The following opinion piece was written by Trent Rosser.
Before I say anything, you must remember that this letter is of my opinion. My opinion is of my own and not necessarily represent “The Amarillo Pioneer” or its employees, or advertisers. This past Thursday there was a town hall meeting about what the city calls “Tent City”. Now if you do not know what Tent city is let me enlighten you. A group of homeless have set up tents on private property. It is now run by Christ Church and is now called Camp of New Beginnings. An ordinance was passed prohibiting camping on public property. So eventually they homeless residents obeyed the new law and moved to private property. Problem solved, right? Wrong!
From what I learned from talking to many people the city informed them that they would need to have dumpsters. So, with the help of volunteers, dumpsters were provided. Then they were informed that they needed restrooms, again, with the help of volunteers, port a potty’s were provided. Then suddenly, an ordinance was found that said that you could not camp for more than 72 hours at a time within the city limits of Amarillo. So now, they must move and this time they have no where to go. Amarillo Assistant City Manager Kevin Starbuck and James Allen of the Community Development Department Administrator for the City of Amarillo assured us that there are plenty of programs and places for the homeless to go. Anyone that wished to speak last night was informed that if you ask what a solution would be, that they had to offer a solution first. Mr. Starbuck and Mr. Allen both danced around the question of where they are to go. They kept iterating that there are plenty of places to help in Amarillo.
Unfortunately, that is not the case.
Immediately after the meeting I called the Salvation Army to inquire how many beds are available. I was told that at that time, there were only 5 beds available for the women and 4 beds for the men. If you show up after 10 pm you will not be able to stay. I was unable to get a hold of anyone at Faith City Mission at that time. So, on Friday I made a few rounds and learned quite a bit. I talked with Stephanie Pena at the Salvation Army. She explained that they might have had a new night monitor and did not realize that they can bring out cots if the beds become full. She said that they can house up 230 to 250 people, and could house more with extra cots and possible open up their chapel as well. Now with everything in life there are rules to follow. You must be checked in by 10 pm. If you are not there by 10, you will not be able to stay there. Now here is the kicker on this: If you are homeless and trying to improve yourself, you will need a job. Even fast food you must start at the bottom and may have to work until close. The only way to be able to stay at Salvation Army is if you have a work schedule. What if you are asked to come in and work the next day and it is supposed to be your day off. It is not on the schedule. How will the night monitor know that you worked? I understand that some homeless do not want to follow the rules and that is their prerogative. But the ones that try are the ones being punished. I also talked with a few homeless from Guyon Saunders Resource Center and they said that they hate going there due to the night monitors attitudes. They are looked down on and made to feel worse than they already are.
Speaking of Guyon Resource Center, I stopped by there also. Now this is NOT a bed facility. This is a day center. I was impressed with what they do to help. They will help get id’s for homeless so they will be able to stay in a shelter. They provide laundry, showers and even mail. They are actually trying to help the best they can to get the homeless back on their feet. They do have a new executive director and I am really hoping that he can read this. GET MORE SECURITY! After I talked with the dayroom advocate, I had to use the restroom. 2 men walked in behind me and an exchange was made. There are more than just the homeless at this place and it needs to be corrected. The security guard is just 1 person and he can not control everyone. Were these 2 men homeless? I do not know, but I am 99 percent sure what I seen and it doesn’t look good for a family that is trying to claw their way back out of the gutter. Not everyone that is homeless is selling or doing drugs. Please don’t let 1 bad apple spoil the bunch.
I have mentioned before in my column that at one time I too was homeless here in Amarillo. I was also Homeless in Austin, Texas. I have crawled my way back out of the gutter like so many of the homeless here are trying to do. One thing that pulled at my heart string is that I learned that the residents must pay $30 a month to stay at “New Beginning” aka “Tent City”. Two of the residents Amanda Stuart and Allison Brock said that it gave them a little hope and pride to be there. It made them feel good to pay and to know that paying rent shows that they are making progress. Mrs. Stuart stated “ I feel like a dog being kicked while I’m down.”
I also stopped by Faith City Mission. They were still a little jumpy after what happened there recently, and I don’t blame them. They have a check in time as well and it is right after supper is served, which is about 6 pm. They have a capacity of 39 beds total. Along with an id you also need a copy of NCIC from the police department. Like the Salvation Army anyone with a sex offense will not be allowed to stay. Again, understandable due to the women and children that stay there as well. I finally went to City Hall to try to get some more questions answered. I was informed that Mr. Starbuck was out for the day. The receptionist went to talk to someone else and came back to try to find someone that would talk to me. No one was in their office at the time and I never received a call back from anyone to answer the few questions I had. So my questions are; why did this ordinance just come up after all this time. Why could it not have come up when the church was informed that they needed dumpsters or toilets? Why can you not repeal the ordinance like others have in the past? When will the fines start and how do you expect a homeless person to pay a fine? Will they serve time in jail if they can not pay the fine? Will you bulldoze the tents down? And final question, I never heard of a solution from anyone with the city, so where are they suppose to go for now? I heard that there are places to go, but I do not see it that way. I myself would rather sleep under the stars than in a shelter that is dirty and smelly (was informed by 2 homeless that is the reason they do not go to a shelter). Where will you put the residents until they can get more help for the area agencies?
I also agree with what a person did say, the area agencies need to stop bickering with each other. Who care who did more or who didn’t do something. United we stand, divided and the homeless fall even farther! I have an idea! How about we let them stay, and when the new “MPEV” is built, they will be able to stay there. Have the tents up on left field? After all, it is supposed to be a Multi-Purpose Event Center. Again, just my opinion.
