The Bad News Report

[deleted]

There are exponentially more homeless and panhandlers compared to when I moved here in 2004.  Still, it's a tiny fraction compared to the hordes of homeless in San Diego.  I have to disagree that most homeless men want that lifestyle and chose it over a home, decent job and family.  I've never met a homeless person in their right mind who was happy living on the streets (and I've talked to many).  Now, it is true that many choose homelessness over living in a shelter and there are reasons why they do that.  Also, many homeless have mental illness and/or drug and alcohol addiction (so they aren't making rational decisions).  Regardless of the reason, I think society should in some way provide humane living accommodations for people on the street but even then, many would decline for various reasons.  I say none of this to excuse the bad decisions many made that led them to being homeless and like others I'm also frustrated by those who could work and refuse to do so.  I do know that not every person gets the same opportunities and that African American males face much longer odds for success than I did (both political parties have totally screwed AA's over, IMO).   

http://www.endhomelessness.org/pages/faqs

 

Edited June 5, 2016 by JBS
I meant to post this link...

[KJHburg]

Charlotte has a great program with the Moore Place in NoDa area but many of these people, as others have said don't want the help, because they are blinded by alcohol and or drug addictions. Atlanta had a very severe panhandling problem and they really cracked down on it as it was affecting their convention business downtown. It is a nationwide problem but our city needs to step up.  Moore Place is a national model with SRO single residency occupancy housing. http://www.urbanministrycenter.org/moore-place-success-captures-national-local-headlines/   check it out.  But more enforcement needs to be done. 

[DEnd]

On ‎6‎/‎4‎/‎2016 at 8:27 PM, KJHburg said:

Charlotte has a great program with the Moore Place in NoDa area but many of these people, as others have said don't want the help, because they are blinded by alcohol and or drug addictions. Atlanta had a very severe panhandling problem and they really cracked down on it as it was affecting their convention business downtown. It is a nationwide problem but our city needs to step up.  Moore Place is a national model with SRO single residency occupancy housing. http://www.urbanministrycenter.org/moore-place-success-captures-national-local-headlines/   check it out.  But more enforcement needs to be done. 

Moore place is great, but it's only 84 units, which isn't that many when you consider there are about 2,000 people homeless in Charlotte.  With a 81% retention rate providing Moore Place type accommodations for all of those would result in a homeless population of around 400.   There is only enough supportive housing (about 220 units) to cover about 10-15% of the need in Charlotte, and they don't accept couples or families. 

[11 HouseBZ]

The Moore place expansion is a couple months from finishing and is adding 35 units. Far from fixing the problem but a start. 

[deleted]

http://wfae.org/post/homelessness-charlotte

Relevant to our recent conversation.  Apparently, the homeless population is shrinking (could have fooled me)...

[Niner National]

53 minutes ago, JBS said:

http://wfae.org/post/homelessness-charlotte

Relevant to our recent conversation.  Apparently, the homeless population is shrinking (could have fooled me)...

Maybe they're just more active / aggressive in the summer

[SgtCampsalot]

There's a difference between chronically homeless people (~5-10% of the homeless population), and people who are experiencing hardships, and, if afforded the right assistance through the "Continuum of Care" that places like Urban Ministries provide, will get back on their feet (~80-90% of the homeless population). These people will very uncommonly be found asking for money because, honestly, it's embarrassing, and they just want to get their life together.

Those who are chronically homeless typically suffer from some kind of mental ailment, disability, addiction, or otherwise, and understandably have a harder time getting back on their feet. That's where things like the Housing First initiative help to give them the one stable footing necessary for everything else to fall in place. These are the people who will be found sleeping out in public because the shelter is just a great place to get robbed or stabbed. These folks may also panhandle, but are more likely to try to just exist without bothering people.

THEN, there are those that typically panhandle and ask for money, who most often are not homeless, but are trying to fund an addiction of some kind. These are the people that show no interest in UMC when I give them a pamphlet and tell them about the free food and other assistance they provide. They're also the ones that, when you tell them you don't have any money when uptown, they'll say "There's an ATM right there." These people aren't interested in help.

It's all very complicated and unfortunate. But Charlotte's non-profits are doing a great job, especially since Housing First became standard practice recently.

[cltcane]

24 minutes ago, Niner National said:

Maybe they're just more active / aggressive in the summer

From my experience, yes.  I run through Uptown daily, and there is rarely a day I don't get aggressively panhandled and/or followed in the warmer months.  I'm not sure where the homeless guys and/or vagrants think I'm keeping my stash of small bills (they've gone from asking for change to asking for dollars) in my pocketless running shorts.  I don't typically wear a shirt, so I guess they assume I run with singles in my shoes?

