City trying to deny Church right to shelter homeless, on Homeless Mem. Day!

City of Middletown says warming station in church breaks zoning laws
By Heather Yakin
Times Herald-Record
December 20, 2008 6:00 AM

MIDDLETOWN — The warming station for Middletown's dispossessed has opened — and if city officials try to stop the operation, they may run afoul of federal law.

The station, at the former First Presbyterian Church building on Orchard Street, provides a warm place at night for up to 20 of the city's homeless. The station is the work of Middletown clergy, service organizations and the Emergency Housing Group.

The City of Middletown sent its fire inspector Tuesday to check the premises for problems. Nothing of note was found, said Public Works Commissioner Jacob Tawil.

Alex Smith, the city's corporation counsel, said the station is a residential use, not permitted in the district, and the city will file a zoning violation against the church.

In 2007, the city barred adult care facilities, charitable institutions and similar uses for the downtown business district, where the church is.

The Rev. Jack Lohr, pastor of the United Presbyterian Church, which was formed when First and Webb Horton Memorial Presbyterian merged, said the clergy sought legal advice. They were told the use would be grandfathered under old zoning; that city zoning illegally bars religious uses downtown; and that the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 could protect the station as an exercise of religion.

Lohr said the warming station is a faith response to homelessness, backed by the community, and that with it, the city is a better place for everyone.

"This is what churches do," Lohr said. "At the bottom, no one should have to be out there on a night like last night."

Wednesday night, four people sought shelter at the church.

more at link:

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081220/NEWS/812200336

There is a church willing to fund its own homeless shelter, but someone is worried about zoning laws? How utterly asinine is that?

:grr: :cry: :cry: :cry: If the churches aren't allowed to help, and the government won't help, who then? Light a candle for the homeless today...Thanks for caring, Natural High!!

but yours are perfect for this story. This should sadden and infuriate us all.

And yours is certainly in the right place, thanks again!:fistbump:

:grr:

Thanks for caring, Casey!! :pals:

have been given some sort of zoning exemptions.

On a twist of that, maybe the mayor could become homeless...as the citizens depended on her...

when it comes to saving lives must these inane and outdated laws be used as an excuse, what about compassion and human decency? And if they won't allow the church to help and there is no money for housing, what are people supposed to do?

Especially as Middletown is getting hit with the second snowstorm in three days! :nuke:

the worst consequence of their "endeavours." Worse than hatred. Indifference. Reptilian.

I almost wrote that, thanks for the correction!! Cold blooded murder...

MAYOR Hon. Marlinda Duncanson
(845) 346-4100



http://www.middletown-ny.com/mayor.htm

I will spread this information far and wide!!!:yourock:

With info to help you contact legislators (thanks Dajoki!):

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=4656815

She needs reminding...

we think are disregarding human life.

This is BEYOND DISGUSTING.....

.....

.....

...

but, it's not at all surprising...

:cry:

Thanks, Mary! :hug: I appreciate all your efforts on this!

glad to be of service :hug:

are so bad, even the bail-outs will be unsuccessful, and will, in fact, make the depression even more profound and intractable.

Instead he argues that the money should immediately be spent on "essential human needs":

"The one place we can and should spend is on essential human needs; that is, food, shelter and clothing. We can provide barracks-style shelter, cafeteria-style food, basic medical care and donation-based clothing for millions of Americans for a song compared to these "bailouts" and we both can and must. Every state should have these centers established in major cities and at least one at or near its geographic center (or the closest reasonable place to it) in which all United States Citizens (but no illegal aliens) can come, reside, eat and obtain basic clothing and medical care at no cost to them. This can be done at a cost of single-digit dollars per day per person, and we must. This is a social imperative and we simply have to be prepared to provide it.
We can rebuild our economy, but we must do so from a stable base. The GDP contraction that is to come must be accepted, and we can no longer fund false GDP "growth" with an ever-increasing debt load.

Our choice is to accept this now or have it forced upon us in the future, with that future date approaching at a rapid rate and the amount of damage increasing with every day we delay."

Here is the link:

http://market-ticker.org/archives/695-Were-All-Madoff.html

Will we just watch them starve? so many came here to avoid starvation...

articles.

I did get the impression the author is a hard case. I've never been in a position to credit-card surf, or had the requisite mentality, but to call it a pyramid scheme is ludicrous. Pyramid schemes rely on the ingenuousness of their victims. Card surfers aren't ingenuous, so they aren't victims. The credit-card companies are the victims of the equally shrewd and worldly, and they know it. But they make enough sucking in poor souls who are going to fall foul of it and end up as the victims.

His point about the cellphones is a logical fallacy, failing to take into account any "weighting" in terms of intensiveness of use by category of user. Likewise his contention that because many poor people are overweight or technically obese, they could afford to save up for their old age. This article by a wonderful physician gives the lie to that:

http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/9413

In fact, had the US not battened on the poor in South America, its counties might have had democracies by now, and their people more than happy to stay in their own country.

And economic justice is mandated for our survival. And the survival of these poor homeless who may be denied their shelter...

:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:
:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:
:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:

:nuke: thanks...

:kick:

said it was 'unsafe'. Bullshit, we have Gallup, ConAgra, all those fucks on the riverfront now and they wanted them gone. And gone there were. There tents and posessions all rounded up.

Right, this city was concerned with their safety. Omaha is got at least (so I've been told by smarter people than myself) 2,000 homeless kids on our streets on any given night. But we are buildind a huge new baseball stadium to make the College World Series people happy. Although a couple years back we dumped in millions to refurbish Rosenblatt Stadium so that it was beautiful.

