. The actions are already spurring an increase in awareness and funding which will increase the operating hours of shelters and provide safer environments for those in need.
Now Cleveland does have some image issues (ghost town of a downtown, severe lack of nightlife/entertainment, major downtown cultural institutions randomly closed, declining population) but our homeless situation seems like one that we could actually attempt to handle. There are solutions coming into place such as Emerald Commons which is providing housing and services to homeless and disabled individuals and there are many models to look up to such as
I am curious, what with all the landbank, empty, vacant land around the city, would there be an issue with creating a place that has access to public washroom and perhaps some power? I know the argument against allowing the homeless to camp anywhere is that the locations they choose are not camp grounds (and the NIMBY mentality). Perhaps the simple solution may be to provide some sort of facility that offers the freedom many desire but still provides the basic services to promote some ideas of health (clean, running water, etc).
I don't know, it is early and I am tired.
Some good links...
Cleveland Homeless blog
Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeles
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