Why has 519 not been reopened for the summer? The lame excuse is lack of funding.
Another is that it was "inhumane". I was down there the last night it was open. The men I spoke with found it a lot more inhumane to be forced into the streets:
At 519 they had a sense of community, safety, toilets (port a potties).
I had one shelter advocate quite proudly tell me that she advocated for 519 to be shut down because she thought it was no place for human beings to stay.
Again, she did not ask the people staying there what they preferred.
If the men staying at 519 thought the streets were better than 519 they would have headed for the streets----
But if they headed into the streets they would be criminals because it is against the law to try to survive in the streets.
Over the years, even in times of plenty, people who are homeless have been forced out of many "emergency" shelters on April 15th. It is a myth that has taken root that warmer weather means one can sleep outside.
Over the years I coordinated two shelters that closed on April 15th because of warm weather. It was heart breaking. The people staying in these shelters had no where to go.
The real answer as to why this situation exists is that people (people with homes) have not yet demanded a stop to this set of circumstances.
Please call or e-mail your county commissioners and city council members and the mayor. Many (not all) do not care about this issue because they do not feel they will be held accountable for the treatment of people who are homeless.
Margaret Hastings-Minneapolis-Kingfield
