It’s wonderful how Wichitans will help those less fortunate when they become aware of a compelling need. Case in point — all those who have contributed to help homeless children attending Wichita public schools. After reading about the students in the Sunday Eagle, citizens began donating money and clothing. Their generosity is greatly appreciated by the students, their families and the district. To make a donation to help these children, send “Homeless Gifts” to Sue Steele at the Wichita Children’s Home, 810 N. Holyoke, Wichita, KS 67208.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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23 Comments
Always a good thing to do. Children are innocents and need our help.
The children place the saddest face of all on the homelessness problem. Catholic Charities Anthony Family Shelter is very deserving of our support.
There is no excuse for our society that some folks are homeless.
There are ample empty houses and apartment units.
JR - unfortunately I’m sure the majority of those empty houses or apartments fall into 1 of 2 catagories.1. expensive - some landlords have no idea what a going market rate is on various properties around town and they seem to want as much as possible. (ie - $1000/month for a 3 bedroom house in Oaklawn)2. condemned or needing serious repair. Just because there aren’t stickers plastered all over the property doesn’t mean it isn’t unsafe. Slumlords all over town don’t do jack squat when stuff needs repaired and the damages add up. Any good homeowner will tell you - you gotta fix the small stuff asap before it turns into major repairs.
Julie,
So, you just buy one, fix it up, and move in a homeless person or two. If they have ANY money, you can collect up to 30% to offset your expenses!
$1000/month in Oaklawn? Why would anyone in their right mind pay that?
Is that in the newer section of Oaklawn? Some of those older shingled ranch style homes shouldn’t be worth more than $600.00 a month at the most.
Oaklawn, Hilltop, and Plainview were built during WWII for places to live for workers at Boeing to live while supporting the war effort. They were to be torn down, post war, and that was the end of the story. Didn’t happen, and they were sold off to anyone who would buy them. Thus, they came “slums” — a place to put the “poor white folks”.
Derby accepted them into their school system, not happily. I was there, in Derby, (where the “rich folks lived). And now, responsible owners and landlords. have rehabilitated some of them. (Applause inserted here.) Others have not. (Boo’s inserted here).
These are people who should not be discredited. I have been in homes in Hilltop and Plainview that would appraise in 6 figures, if they were anywhere else.
One there, in Plainview, which is appraised near six figures, is because he is the stalwart of his Vietnamese community, who helps anyone, regardless of their race, creed or color, and could live in Vickeridge, if that were his choice. He stays there, of servitude and human decency. I respect him, and love him, as if he were my brother.
For once, Brownlee has got it right. My contribution is forthcoming.
Julie and others
Interesting points all.
There are so many properties in so few hands these days that neglect is inevitable. Maybe their is a way to address that.
Now this is way out there, but what about some sort of squatters rights for homeless folk who occupy and improve a property?
I should have said, ” a stalwart” not “the stalwart”, as there are several. Sorry about that.
JR: As far as I know, NO! There isn’t. Not a bad idea, but NO! There isn’t.
I think rm is right but … what about property that has ‘gone to taxes’? Can the City then provide a mechanism to deed it to a non-profit for rehab etc?
Ben, it would need to be the County, not the City; and, while not researching this, there would, I believe, need to be some amendments to the statutes concerning disposition of real property which has been the subject of a tax foreclosure.
Absolutely, and my friends, “It ain’t gonna happen !” Sad, but true.
Wish I had the cash, I would go to Century II tonight..for $100 a person, the Auto Dealers Association is hosting a car show, with proceeds to go to the Children’s Home of Wichita. I am going to drop by and put some cash in the bucket…
Just saw it on tv…this is not the first year for this event, and it raises a LOT of money…
Take THAT, you naysayers who attack Wichita…!!!
Raptor: More power to you! Well said.
rm6046! You know your local history. Not many people know that the houses built around Boeing was set up as temporary housing and was meant to be torn down after the War.
