This past Tuesday, May 10, members and friends of Fayetteville's Community Awareness Alliance gathered to discuss some of the concerns and actions against the local homeless population.
Community Awareness Alliance affiliate, Dr. Val, organized Tuesday's meeting outside the Department of Social Security on Ramsey street to discuss storage lockers for the homeless and the likelihood of banning homeless camps on city property.
When asked about the crucial issues facing the homeless population, activist Reverend Stuart said accountability from city officials plays a significant role in decreasing the homeless population.
"You should never want to see people doing bad. (City officials) have the authority to change things, so you should be doing that," Stuart said.
Dr. Len Brown, a friend of Dr. Val, attended Tuesday's meeting, questioning the relocation of the homeless if the proposed ban is passed and a possible solution to help keep individuals off the streets.
"Where will they go? What will they do?" Brown asked. "There are programs in other cities that put people to work for the city itself in exchange for a place to stay, food, and sanitation (as a solution)."
The meeting shifted to the location of the approved lockers for the homeless. The lockers are safe storage for individuals to keep personal belongings throughout the day.
Potential locations for the lockers are the Cumberland County Department of Social Security, RI International (Roxie Avenue), or one of the local fire stations.
One of the meeting's attendees, Patrice Williams, spoke about city officials getting involved in helping with the placement of the lockers and the maltreatment of the homeless.
"We really need to push these council people to do some good," Williams said. "Any one of us, at any moment, could be on the street, so we need to hold people accountable."
The meeting attendees agreed that more efforts concerning the less fortunate and the homeless are required to make a change in the area.
The meeting concluded with a prayer for those in need and more ground covered for the fair treatment of the homeless population.
As of now, the next Homeless Advisory meeting has been scheduled to June 14 at 1 pm. To learn more, please visit Community Awareness Alliance on FaceBook.
Photos by G.
Comments