[KJHburg]

I do think most of these are addicts of some kind or professional panhandlers but the point is the police need to crack down. When they are starting to panhandle inside the BofA retail mall (Overstreet mall) they are getting bold like my experience last weekend. This has negative implications for the street level retail in the center city. I like going uptown even though I live in the far flung suburbs but if this keeps increasing I will go elsewhere. Charlotte Center City Partners needs to get on this with uniformed ambassadors or something to discourage and alert police.  Atlanta had a real big problem but they finally cracked down as it was hurting their convention business. 

[cltcane]

3 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

I do think most of these are addicts of some kind or professional panhandlers but the point is the police need to crack down. When they are starting to panhandle inside the BofA retail mall (Overstreet mall) they are getting bold like my experience last weekend. This has negative implications for the street level retail in the center city. I like going uptown even though I live in the far flung suburbs but if this keeps increasing I will go elsewhere. Charlotte Center City Partners needs to get on this with uniformed ambassadors or something to discourage and alert police.  Atlanta had a real big problem but they finally cracked down as it was hurting their convention business. 

I have also been panhandled in the Overstreet Mall on several occasions, and I absolutely agree the police need to crack down on this.  Removal of the bus shelters and benches on Tryon and on Trade beween College and Church would do wonders as they have been completely overtaken by the homeless and vagrant populations and are occupied almost 24/7.  Aggressive panhandling, verbal assaults, litter, brown-bagged malt liquor, bags/shopping carts of personal belonings, and the smell of body odor and urine are adding the wrong kind of "character" to Uptown in my opinion.

[deleted]

6 hours ago, cltcane said:

From my experience, yes.  I run through Uptown daily, and there is rarely a day I don't get aggressively panhandled and/or followed in the warmer months.  I'm not sure where the homeless guys and/or vagrants think I'm keeping my stash of small bills (they've gone from asking for change to asking for dollars) in my pocketless running shorts.  I don't typically wear a shirt, so I guess they assume I run with singles in my shoes?

Run faster. But seriously, I also run through and around uptown (3-5 days a week, 4-8 miles at a time, for 4+ years) and I have never been stopped.  Must be the ear buds...

[southslider]

^^Center City Partners is still planning to convert the bus shelters on Trade and Tryon into retail kiosks.  Win-Win for Uptown streetlife.

[urbanlover568]

Well this was a inevitable transition. Knowledge based jobs will thrive more in Charlotte. 

 

800 jobs cut from two local Freightliner plants 

[HopHead]

20 minutes ago, mpretori said:

Well this was a inevitable transition. Knowledge based jobs will thrive more in Charlotte. 

 

800 jobs cut from two local Freightliner plants 

These trucking jobs are also very cyclical however. I'd anticipate they will be hired back at some point if those laid off didn't find something else. 

[CLT2014]

Freightliner and most of the truck manufacturers do this every couple months. They hire, fire, hire, fire, etc.... over and over. The people that work there would not be surprised, it is essentially contract work.

[cltcane]

10 hours ago, JBS said:

Run faster. But seriously, I also run through and around uptown (3-5 days a week, 4-8 miles at a time, for 4+ years) and I have never been stopped.  Must be the ear buds...

Maybe I need to start wearing earbuds to pretend I'm listening to music.  You've seriously never had homeless guys try to get in your way while running or panhandle you when you get slowed down trying to cross an intersection?  Maybe I'm just running at the wrong times and/or need to stay away from the areas where the homeless and vagrant populations tend to congregate.  I run after I get home from work (which is often late), so I typically stick to the best-lit streets and most populated areas in Uptown after dusk for safety reasons.

[deleted]

1 hour ago, cltcane said:

Maybe I need to start wearing earbuds to pretend I'm listening to music.  You've seriously never had homeless guys try to get in your way while running or panhandle you when you get slowed down trying to cross an intersection?  Maybe I'm just running at the wrong times and/or need to stay away from the areas where the homeless and vagrant populations tend to congregate.  I run after I get home from work (which is often late), so I typically stick to the best-lit streets and most populated areas in Uptown after dusk for safety reasons.

Never.  I run early usually, between 8-9, but sometimes between 6-8 pm also.  I did get yelled at by the construction workers today by inadvertently running onto the "job-site" of Levine's apartments.  The k-rails were open and the sidewalk closed so I ran in the street.  Good thing they were on the other side of the fence because they were not at all happy...seemed safer than dodging cars on the other side but I won't do that again.

Edited June 9, 2016 by JBS

[Spartan]

On 6/4/2016 at 3:06 PM, KJHburg said:

I walked around uptown today for about 24 blocks and was panhandled asked for money INSIDE of Bank of America Plaza right by the Walgreens. Panhandling is becoming a huge problem uptown as are the homeless. The city has many many services for the homeless and for whatever reasons they don't want to utilize them. I counted 24! benches in one block on south Tryon between Chima and Bank of America plaza. That is a relic from when the Transit mall where all the buses stopped there back in the 1980s.  That block needs no where near that. Imagine the new retail at the BofA Plaza overlooking this. Aggressive panhandling makes a city appear unsafe and this threatens tourism, conventioneers, surburbanites coming uptown to eat etc. I came out of Ruth Chris a couple of months ago and right by the valet stand a homeless person lit a paper bag on fire. This really needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. Perceptions can become reality in many peoples' minds and all the new building in the world won't change that. But this panhandling problem needs to be addressed and dealt with! 