I wish these people could be paid back in kind.

:nuke:

As a nation, we've lost our soul.

L-O-S-T.

GONE.

DEAD.

are being persecuted. The most defenseless amongst us have no hero, no champion to save them from those that prey on the weak.

Yep. We are a really screwed up nation.

When you link to a story about a city, can we put in the name of the state in parenthesis or at the bottom of the post?

I'm not picking on you, maryf - it's just something I see done a lot and I'm not sure which state I'm reading about. Sometimes the link doesn't even readily tell me.

I'd just like to know. It's not a big deal. :)


Now, regarding the story... this smacks of Guilianism. Keep the homeless from being downtown so the tourist don't see them. Chase them into the even poorer districts, where they're more likely to get accosted because of either lack of education or lack of financial stability.

How 'bout we provide a place for them to go? It can't cost as much as subsidizing Halliburton and KBR!!

Its Middletown NY, home of Orange County choppers and about 70 miles northwest of NYC (and no offense, reasonable request!). And yes Rudy certainly started a trend, didn't he? And your last point, how about providing them with a place to go, like a home maybe?? Absolutely again, housing is a universal human right!!

And, thanks for agreeing. This is a big country and there are a lot of similarly named cities.

:hi:

Can you afford 15 minutes a week to help fight poverty...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=4697093&mesg_id=4697758

and failing more often than not.

The callousness and cowardice of politicians, from the local up to the national stage, never ceases to support the cynicism I feel for our so-called system.

Think of those you may be helping without your even knowing it! and your heart certainly uplifts many!! :pals:

I have been thinking about this alot lately and it makes it hard to feel celebratory.

Christmas was outlawed in England in the early 17th century, and as a result was not celebrated in colonial America. In 1644, the English Parliament outlawed the holiday. Here, starting in 1659 the celebration of Christmas was illegal in Massachusetts, and any showing Christmas spirit could be fined. It was not until 1870 that Christmas was officially declared a holiday in the United States.

The poorest of the poor in England carried on the tradition of Christmas celebration, and without interference by "lords, church and crown" made the holiday their own. From that a rich tradition of rustic Christmas carols was passed down, many of them rollicking and others poignant and moving.

Behold a Silly Tender Babe

Behold a silly tender babe,
In freezing winter night,
In homely manger trembling lies:
Alas! A piteous sight.
The inns are full; no man will yield
This little Pilgrim bed;
But forced He is with silly beasts
In crib to shroud his head.

Despise Him not for lying there;
First what He is inquire:
And orient pearl is often found
In depth of dirty mire.
Weigh not His crib, His wooden dish,
Nor beasts that by Him feed;
Weigh not His Mother's poor attire,
Nor Joseph's simple weed.

This stable is a Prince's Court,
The crib His chair of state,
The beasts are parcel on His pomp,
The wooden dish His plate;
The persons in that poor attire
His royal liveries wear;
The Prince Himself is come from heaven,
This pomp is prized there.

With joy approach, O Christian soul,
Do homage to thy King;
And highly praise His humble pomp,
Which He from heaven doth bring.'

Your fount of knowledge is never ending! Such a good way to point out that the homeless people we see may be "orient pearls", how a city can deny them their right to a shelter, and the right for a church to give them one is far beyond me...

The archaic meaning for the word "silly" - helpless, weak, rustic, plain; lowly in station; humble

"Silly" people were poor people, humble people.

The interpretation of the Nativity narrative of the poor is largely unrecorded and unremarked, as are all things from the poor - the "silly" - to this day.

The story of a child being born in brutal poverty to despised and outcast parents, turned out into the winter cold and taking refuge in a stable, and then this child being a King, without ever attaining wealth or power or position but simply by loving and caring for others, is a story that is strangely discordant with the understanding of most modern well-off people. But is is central to the experience of the common people, and has been passed down through the centuries - if only we will listen.

The triumph of love and compassion over power and wealth is the true story here, in so far as our ancestors were concerned, and almost all of us are descended from "silly" people. As we all slide relentlessly back now into that dark world of want and suffering from which we all came, it is good to reclaim our heritage, our mythology, and take it back from "lord and church and crown."

"Let the man with two tunics share with him who has none, and let him who has food do likewise."

"When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and repayment come to you. But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

"And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles' feet; and they would be distributed to each, as any had need."

blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you;"

Seems I've heard this before.... What an important value to remember. Too bad we've strayed so far from this!!

A story for all beliefs, wonderful and true interpretation of both stories, thanks again so much, :pals:

I did send a letter to the editor, and tried to call the mayor's office and will try again after this weekend; I did not want to leave a message! Anyway, have not heard from the paper, and not seen my letter so I assume it will not be published, I'd like to share for anyone who might catch this:

To the Editor;

City Zones Homeless out of Church Shelter

It was with great dismay that I read of the City of Middletown's attempt to disallow the use of the First Presbyterian Church as a shelter for the homeless. It is more than a cold action, it is an egregiously inhumane one. I find it unconscionable that those who are elected to represent their citizens have so little regard for the "least of our brethren" that they can deny them potentially life saving shelter. For shame.

Another point that this brings up is the misunderstanding that all homeless are mentally disabled or drug addicted (thus doubly in need of our compassion). Over sixty per cent of homeless people arrived at their sad state through bad luck and hardship. With foreclosures and unemployment on the rise homelessness is on the rise as well.

What many do not know is that the number one cause of homelessness is the lack of low-income housing. Many simply cannot afford the few places available, and waiting lists are long. With this in mind shouldn't the city of Middletown focus more on trying to solve the low cost housing dilemma rather than deny human beings a place out of the cold?