Bantering...

This morning I attended the monthly meeting of the Board of Directors for the Emergency Services & Homeless Coalition of Jacksonville, Inc. I ended up having to be the minute taker, and wouldn't you know it forgot my power cord...the laptop died while recording after a bit over an hour on my 'Performance' setting.

Kind of made me feel like I was getting a piercing for body jewelry in front of the people.

The biggest problem facing homeless advocates and service providers locally in Jacksonville are the recent events of criminal activity that are being sometimes spun by local media, creating a negative image when there's much more. We discussed in particular some of the reactionary letters to a local weekly magazine, one writer in particular known to contact ESHC directly regularly pointing the finger why we haven't cured homelessness here.

I've got to admit that many of the Board Members are more than polite on this problem. The ESHC is a lead agency trying to connect the agencies together for funding, brainstorming, and reporting to local, state, and the federal levels of what's happening and accounting for what's done with funding. If you look at the fact their still operating after about a decade, then there's your answer if they're doing their job.

ESHC can't solve the homelessness of Jacksonville and it's surrounding counties. That's going to take all the businesses, all the residents, and all the government working together. With cuts hitting all of the agencies, small and large alike, many are having to put forward looking plans and actions on hold while juggling simply how to keep their own agency operational.

Does it serve it's purpose? I can say solidly that it does. Things are and have happened since my placement on the board that prove that to me. The biggest problem is getting local government to buy in and get other businesses developing that can do their part in providing services to the homeless.

I don't think homelessness will ever be cured in my lifetime, or for that matter at all. What I do believe is that over time we as a society will come to dealing with the problem more humanely and resourcefully.

The other option is to simply watch them climb over the back wall of our homes and urinate on our dahlias. That being said I feel the need to take a break.