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Read comments (13)Dr. Carl Bailey, who spearheads the county's Emergency Management Agency Avian Flu preparedness program and its shelter program, asked the council for the zoning change so that four trailers can be placed behind a house at 262 North Main St., which is owned jointly by the city and county.
Bailey provided council members with his proposal for Community Religious Outreach Social Services (CROSS), which he says would help people get back on their feet.
The property is one acre and the building would not change except for a new paint job, Bailey said. Access to the property is off North Jefferson Street. The building is currently not habitable. CROSS is also in the process of being registered as a non-profit organization.
The trailers have been surpluses by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after being cleared after a recent formaldehyde scare, Bailey told the council. The trailers would be used for the homeless or disaster victims.
Bailey has already spoken to some county officials about the proposal and will soon provide them a full presentation about CROSS. The full county commission has already turned down Baliey's first request and councilman Lee Roy Cunningham said he has heard from some business owners who say that they do not want the facility on North Main.
Bailey said his proposal had already been made to the county's property committee and was forwarded to the full commission with a favorable recommendation, "but it somehow got lost in the shuffle and all they heard was I wanted to put a homeless shelter and trailers on North Main Street. I wouldn't want that either," Bailey said.
Since moving here from California, Bailey said he became aware of the poverty level in the county and the need of those caught in the situation. "I don't propose in any way 'a soft services' facility," Bailey said, such as anger management or parenting classes. Instead, Bailey wants CROSS to meet immediate needs, such as shelter.
"I know of 30 families in this county right now who are homeless," Bailey said. "They are living on the street, in cars, in motels at the expense of churches, and they quickly run out of the ability to pay $40 or $50 dollars a night."
The facility would provide interim, short-term shelter, so that people can get back on their feet, off the poverty rolls and back to work.
The basement would be dedicated to a community pantry, and an office would be dedicated to a cultural integration office to help the county's minority community, such as Hispanics and Somali refugees.
"If you think that Bedford County is going to grow with just white Anglo-Saxon Protestants, I think you're mistaken," Bailey said. "We will grow with diversity and different cultures. We need to effectively integrate them into the community."
Bailey also said that he spoke with the deputy director of Tennessee's Department of Children Services, who told him that if the cost of taking care of children of single-parent families could be done away with, it would take care of about 40 percent of those at the poverty level in Bedford County.
A surplus portable classroom from the school system has been located that could be used for child care while the parents go to work. Bailey said that CROSS is not trying to compete with all the child care facilities in the county, which charge $90 per child a week or $120 for two kids.
"A single person working at a low income job ... can't pay that, because they'd have nothing left to eat," Bailey said. "So they choose not to work and stay on welfare and be their own child care. We want to break that cycle." Bailey said the child care would be $25 to $50 a week.
Also planned is a ride to work program, Bailey said. He said he's been getting "very positive support" from the pastors of area churches for the idea, who have already promised the donations of vehicles and volunteers.
Bailey also stressed that he was not trying to supplant any existing organization, but just wants to meet immediate housing needs, food and clothing, and employment help. Bailey said according to Tyson's human resource manager, there are currently 95 jobs open at the poultry processing plant.
"We can put 95 people who are on welfare to work," Bailey said. "But they need a way to get there and a place to stay."
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Give them shelter, but not in my back yard.
Give them food, but make sure it's not better than the food I eat.
Give them a skill, so they can get a job. Ooops, wait a minute, are we sure they want to work?? Are they able to work? What if they don't want to work and/or aren't "able" to work?? What happens then? Are we going to provide them with birth control so they don't let their already grim situation become even more hopeless? Are we going to provide counseling so they don't repeat the mistakes that got them into this mess to start with? No one in America should freeze to death. But, what are we going to do with the people who come here from all over the south looking for a hand out, i mean up? If a guy walked here from Alabama, how many more will follow?? It reminds me of the South Park episode where one of the kids gave a homeless man money, and suddenly the town was over-run with homeless people. And the homeless that have mental/psych problems? What are we going to do to help them? It's a nice feel good idea, but before you start something that could easily get out of hand, you should probably triple all of your figures. 30 families could turn into 100 in a matter of months. It's been my experience that a majority, not all, but a lot of people get themselves into the same situations over and over, and no matter how many times you try to help them, get them on their feet, you're only spinning your tires. As soon as you turn around, they're right back where you found them. Cynical? Probably.
JenniferC sometimes you will see a person whose clothes are wrinkly, dirty/dusty, look like they did not comb their hair, or look like they have been sleeping outside. Sometimes they look like they haven't had any sleep or have been drinking. This person is usually homeless. Alot of times these people have pschological problems and emotions. You may see them in a daze, or talking to themselves.
Also anyone or Adult and children, that does not have a permanent place of stay. They will often stay at different places as they get a little money to cover a week to a month. Jumping from friends to family until their welcome is worn out. This is very sad and hard on the children. These people not only need Shelter, they need training or mentoring on how to get and keep a job to support them and their family. Which will be hard at first, because more than likely the jobs they get are going to be "LOW INCOME", so they will continue to struggle for awhile, until they can do better.
