They could be any person walking down the street. But they are not.
What sets them aside from most citizens of Ann Arbor is that they have no place to call home. The 420 Huron St. shelter is the closest many of the homeless come to having a place of their own. Because of lack of space, shelter residents are often forced to sleep on milk crates in the showers - hardly a warm and comforting environment. Low income housing and rehabilitative programs could provide a long-term solution to these mounting overcrowding problems.
The city of Ann Arbor continues to neglect its homeless population - primarily because of a prevailing belief that the homeless scar the city's reputation and communal ambiance. Last year, a measure to convert an old armory into a shelter failed. Instead, the city built luxury apartments.
Much of the city's neglect stems from the belief that a large homeless population detracts from business and increases crime. In an attempt to alleviate the "problem," the Washtenaw County Task Force on Homelessness has plans to build a new shelter miles out of town on Ellsworth Road. This simply placates into the "not-in-my-backyard" syndrome so prevalent in American society. Rather than dealing with the issue, the task force is literally pushing away what it considers a problem. It is executing the most expeditious solution; a solution that, in the long run, will solve little, and only compound the more profound problem of homelessness.
There would be numerous consequences to the shelter residents at 420 Huron St. if it is relocated outside city limits. First, the city of Ann Arbor will be extremely difficult to access, due to the cost and limited availability of public transportation. More than 50 percent of homeless residents have jobs in the city, traveling to which would be, at best, impractical and, at worst, impossible. Moreover, moving the shelter away from Ann Arbor further removes the residents from society, achieving the opposite effect of what should occur.
It is important to integrate, rather than segregate, homeless citizens. By isolating the shelter's residents, the task force would be depriving them of opportunities for friends, work and, more important, their sense of self.
The city fails to recognize the deep-rooted problem of homelessness. Shelters are intended only to be a temporary means to a greater solution. Currently, the Huron Street shelter does not offer skill- and job-building programs, alcohol and substance abuse seminars or psychological treatment. The shelter should play the role of an interim home, where residents can stay while they learn crucial skills and undergo rehabilitation.
The city does not bear the sole responsibility to help the homeless - students and other Ann Arbor residents must also assume a major role. The opportunities exist; from bucket drives to tutoring to serving food in one of the churches in the community. Groups such as Project Serve and the Shelter Association work intensely on these issues and can provide information and resources. People must accept that the problem is everybody's responsibility, and then take the initiative to change a typical apathetic and remiss public outlook.