SnM, thanks (along with others) for raising a couple of very good points. A fine ($50 limit) is all that a city ordinance can require, and, other than incarceration (not possible for violation of a city ordinance anyway and clearly not appropriate)there is not another possibility. We have already started to see if alternatives can be presented, such as helping do some work to clean up the area, but that is within the domain of city court and that may or may not be feasible.

But to be clear, the intent of the city is not to "punish" folks but to do something about the congestion on city sidewalks that is detrimental to pedestrian traffic from homes to businesses and through the downtown north and downtown areas. There will be extensive warning periods and people will hopefully get the word that a place to rest during the day is available nearby and a day facility is available to help them. I hope folks avail themselves of the discussion on the Fifth and Broadway section of our web page Link... and read the notes relative to this and like matters. The discussion took place in 2006 and we have been endeavoring to make sure that we did not waste the time of the good people from the nearby neighborhoods.. Mechanicsville, Old North, Fourth and Gill, and Parkridge.. who participated along with business owners and those charged with helping the less fortunate in the area (KARM, VMC, and Salvation Army). There was total (or very close, I forget) agreement that the sitting and blocking of sidewalks was a great concern and great desire that the City "do something."

We have worked to bring about a number of changes, but in a systematic and coordinated manner that recognized the needs many folks had for compassion and help, the impact on businesses and residents, and on the overall health (economic and otherwise) of the area. This is the last piece of the puzzle, and could not come into play unless and until providers realigned their services (notably VMC - housing; KARM - emergency services) so that a day facility and a comfortable place for people to rest in a dignified setting was in place. This meant parking for KARM employees and volunteers under the Interstate so they could use the space previously used for parking to help provide the area for people to sit during the day. Jon Lawler and the Ten Year Plan folks have done great work in getting this realignment. Previously there was overlap in service and no day room at the KARM facility.

Back to the original question, unfortunately one does need to have the ordinance have some power; hence the fine. Such is also the case with the panhandling ordinance, which has been quite helpful.

This all represents a coordinated approach, one that has necessitated patience, in an atmosphere where the city has precious few tools to work with. We have done a lot of work in Downtown North to encourage pedestrian friendly, mixed use, economically viable neighborhoods, recognizing that there are service providers doing important humane work with the less fortunate. We have started work on making Central a "complete street, used the facade program to effect great improvement, encouraged businesses and residential development (912 N. Central and the new project on Fifth near Central), encouraged and supported the work of St. John's Lutheran church to redo an entire city block, done street improvement on fifth near broadway, and very soon, with the revitalization of Minvilla. We used a creative TIF approach to move Brownlow from a blight to an asset.

This ordinance keeps faith with the businesses and neighborhoods where folks have invested with the dollars and their energy and ideas. Many of these folks have made it clear over the years that they felt abandoned by a City Government with its eyes looking elsewhere. The goal is open sidewalks to encourage walking between downtown and downtown north and within both areas. Some people who it might impact need assistance now have opportunities for help that they did not previously have. They also have an safer and better alternative to stay during the day.

Most homeless people have jobs.

What are these jobs? Panhandling? I don't think that is technically a job.

Got a source Professor?

It's amazing and appalling that people across the whole spectrum of this town seem to believe with such perfect certainty that all homelessness is the result of the same causes, that all homeless people are pretty much the same, and that solutions to the problem of homelessness are butt-simple. This group of dislocated people you mention is one of the patches in the quilt, and some cities have dedicated programs just to help them get back to where they once belonged. I know Atlanta does this, and it's a really good idea.

I bought him a one-way ticket to Detroit after he helped me change an alternator on my car. Never saw him again.

That is pretty f'n awesome. No joke.