Cleveland church erects barriers to keep homeless away FWD
Tom Boland (wgcp@earthlink.net)
Wed, 21 Oct 1998 05:12:16 -0400
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FWD [Cleveland, Ohio] Plain Dealer - Monday, October 19, 1998
NO ROOM AT CHURCH
By Michael O'Malley, Plain Dealer Reporter
Robert Caver, a homeless man, used to sleep on a sidewalk in front of St.
Peter Catholic
Church in downtown Cleveland. On frigid, windy nights, he and other street
people
found warmth curled up in raggedy blankets near hot, steam-pipe manhole covers.
"The whole sidewalk was heated," he said. "It was a comfort zone,
physically and
mentally. What harm could possibly come to you at the church?"
But St. Peter's sidewalk at E. 17th St. and Superior Ave. is no longer a
"comfort zone"
for the homeless.
The Rev. Robert Marrone, the church's pastor, said he is fed up with feces,
urine and
empty booze bottles. He is fed up with vagrancy, vandalism and panhandling.
"I live here," he said. "What I see and what I know and experience, I don't
think other
people do."
Marrone has erected barriers to keep the street people away, but in doing
so, he has
raised a moral debate as well as an investigation by the city into whether
he violated
sidewalk codes.
Marrone hired contractors to install decorative metal fencing around the
church and on
the steps, dig up sections of public sidewalk in front of the church and
put in shrubs,
trees and rock gardens.
The rocks are piled around the manhole covers where the homeless used to
sleep. Since
the project was completed several weeks ago, the street people have moved
to manhole
covers on the next blocks.
"People from all over are whispering about it," said Toni Johnson, a
Catholic social
activist who is on the board of trustees of the Northeast Ohio Coalition
for the
Homeless. "But they're not being outspoken about it."
Parishioner Mike Griffin of Elyria said there was a "difference of opinion"
among the
congregation, which is made up mostly of suburban people. He said the matter is
something they don't want to discuss publicly. "We need to address and deal
with it
internally," he said.
Parishioner Robert Rybka, who is on a parish committee trying to raise
$500,000 to put
a steeple on the church, said he was surprised to see the sidewalk
landscaping and had
no idea what it cost. When he first saw the construction crews, he said, he
was hoping
they were building wheelchair accesses because the church has none.
"I just don't know how necessary it is," he said. "It was just sort of done."
According to City Hall, Marrone did not have the required permits to do the
work.
Mayor Michael R. White's press aide, Nancy Lesic, said the church had
neither an
"encroachment permit" nor approval from the city's Streetscape Committee,
which is
part of the Planning Commission.
Marrone, who declined to say how much his church paid for the work, said he
presumed that the contractors had taken care of the permits.
Lesic said the city was still investigating to see whether to take any action.
St. Peter is two doors away from the Bishop William M. Cosgrove Center, a
community
mental health center that has a daytime, drop-in soup kitchen and showers,
toilets and
telephones for the homeless. It is run by the Catholic Diocese.
Just across E. 17th St. from the church is Cuyahoga County's welfare
services building,
which opens its basement every night as an emergency shelter for homeless
men who
sleep on mats on floors. Each night brings between 60 and 100 men. There are no
showers and only a couple of toilets.
A block away on E. 18th St. is another emergency shelter funded by the
county. It, too,
holds at least 60 men a night and has only one toilet and no showers.
The shelters are open from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. The Cosgrove's drop-in
center is open
on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is closed on weekends.
"No wonder there is feces and urine on the sidewalks," said Brian Davis,
director of the
Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless. "The reality is, this is a
horrible situation.
But none of the community leaders in that area, the father included, have
come forward
to assist with a solution. It's been 10 years of temporary situations."
Davis said Marrone should have spent the money on public toilets rather
than gardens
and fences.
But Marrone said, "We're just a little church on the corner. The situation
is not under
our control. It seems to me the city and the county should be dealing with
the problem."
In a 1996 letter to county officials, Marrone wrote: "These shelters must
be closed and a
more complete and humane program set up to help those with true need."
Ruth Gillett, a program manager for the county's homeless services, said
the county
every day is helping homeless people. And for three years, she said, it has
been working
with advocates for the homeless to find a place for a permanent,
full-service homeless
shelter, but it is difficult because landlords do not want to rent to such
programs.
The two emergency shelters for men, plus another one at E. 17th and
Davenport Ave.,
are operated by First United Methodist Church at E. 30th St. and Euclid
Ave., which
also operates a shelter for women and children in its basement.
The Rev. Kenneth Chalker, pastor of First United Methodist, said he understood
Marrone's frustration, but was bothered by his actions.
"We have the same problems he does," said Chalker. "It's very difficult to
deal with the
homeless population. But it seems to me that is what the church is supposed
to do. And
it isn't easy.
"As long as people have the freedom to walk on sidewalks and sleep on
sidewalks,
we're going to have problems. And I'm not ready to trade our society for
one that
forcibly removes them."
