November 28, 2006

There’s a new day coming

There’s as large vacant lot that abuts my neighborhood. It’s been the bane of our existence for many years. The acreage has belonged to a government entity that had no use for it and wanted to transfer it to another government entity. There was no real oversight, and the land became a favorite gathering place for crack users and criminal types. Stolen cars were frequently dumped there and most of those were torched. The vegetation is extremely dry most of the year, and the keawe trees (related to mesquite) make excellent fuel for barbecues and brushfires. Several years ago two homes in my community were destroyed by an out-of-control brushfire, and we have grown accustomed to dozens of fires each year. We finally persuaded the property manager to install a fence on our side of the property and that did cut down on commercial dumping and abandoned cars. A clean-up at the same time produced truckload after truckload of junk cars, construction debris, rusted appliances and other rubbish. We breathed a sigh of relief, but the other side of the property remained unfenced and it didn’t take long for the miscreants to discover the back way into the place. In the three years or so that followed, we battered ourselves against the bureaucracy and made little progress. A fire break that we were promised at the time of the clean-up finally materialized about two months ago.

Last night I met with two representatives from the state department that has now taken over the property. Their responsibility is to set up and implement a program to meet the needs of the homeless populations throughout the state. Their initial project, which will hopefully be the model for similar efforts statewide, is scheduled to start soon. Construction will begin as early as February on a transitional housing community, to be situated on that troublesome lot. This project is being constructed to provide for the homeless who live on â€œourâ€ beach, the one I see each time I leave my house, one of the beaches where I distributed books last week. The plans and drawings are stunning. A broad circle of residences will surround a large green space. One building will contain an adult learning center and space for community gatherings. Another will be a pre-school and daycare facility. Various support services which are desperately need by this fragile population will also have facilities on site. The first residences are slated to be ready in September of next year. Phase two, a little further down the road, will be an adjacent community of affordable housing, with preference given to those who have come through the transitional housing facility.

The reason I met with the people spearheading this project is that I am the president of the homeowners association for my community. There will inevitably be some squeaky wheels who donâ€™t want â€œthose peopleâ€ to move this close to their homes. Having heard rumors of this project a few weeks ago, I volunteered to serve as liaison between my own community and the state. The objections about property values I can handle. A planned community of working citizens will be much healthier for our property values than the threat we lived with for many years. I am confident that our security will be not be threatened by the new residents. Those whose lives are out of control due to substance abuse or who have violent backgrounds will be offered other transitional programs to get them off of the beach and into homes. The objections Iâ€™m most worried about addressing are the ones that have no bones. What bridge to reasoning can I offer for folks who donâ€™t recognize our neighbors on the beach as being our neighbors. The ones who carry irrational fears and prejudices. What arguments can be offered to those who sincerely believe that those who have been forced to live in sub-human conditions have given up their claim to humanity?

Iâ€™m still working on that one.

Posted by skeet @ 10:42 pm • Society & culture