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Read comments (15)Carl Bailey appeared before Bedford County Board of Commissioners' courthouse and county property committee on Tuesday to discuss his proposal for Community Religious Outreach Social Services and request the use of the house.
The committee voted to pass the request on to the full commission, but wants to make sure that any lease agreement holds the county harmless from liability arising from the use of the property.
Bailey said the current economic conditions and a decline in charitable giving and social service agency budgets have made it more difficult to respond to individuals and families in need. He said CROSS will be a way for the county's faith community to come together and meet such needs.
Bailey said the shelter would house homeless families for up to 30 days and would provide child care for up to 90 days, so that even after a family moved out of the shelter they could use the child care facility while establishing themselves in new jobs or living quarters.
Bailey said the lack of affordable low-income child care is a major contributor to poverty. There would be one paid employee, but the facility would be primarily operated by volunteers and financial contributions from area churches. Bailey has been discussing a funding formula with area churches based on a specific amount per church member per month.
Bailey said he is not asking for any financial support from city or county government -- both of which are expecting budget cuts in the current year. His written proposal indicates that city and county funding would be "limited to assistance with fixed operating costs, i.e., insurance, utilities and facility maintenance," but he told the Times-Gazette on Wednesday that the written proposal was out of date and that he was no longer planning to ask for government financial support for those issues. Instead, that would become a part of the budget to be funded by church contributions.
Bailey said a board of community leaders is now being assembled so that the group can organize.
Surplus FEMA trailers would be used for the shelter, said Bailey, who works with Bedford County Emergency Management Agency. A surplus portable classroom from the school system would become the child care center.
The house on North Main has been used by several agencies over the years. It was the home of the Child Development Center at one time, and was later used by local law enforcement as a safe and private place to interview child sexual abuse victims. It is currently unused; a few months ago, a local developer appeared before the committee to suggest that it be put up for sale. North Main Street has become Shelbyville's fastest-growing commercial corridor in recent years.
Because the site is jointly owned, both city and county governments would have to agree on any lease to CROSS, or any other disposition of the property.
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262 North Main Street, thats a mistake by the paper, there is no location with that address. A correction would be appreciated.
Regardless of where CROSS decides to have this Homeless Shelter located here in Shelbyville. I would like to offer my services in any possible way to them.
Please do let the t-g know when you are in need of any helping hands there are plenty of people here in this town who will help you get this important project off the ground and running.
This small place would be a good start but perhaps it could wind up at a place that had room to expand.
I'd want to see it be multi-use.
In addition to providing temorary shelter for individuals and families and 24 hour child care,it could be a clearing house for assistance programs providing food,continuing education,housewares and clothing.
There would need to be provisions made for pets as many homeless people and abuse victims have no secure place for the non-humans in their families.
(One can look back to the Katrina survivors who were ready to sacrifice their own safety rather than forsake their animal companions.)
This facility could direct people to the off-site programs they need (mental health,legal services,Habitat for Humanity,etc.) while offering many services that would give permanent upgrades to these people's lives.
Most of the clients will not be "losers" but people who have had a bad break and need a hand getting back on their feet.
They can be among those who will "earn their keep" by providing what skills they have to the support of the shelter.
Some of the stigma that might be attatched to use of this shelter could be removed if a casual observer wouldn't know if someone were there for job assitance,life skills training,a roof over their head,etc. or if they were there to pick up a food box,donate toys and baby clothes,assist with the victory garden,tutor,do minor car repair or help build/refurbish a home for someone in need.
What these people need most is hope.
Let them believe they can survive and turn their lives around and many of them will be ready to give back to the community that helped them.
They might do errands and chores for a shut-in,do clerical work,fix snacks, clean,do home repairs, write a newsletter, create a web page or other tasks that would otherwise be farmed out.
If the most one can hope for is a chance to sleep safely in a malfunctioning car under the bridge,then it's hard to shape a worthwhile future.
Give someone enough security and structure that they can concentrate on getting beyond the needs of the moment and they can stop being victims or users and start contributing to the improvement of others' lives as well as their own.