Let me tell you what happened to me today…I was making calls in an apartment building where two of my patients live when the landlord approached me with a problem. The Dept of Aging made arrangements with him to move a lady into one of his apartments, after it was determined that the place she lived was uninhabitable and really unsafe for her. She was totally blind, malnourished, looked very weak and dehydrated, and after moving in today, she lost control of her bowels. He didn’t know what to do and was really distraught because, not only was his apartment a mess, he felt like she wasn’t able to live safely by herself. When I went to talk to her, I saw that she had pooped all over the bathroom floor and had stepped in it and tracked it all over the floor of her place. She was weak and could barely stand, she even fell when she tried to stand up, yet she refused help. I called her doctor and her case manager, we decided that she needed to be evaluated at the hospital, hopefully they would admit her and that would get us time to get services into place for her. After much convincing, she FINALLY agreed to go to the hospital (The fire dept and EMS informed her that she didn’t have to go to the hospital if she didn’t want to..so of course she started refusing) When she finally got to the ER, they called me and said that she refused to stay, so they were sending her back…even after they were informed that she had fallen and the landlord didn’t want her back (she hadn’t yet signed a contract and she hadn’t given him any rent money) and the only alternative was the street or a shelter. But their hands were tied, they couldn’t keep her in the hospital because, as the nurse informed me, it’s her right to “fall all she wants” and refuse treatment. After I told her landlord that her only other option was to go to a shelter, he agreed that he couldn’t turn her away to be on the street or a shelter and agreed to let her stay and see if she can live independantly with support services.Her casemanager wasn’t allowed to speak to her doctor without a signed release from this lady, nor was she allowed to transport the lady in her car, EMS couldn’t transport her to the hospital if she refused to go, the only reason I could call her doctor is because I didn’t know her and wasn’t involved with her in anyway at this time.This is how people fall through the cracks….in an attempt to protect her “rights”, the hands of those who could and want to help her are completely tied by the law. If the landlord wasn’t such a nice guy who believes in helping people, she would have been taken to a shelter, where she probably would have just walked out and been on the streets until someone found her dead, then the media would have paid lots of attention and everyone would feel so bad that “no one cared”.She is like a lot of the homeless, you can offer everything, and they’ll just walk away because they don’t want anyone “controlling their life”. Even though she was sick and needed medical treatment, we couldn’t do a thing.It’s not that people don’t care, it’s that all those politicians who live in ivory towers pass laws that make it impossible to help someone when it’s obvious that they aren’t making rational decisions.Next time you see a homeless person, don’t blame people for not caring enough, blame the restrictive laws that legislators implement to protect people’s “rights”, they’re the ones who are largely to blame for the homeless population in our country.
Mary isn’t there a way that SRS can determine she is an adult in need of care?
I thought they could do that with a court order.
And yes, I’ve dealt with a few of these on the ambulance myself.
If we’re lucky, they have family that can be contacted who will actively look to do something for them.
But at the same time, as long as they are lucid, they can live any way they choose.
The landlord can make arrangements to have her move out for the health hazard she is creating. Sometimes tying their hands so there are no other options, they’ll finally admit there is nothing else they can do but accept the help or move to the streets.
I think it’s pretty safe to say anyone that walks around with feces on them and doesn’t care probably isn’t lucid. I would think a judge would feel the same way.
KEYN does a drive for Childrens Home in the Fall - they rope me in every year. Sue Steele is a wonderful person with a lot of love for ‘her’ children.
Everyone who “evaluated” her from the fire dept to the EMS to the ER staff determined that she was lucid and able to make her own choices. It’s really hard to get someone declared a person “in need of care” when she can tell you what the date is, her SS#, birthdate, etc, and she isn’t threatening suicide or homocide.I was the only one who thought she needed to be held until she could get a full physical and psych eval. The ER Dr didn’t agree with me.I do plan to get her home health services, and HCBS has already approved her for services. I just hope she doesn’t refuse, or she will eventually end up on the streets or in a nursing home. We can help her IF she’ll let us.
Mary: As you know, I generally disagree with almost everything you say :). But, I know there’s a special place in heaven for people like you — sometimes, all one person can do is make things just a little bit better for another. More power to you, dear.
Let’s hope she allow us to help her. I’ll keep you updated on her.