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My Whole Foods Is Now A Homeless Encampment :-(
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GM
Feb 9, 2023, 7:30:47 PM2/9/23
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I mostly shop for vittles online for delivery, but one of my work sites is adjacent to a Whole Foods in downtown Evanston IL, so I'll pop in there occasionally, once or so a week for a snack or lunch...
The other day I went in and saw a homeless "encampment" in the front seating area; it's a small store so this scene is very "visible"... I've *never* seen this at this store before... here is the scene:
https://postimg.cc/Y4vJycVD
Evanston, being a leftist 'woke' college town, has declared itself a "safe space" for homeless, so they throng up here from Chicago and elsewhere to panhandle, drug and "carry on"...
A group of us in the nabe are fighting the opening of a 'low - barrier' homeless shelter (it was a nice hotel, The Margarita Inn, then it closed during the pandemic and Connections for the Homeless, the local homeless services non - profit took it over). Many of the 70 residents drink, drug and engage in criminal activity; this summer a shelter resident exposed himself to a child, and in three years the shelter has been operating, there have been hundreds of 911 calls to the place. Within one block are a private school, a Montessori school, and a daycare facility...
I'm very compassionate, but "enough is enough!" Our nice college town is on it's way to becoming a squalid place like Frisco or Seattle or Portland...
Here's an article from a local news site about the shelter. One of our group has hired an attorney to force an appeal for a second hearing before the Land Use Commission, which by law we are due. Of course I have to put in my "two cents" in the "comments" section, lol...!!! The Halim family who own the very cool Time and Glass Museum next door are directly affected by this, they have lost business (catering and events) because of the squalor next door:
https://evanstonnow.com/neighbor-wants-luc-to-reopen-margarita-hearing/
Neighbor wants LUC to reopen Margarita hearing
by Bill Smith - February 3, 2023
"The attorney for a neighboring property owner has sent a letter to
city officials insisting that the Land Use Commission reopen its
hearing on the special use permit for a homeless shelter at the
Margarita Inn.
Alan Didesch is an attorney for Cameel Halim, who owns the Halim
Time & Glass Museum at 1560 Oak Ave., just south of the Margarita
Inn, and the former King Home across the street at 1555 Oak Ave.
He says that under the city code the commission was required
to grant Halim’s written request for a continuance at the Nov. 30
hearing.
Didesch says the commission, based on incorrect advice from
the city’s law department, instead concluded that granting a
continuance was optional and chose not to approve it... The City
Council is currently scheduled on Feb. 13 to review the special
use request from Connections for the Homeless to continue to
operate the shelter at the Margarita Inn..."
Gregory Morrow COMMENTS:
February 3, 2023
"Thank you for publishing this – it is good news for our community. This whole Margarita approval contretemps has been a “rush job”, arrogantly pushed through by Connections for the Homeless for their sole benefit. Connections apparently assumes that we and our city officials are “dumb”, and that we will trust their feel – good bromides that create the illusion of their “problem solving” of the homeless issue in Evanston. IMO Connections has been neither transparent nor honest. So far, they have shown total disregard for any of our concerns…
These are some hard questions that need to be addressed before moving forward with the approval process:
• If the Margarita Inn is “for Evanston”, then why are so many Margarita guests from other localities? Neighboring communities are sending their homeless here, placing an undue burden on already – stressed Evanston city services
• Why did the Good Neighbor Agreement process collapse? Why were the Margarita’s neighbors, including businesses, not keen on being involved in this process? This is a “huge fail” – without this, the process should absolutely *not* advance
• There is a crying need for transitional homeless housing facilities for Evanston families and their children. Why then are there so many single adult males being housed at the Margarita? Should not unhoused Evanston women and children get priority?
• Why is the Margarita being operated as a “low – barrier” shelter? Low – barrier homeless shelters are a very poor model for addressing the needs of chronically unhoused individuals; chaos, dysfunction, and failure are the hallmarks of a low – barrier shelter. We deserve *far* better, as CFTH has generous funding and skilled front – line staff...
Respectfully,
Gregory Morrow..."
...
Another Comment by 'Connections is the Wrong Partner':
February 4, 2023
"Connections should be forthright about who they serve and their target residents. They specialize in housing drug addicts and people who have criminal records. They receive large amounts of Federal money to bus them into Evanston and then work on “rapid rehousing” but they have a 50 percent failure rate...
Because they seek to hide this information, they refuse cooperation with police, refuse 3rd party audits, won’t let documentation leave the building, and have created a severely antagonistic relationship with the community, encouraging others in Evanston to shame opponents as “racists” so as to invalidate criticism and shield themselves from a thorough evaluation. They are a terrible partner for the City of Evanston. Send this back to the LUC so we can get answers to our questions!..."