END FORWARD
** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is
distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. **
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FWD [Cleveland, Ohio] Plain Dealer - Monday, October 19, 1998
<paraindent><param>right,left</param>NO ROOM AT CHURCH
By Michael O'Malley, Plain Dealer Reporter
</paraindent>
Robert Caver, a homeless man, used to sleep on a sidewalk in front of
St. Peter Catholic
Church in downtown Cleveland. On frigid, windy nights, he and other
street people
found warmth curled up in raggedy blankets near hot, steam-pipe manhole
covers.
"The whole sidewalk was heated," he said. "It was a comfort zone,
physically and
mentally. What harm could possibly come to you at the church?"
But St. Peter's sidewalk at E. 17th St. and Superior Ave. is no longer
a "comfort zone"
for the homeless.
The Rev. Robert Marrone, the church's pastor, said he is fed up with
feces, urine and
empty booze bottles. He is fed up with vagrancy, vandalism and
panhandling.
"I live here," he said. "What I see and what I know and experience, I
don't think other
people do."
Marrone has erected barriers to keep the street people away, but in
doing so, he has
raised a moral debate as well as an investigation by the city into
whether he violated
sidewalk codes.
Marrone hired contractors to install decorative metal fencing around
the church and on
the steps, dig up sections of public sidewalk in front of the church
and put in shrubs,
trees and rock gardens.
The rocks are piled around the manhole covers where the homeless used
to sleep. Since
the project was completed several weeks ago, the street people have
moved to manhole
covers on the next blocks.
"People from all over are whispering about it," said Toni Johnson, a
Catholic social
activist who is on the board of trustees of the Northeast Ohio
Coalition for the
Homeless. "But they're not being outspoken about it."
Parishioner Mike Griffin of Elyria said there was a "difference of
opinion" among the
congregation, which is made up mostly of suburban people. He said the
matter is
something they don't want to discuss publicly. "We need to address and
deal with it
internally," he said.
Parishioner Robert Rybka, who is on a parish committee trying to raise
$500,000 to put
a steeple on the church, said he was surprised to see the sidewalk
landscaping and had
no idea what it cost. When he first saw the construction crews, he
said, he was hoping
they were building wheelchair accesses because the church has none.
"I just don't know how necessary it is," he said. "It was just sort of
done."
According to City Hall, Marrone did not have the required permits to do
the work.
Mayor Michael R. White's press aide, Nancy Lesic, said the church had
neither an
"encroachment permit" nor approval from the city's Streetscape
Committee, which is
part of the Planning Commission.
Marrone, who declined to say how much his church paid for the work,
said he
presumed that the contractors had taken care of the permits.
Lesic said the city was still investigating to see whether to take any
action.
St. Peter is two doors away from the Bishop William M. Cosgrove Center,
a community
mental health center that has a daytime, drop-in soup kitchen and
showers, toilets and
telephones for the homeless. It is run by the Catholic Diocese.
Just across E. 17th St. from the church is Cuyahoga County's welfare
services building,
which opens its basement every night as an emergency shelter for
homeless men who
sleep on mats on floors. Each night brings between 60 and 100 men.
There are no
showers and only a couple of toilets.
A block away on E. 18th St. is another emergency shelter funded by the
county. It, too,
holds at least 60 men a night and has only one toilet and no showers.
The shelters are open from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. The Cosgrove's drop-in
center is open
on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is closed on weekends.
"No wonder there is feces and urine on the sidewalks," said Brian
Davis, director of the
Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless. "The reality is, this is a
horrible situation.
But none of the community leaders in that area, the father included,
have come forward
to assist with a solution. It's been 10 years of temporary
situations."
Davis said Marrone should have spent the money on public toilets rather
than gardens
and fences.
But Marrone said, "We're just a little church on the corner. The
situation is not under
our control. It seems to me the city and the county should be dealing
with the problem."
In a 1996 letter to county officials, Marrone wrote: "These shelters
must be closed and a
more complete and humane program set up to help those with true need."
Ruth Gillett, a program manager for the county's homeless services,
said the county
every day is helping homeless people. And for three years, she said, it
has been working
with advocates for the homeless to find a place for a permanent,
full-service homeless
shelter, but it is difficult because landlords do not want to rent to
such programs.
The two emergency shelters for men, plus another one at E. 17th and
Davenport Ave.,
are operated by First United Methodist Church at E. 30th St. and Euclid
Ave., which
also operates a shelter for women and children in its basement.
The Rev. Kenneth Chalker, pastor of First United Methodist, said he
understood
Marrone's frustration, but was bothered by his actions.
"We have the same problems he does," said Chalker. "It's very difficult
to deal with the
homeless population. But it seems to me that is what the church is
supposed to do. And
it isn't easy.
"As long as people have the freedom to walk on sidewalks and sleep on
sidewalks,
we're going to have problems. And I'm not ready to trade our society
for one that
forcibly removes them."
END FORWARD
** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. **
HOMELESS PEOPLE'S NETWORK <<http://aspin.asu.edu/hpn/> Home Page
ARCHIVES <<http://aspin.asu.edu/hpn/archives.html> read posts to HPN
TO JOIN <<http://aspin.asu.edu/hpn/join.html> or email Tom <<wgcp@earthlink.net>
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