Mayor Taylor wants to turn Tulsa into a bum magnet

[jamesrage]

Mayor Taylor wants to turn Tulsa into a bum magnet.

Coming soon to your neighborhood (unless you live in Kathy Taylor's neighborhood)Bums, bums and more bums and then more bums coming to Tulsa hoping to get free housing with no strings attached.

Why is it that people fail to grasp the logic that when you give something away for free with no strings attached that there will be more holding their hand out.

quote:
http://www.kotv.com/news/local/story/?id=129685

quote:
A Tulsa project could help bring hope to the homeless. The city is working with non-profit groups on a plan to help hundreds find permanent housing. Six in the Morning's Carina Sonn reports the units could be open within a year.

The new project, Building Tulsa Building Lives, will cost about $27 million over the next five years. The program will place a homeless person into a basic housing unit for free, and then provide services to deal with personal issues. A similar program is already operating in the city, and the Mental Health Association says 80% of the people do not return to being homeless.

Right now organizers are looking for housing locations, which will include single-room units.

Mayor Taylor says providing housing for the city's homeless is important, both from a social and economic standpoint. She hopes it will cut down on the number of visits to the hospital and the number of people arrested.

quote:
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=070617_1_A1_spanc56725
 

quote:
With the BOK Center set to open in September 2008 and other ongoing improvements in downtown Tulsa, a coalition of philanthropists, nonprofits and city officials are supporting a model that would place nearly 600 homeless people into permanent housing.

The first units in the project are expected to be operating within a year.

"From a humanitarian standpoint, it is vital to address the issue and there is also a cost benefit," Taylor said.

"By providing housing, it will cut down on emergency room visits, hospitalizations and arrests. It's an important issue from a social justice and economic development standpoint. It is expensive not to deal with these issues."

The strategy involves putting a homeless person into a basic housing unit with no strings attached. The person is then surrounded with services to help work on personal issues.

snip..

Locations are being sought to develop the housing units. The type of housing would be small units for single-room occupancy and would be a mix of subsidized and fair-market value units.

"We want it to be part of the community," said mayoral aide Dwain Midget. "We don't want anyone to walk down the street and see this as homeless housing. This is housing.

[sgrizzle]

Already discussed here:
http://tulsanow.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6858

I don't see this as a real attractor.

[Conan71]

Is there some way to adjust Jamesrages signature?   On my screen anyhow, whenever he posts it creates a scroll bar at the bottom of by screen and I have to scroll back and forth to read any posts on a thread.  Kind of annoying to have to do that.

Snitz won't "word wrap" the horizontal line made with underscores. I shortened it a bit and that seems to fix it. It thinks the horizontal line is one word and doesn't want to split a word across two lines.

[cannon_fodder]

Get a monitor made after 1998 and you wont have that problem.  Sheesh.

Actually, my guess is you are operating on a 14" flat panel Dell monitor.  That's my guess.

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by cannon_fodder

Actually, my guess is you are operating on a 14" flat panel Dell monitor.  That's my guess.

What are you? A freakin' psychic?  Dead-on correct.

"Tell him what he's won Johnny!"

[]

Thank you mod.

[Wilbur]

Look at what happened to San Francisco.  Years ago they started handing out $485 month checks to the homeless with hopes of stopping all the pan handling.  Guess what?  Lots of homeless moved to San Francisco to get the free checks.  Same thing will happen with this free housing.  It will encourage more homeless to move here.

[Rico]

I know for a fact there are many Viet Nam Vets that are homeless..

This condition has absolutely nothing to do with being a "bum"....

There are RN's that are homeless, Professors, professionals from every category....

and yes... there are "bums"....

Is the consensus that we should deny everyone so that the "bums" in the crowd do not get a handout...?

[Transport_Oklahoma]

Somehow, the problem has to be resolved.  Tulsa is worse than OKC in this regard.

Dowtown Fort Worth is alive round the clock.  They have police on bikes all around and there are no panhandlers.  

Dallas' Westend is nearly dead, and you can't go 4 blocks there without someone chasing you asking for money.

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by Transport_Oklahoma

Somehow, the problem has to be resolved.  Tulsa is worse than OKC in this regard.

Not true:

Nightly homeless (at a given point in time)
Tulsa: 559
OKC: 1555

Annual homeless (approximate total # people over the year)
Tulsa: 4100
OKC: 6000-8000

All figures c/o respective city newspapers, Tulsa World and Daily Oklahoman. Tulsa numbers from 2007, OKC numbers from 2006 and they reported a 5% increase from 2005-2006 so likely add another 5%.

[Conan71]

Sgrizzle just got a lightbulb to go off in my head.  Let's build the 600 units in OKC.  That would solve our problem and OKC can remain first in everything in the state. [}:)]

[Wrinkle]

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

quote:Originally posted by Transport_Oklahoma

Somehow, the problem has to be resolved.  Tulsa is worse than OKC in this regard.

Not true:

Nightly homeless (at a given point in time)
Tulsa: 559
OKC: 1555

Annual homeless (approximate total # people over the year)
Tulsa: 4100
OKC: 6000-8000

All figures c/o respective city newspapers, Tulsa World and Daily Oklahoman. Tulsa numbers from 2007, OKC numbers from 2006 and they reported a 5% increase from 2005-2006 so likely add another 5%.

how come I'm never accosted by bums when I walk in downtown OKC?

[cannon_fodder]

The tourist areas are 'no go' zones for the bums.  Same with the River Walk in San Antonio or Beale Street in Memphis.  Only 'approved performers' and the like can solicit money in those areas.

Out of sight...

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by inteller

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

quote:Originally posted by Transport_Oklahoma

Somehow, the problem has to be resolved.  Tulsa is worse than OKC in this regard.

Not true:

Nightly homeless (at a given point in time)
Tulsa: 559
OKC: 1555

Annual homeless (approximate total # people over the year)
Tulsa: 4100
OKC: 6000-8000

All figures c/o respective city newspapers, Tulsa World and Daily Oklahoman. Tulsa numbers from 2007, OKC numbers from 2006 and they reported a 5% increase from 2005-2006 so likely add another 5%.

how come I'm never accosted by bums when I walk in downtown OKC?

Because they bussed them all to Tulsa.

[Breadburner]

How is our program working out....