Where are you guys seeing homeless people in Shelbyville? I don't think I have ever seen one. If I wanted to help them, how would I find them?
I was told just last week the Housing Authority has a six month waiting list. A couple with a newborn was searching for a place to stay and that's what they were told.
If you think that Bedford County is going to grow with just white Anglo-Saxon Protestants, I think you're mistaken," Bailey said. "We will grow with diversity and different cultures. We need to effectively integrate them into the community
Our community did quite well for years and will in the future. There are limited jobs here and with influx of non english speaking immigrants with no skills, it is difficult to find employment in Shelbyville. We cannot babysit all of these people until more industry comes to town. Churches cannot carry the burden. I found a man on the side of the road laying on a flat rock that said he had walked from Alabama because he heard that a church in Shelbyville would put him up for the night. What has happened to family taking care of family? I would not think of traveling to another town, state or country without the means to feed and shelter my family.
I do not disagree with what CROSS is attempting to do but why can't these 30 families take residence within the Housing Authority?
I deliver meals there and see empty units all the time. I see plenty of people hanging out in the streets during the day that live there and that obviously are living off the government. If they can live there why not the homeless?
P L E A S E N O T R A I L E R S or homeless shelters on MAIN ST!!! If there is such a need to house homeless why don't we put cots in the old Harris Gym at night like the Missions in Nashville.
It's amazing, when the government helps people outside our country, we have people complaining that we have homeless people in our own country we need to help. "And that is VERY TRUE". But then when someone gets motivated and a drive to do something to help people of this country we get IGNORANT Comments like:
>Lord help us teach these people to fish........all these fish we have been giving them has made them lazzy. Their freezers are running over with fish and now they won't even get up to go to the freezer to fix it. Oh lord......please bring them steak.........they say fish is not good enogh for them now.
Amen<
Your mockary of prayer may place you on the other end toward asking for help yourself.....
I do agree with writeattitude, I rather this was not done on North Main street.
PLEASE COUNCIL MEMBERS, NO TRAILERS IN FRONT OF , BEHIND OR BESIDE ANY ADDRESS ON NORTH MAIN STREET! THE PEOPLE OF THIS TOWN ARE CRYING OUT TO CLEAN THIS CITY UP AND MAKE IT MORE PRESENTABLE TO ATTRACT INDUSTRIES TO PROVIDE MORE JOBS AND SECURITY FOR US ALL. WE WILL ALL BE HOMELESS AND NEED TRAILERS IF ALL THE INDUSTRIES KEEP LEAVING TOWN. I WANT TO HELP (THOSE WHO ARE WILLING TO HELP THEMSELVES) BUT I DON'T WANT TO KEEP PROVIDING A CRUTCH FOR GENERATION AFTER GENERATION OF DEPENDENCY ON OTHERS TO PROVIDE FOR THEIR WELL-BEING. AND JUST IN CASE I STAND CORRECTED, I DO KNOW THAT TYPING IN ALL CAPS SIGNIFIES SHOUTING. I'M SHOUTING OUT, NO MOBILE HOMES, NO FEMA TRAILERS, NO MORE DEPRECIATING STRUCTURES TO DEFACE OUR CITY, ESPECIALLY, OUR MAIN STREET, THE MAIN ENTRANCE TO OUR CITY. GOD BLESS ALL THOSE WITH A HEART TO HELP OTHERS, I APPLAUD YOU (ALSO LOUDLY) BUT PLEASE BE DISCRETIONARY HOW YOU GO ABOUT IT SO THAT IT DOES NOT HINDER THE PROGRESS OF OTHERS!
There are a lot of homeless people living on the street in Bedford Co. there is nowhere here for them to go and we do need a shelter.No one deserves to freeze or starve to death. It is hard for them to get a job with dirty clothes no place to bathe or clean up. Some of them you can't help but some of them have just been dealt a bad hand and just need a little help.
doe-c-doe you hit the nail right on the head. If someone is wanting to pray..... they shuld pray the prayer:
Lord help us teach these people to fish........all these fish we have been giving them has made them lazzy. Their freezers are running over with fish and now they won't even get up to go to the freezer to fix it. Oh lord......please bring them steak.........they say fish is not good enogh for them now.
Amen
I agree with Mr. Bailey, we do have alot of people that need this type of help. But their also needs to be some type of training to help them get higher paying jobs so they can move on to their own places, and pay for their child care. Some of them need training on how to keep a job, and financial planning. It is alot more than just helping them get on their feet we need to help them to learn how to stay on their feet. Help them to build there credit up to buy them a small house, mortgage payments are lesser than renting. Keep the child care services available to them even if they are able to move out into their own place depending on their income or unless they find another care they can afford.
You also have to pay attention to make sure they are really trying to help themselves also, and not just trying to misuse the program. While they are on the program keep track of their progress, and check on everything to ensure they are doing their part to succeed. Some people just grow up not knowing how to live and survive on their own, so it would be good to have someone involved in the program that could help coach them in this type of neccessity to survive. My prayers are with you on the success of this, and the perfect area and place for all of this to take place.
Oh, look everyone! Tyson has 95 jobs open. What a freekin' joke!