Superx1250, I think you missed the point here. There were flyers posted in other countrys advertising to come to Shelbyville to work at Tysons. Word was also spread to folks back home in their countrys that it was a good place to live with all medical and taxes paid for them. Hundreds came with no place to live and this is what is left here. I know a girl who has lived here her whole life and was denied assistance because her father was gainfully employed and able to support her and her children. If she had been an immigrant, she would have been helped here. I just feel we have many people who have lived here a long time that need the help and they are not getting it. Either because it is not there or they are to proud to ask for it. Yes I have lived in a car and still managed to keep clean and for appearance sake, no one knew where I spent my nights.
i never said that these people were bad, or that all of them had substance abuse problems. i said alot of them do. it may be other problems they need counseling with i was jsut giving an example. i have been without a place to live and you know what i did? i went to work. i worked 18hrs a day 7 days a week until i got back on my feet. i didnt have any children so i got off alot easier. i do believe people with children need help, and we do need a place like this here, i would love to volunteer some of my time or money to something like this, provided its not a shelter for illegal immigrants. it brings me joy that its not being paid for with tax dollars, we need more of this kind of help, with less government dependance.
why does bedford county always have to use surplus equipment. I think it is a great idea. But we need to build a facility rather than have a bunch of old run down trailers on our main road running through town. That will always be the case. Fix a problem with a temporary solution rather than a permanent one.
Nailman... you sir, have obviously never been down on your luck. With your attitude, I sincerly hope you never fall on hard times. Even with an education and what I felt to be a secure job, I lost employment just prior to the holidays several years ago, and seriously wondered if I was a few weeks away from homelessness. Unless you're sitting on a nice nest egg, which most of the working class today is not, you're 1 downsizing away from homelessness yourself.
Or maybe you need a good dose or reality ?
I think this is awesome!!!! I would volunteer my time!! I have always held a burden in my heart and felt the need of a homeless shelter. I will definitely keep heads up on this idea!!
I would be the first to say we don't need any more illegal immigrants in this town but with that said ...we as a community can NOT turn our backs on them or anyone else who needs help. If our government will not take the responsibility of returning them to their countries then we must provide safety for them. I wouldn't let a kitten starve to death much any human.
Why should it matter how long they have lived in Shelbyville? Do you know where the homeless people in Shelbyville have to go now for help? Murfreesboro or Nashville..what if it was you or your family? What if Murfreesboro or Nashville had the same attitude, that only their long time Residents will receive the help they need?
Do you realize how impossible it is to find any sort of job when you have no address or no phone, just think about it for a minute. Do you realize they can not even receive food stamps without an address? Can you imagine your child living in the backseat of your car and trying to attend school, dirty and hungry?
I know many people in this town wish to believe we do not have that problem here in Shelbyville but they need to open their eyes because we do.
Wow can people be cruel or what? They are trying to help people! HELP! Not encourage poverty. Good lord people do you actually read what you post here? Worried about what it will look like or how it will affect the already well to do folks... Listen A LOT OF PEOPLE are suffering due to higher prices of everything and Layoffs! More business are closing. Where does this leave the average everyday hard working man? Well... homeless. So rather than get on here and gripe why don't you ask yourself where you could help out. It could be you next.
As long as this is used for people who have lived here for several years and are now just down on their luck. If this is more handouts to the immigrants and welfare recipients then I think it is the wrong thing to do. This town is already looking run down and unkept from the way these people live. You don't have to have money to pick up your trash and keep things clean.
We need this, no matter where it is located..there are many Families right here in Shelbyville who are living in their cars due to lost jobs. People with children.
Most of these people do not have substance abuse problems if they do we have Tony Rice Center for that.
Just because they are homeless does not make them bad people, many are just looking for a hand up not a hand out.
i hope this is a place of counseling and help, not just a shelter. alot of these people have abuse problems and without an answer to these underlying issues they may just keep coming back.
And one more thing, would this "Outreach" be helping people here in our community or are we going to be bringing MORE people here? We don't have the jobs to give to more people.
Why does it have to be on North Main? Isn't there something on Madison Street? They need some growth on that end too.