</>
The other day I went in and saw a homeless "encampment" in the front seating area; it's a small store so this scene is very "visible"... I've *never* seen this at this store before... here is the scene:
https://postimg.cc/Y4vJycVD
Evanston, being a leftist 'woke' college town, has declared itself a "safe space" for homeless, so they throng up here from Chicago and elsewhere to panhandle, drug and "carry on"...
A group of us in the nabe are fighting the opening of a 'low - barrier' homeless shelter (it was a nice hotel, The Margarita Inn, then it closed during the pandemic and Connections for the Homeless, the local homeless services non - profit took it over). Many of the 70 residents drink, drug and engage in criminal activity; this summer a shelter resident exposed himself to a child, and in three years the shelter has been operating, there have been hundreds of 911 calls to the place. Within one block are a private school, a Montessori school, and a daycare facility...
I'm very compassionate, but "enough is enough!" Our nice college town is on it's way to becoming a squalid place like Frisco or Seattle or Portland...
Here's an article from a local news site about the shelter. One of our group has hired an attorney to force an appeal for a second hearing before the Land Use Commission, which by law we are due. Of course I have to put in my "two cents" in the "comments" section, lol...!!! The Halim family who own the very cool Time and Glass Museum next door are directly affected by this, they have lost business (catering and events) because of the squalor next door:
https://evanstonnow.com/neighbor-wants-luc-to-reopen-margarita-hearing/
Neighbor wants LUC to reopen Margarita hearing
by Bill Smith - February 3, 2023
"The attorney for a neighboring property owner has sent a letter to
city officials insisting that the Land Use Commission reopen its
hearing on the special use permit for a homeless shelter at the
Margarita Inn.
Alan Didesch is an attorney for Cameel Halim, who owns the Halim
Time & Glass Museum at 1560 Oak Ave., just south of the Margarita
Inn, and the former King Home across the street at 1555 Oak Ave.
He says that under the city code the commission was required
to grant Halim’s written request for a continuance at the Nov. 30
hearing.
Didesch says the commission, based on incorrect advice from
the city’s law department, instead concluded that granting a
continuance was optional and chose not to approve it... The City
Council is currently scheduled on Feb. 13 to review the special
use request from Connections for the Homeless to continue to
operate the shelter at the Margarita Inn..."
Gregory Morrow COMMENTS:
February 3, 2023
"Thank you for publishing this – it is good news for our community. This whole Margarita approval contretemps has been a “rush job”, arrogantly pushed through by Connections for the Homeless for their sole benefit. Connections apparently assumes that we and our city officials are “dumb”, and that we will trust their feel – good bromides that create the illusion of their “problem solving” of the homeless issue in Evanston. IMO Connections has been neither transparent nor honest. So far, they have shown total disregard for any of our concerns…
These are some hard questions that need to be addressed before moving forward with the approval process:
• If the Margarita Inn is “for Evanston”, then why are so many Margarita guests from other localities? Neighboring communities are sending their homeless here, placing an undue burden on already – stressed Evanston city services
• Why did the Good Neighbor Agreement process collapse? Why were the Margarita’s neighbors, including businesses, not keen on being involved in this process? This is a “huge fail” – without this, the process should absolutely *not* advance
• There is a crying need for transitional homeless housing facilities for Evanston families and their children. Why then are there so many single adult males being housed at the Margarita? Should not unhoused Evanston women and children get priority?
• Why is the Margarita being operated as a “low – barrier” shelter? Low – barrier homeless shelters are a very poor model for addressing the needs of chronically unhoused individuals; chaos, dysfunction, and failure are the hallmarks of a low – barrier shelter. We deserve *far* better, as CFTH has generous funding and skilled front – line staff...
Respectfully,
Gregory Morrow..."
...
Another Comment by 'Connections is the Wrong Partner':
February 4, 2023
"Connections should be forthright about who they serve and their target residents. They specialize in housing drug addicts and people who have criminal records. They receive large amounts of Federal money to bus them into Evanston and then work on “rapid rehousing” but they have a 50 percent failure rate...
Because they seek to hide this information, they refuse cooperation with police, refuse 3rd party audits, won’t let documentation leave the building, and have created a severely antagonistic relationship with the community, encouraging others in Evanston to shame opponents as “racists” so as to invalidate criticism and shield themselves from a thorough evaluation. They are a terrible partner for the City of Evanston. Send this back to the LUC so we can get answers to our questions!..."
</>
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