 

20 hours ago, JBS said:

http://wfae.org/post/homelessness-charlotte

Relevant to our recent conversation.  Apparently, the homeless population is shrinking (could have fooled me)...

 

18 hours ago, cltcane said:

From my experience, yes.  I run through Uptown daily, and there is rarely a day I don't get aggressively panhandled and/or followed in the warmer months.  I'm not sure where the homeless guys and/or vagrants think I'm keeping my stash of small bills (they've gone from asking for change to asking for dollars) in my pocketless running shorts.  I don't typically wear a shirt, so I guess they assume I run with singles in my shoes?

 

As a general response to these three posts... Yes there are homeless people around, but I don't think it's getting worse. To me it has always felt like a consistent level (and relatively low at that). There might be a week where I get approached for money every day, but then a week or two might go by when I don't get asked. No matter how bad you think it is, just go to some other major cities and compare. When people come here, they usually remark about how 'clean' it is, and part of that comment relates to the relative lack of homeless people compared to other cities.

[hinsp0]

4 hours ago, Spartan said:

 

 

 

As a general response to these three posts... Yes there are homeless people around, but I don't think it's getting worse. To me it has always felt like a consistent level (and relatively low at that). There might be a week where I get approached for money every day, but then a week or two might go by when I don't get asked. No matter how bad you think it is, just go to some other major cities and compare. When people come here, they usually remark about how 'clean' it is, and part of that comment relates to the relative lack of homeless people compared to other cities.

Truth.  San Francisco's panhandler's make Charlotte's look like they went to charm school.

[kermit]

For what its worth, the last actual announcement in the Good News thread from a firm that was not already operating in the region, or only creating low-wage jobs (e.g. low end manufacturing or call centers) was Pay Pal, that was now more than three months ago. I would bet that we haven't seen a dry spell like this since the dark days of the recession (and even then we had a series of big scores).

[caterpillar2]

On 6/9/2016 at 6:09 PM, hinsp0 said:

Truth.  San Francisco's panhandler's make Charlotte's look like they went to charm school.

I lived on Market Street near Valencia. There were (are)  lots of homeless around. They were different than what I have experienced in Charlotte. I had a couple of homeless individuals living near my flat that had been there for a couple of years. They didn't bother anyone and often, I would drop off some food or something instead of throwing it out and so did some of my neighbors. Many in the area knew them by name, visa versa. The homeless would routinely leave their cardboard huts with their grocery carts and start their routes to the dumpsters so they could end up having a "garage sale" more or less with the usable findings.  It seemed to me that there were tons of homeless in SF, but I didn't seem to be as bothered with belligerent/precarious panhandlers as in Charlotte. They weren't as aggressive in SF generally speaking, but I am sure that many have had worse experiences than me. But personally, I don't make eye contact and am not normally bothered anyway. 

Not long ago,  I walked down Market towards downtown, crossed an intersection, a and experienced a homeless man (panhandler I suppose) singing loudly within the pedestrian crowd. His voice was a nightmare. He announced that he would stop singing for a dollar. He picked up a quick $10 or so.  I believe that San Francisco has a nicer bunch of panhandlers and homeless crowd, but that is likely something that may be difficult to judge. Charlotte does seem to be attractive to transient panhandlers. Maybe the city could offer free one way bus tickets to Ft. Lauderdale. I believe that former Mayor Koch in NYC did something like that some while back.

[vicupstate]

His voice was a nightmare. He announced that he would stop singing for a dollar. He picked up a quick $10 or so. 

^^ Thanks! You just gave me a great idea to make some extra money.

 

[urbanlover568]

On 6/13/2016 at 9:07 AM, kermit said:

For what its worth, the last actual announcement in the Good News thread from a firm that was not already operating in the region, or only creating low-wage jobs (e.g. low end manufacturing or call centers) was Pay Pal, that was now more than three months ago. I would bet that we haven't seen a dry spell like this since the dark days of the recession (and even then we had a series of big scores).

ill tell you this much, it's not a cycle. Things need to change before legislative session ends to avert catastrophic damage to the economy. 

[CoffeeSamurai]

There was a good segment, on Charlotte Talks but I haven't found it online, about the decline of corporate campus style headquarters. I know we've been talking about campuses in some other threads. Thought it might be relevant. Did anyone hear the whole segment?

[tozmervo]

Not quite Charlotte Talks, but this was on All Things Considered last night: http://www.npr.org/2016/06/14/482055764/developers-recycle-suburban-office-parks-for-new-age