BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

You know what else is unpleasant? being homeless. What would you have the police or the mayor do?

I ride that way as well, and I've seen the encampments; but I didn't notice anything particularly offensive. Yes it can all look like a mess, but it's places people who don't have anywhere else to live find some shelter. And there's no services (thus the mess). I can't have a problem with people being there; though I wish that our society would figure out some way to make that life even a bit more bearable. There's a major stretch of homeless camps along Howard St. Last time I was through there I saw a roll-off with camp junk in it; it looked like things were being cleaned up. I would like to think that the area was simply being tidied rather than camps being torn down and people being chased off. Maybe even the campers were doing the tidying themselves. But I don't know. Stuff like that doesn't seem to rise to the level of 'news'. In any event, it's out of the way and us burghers don't have to deal with it on an ongoing basis. And it could be made reasonable. A concrete pad with water taps and some shower heads? Dumpsters? A call station with a line to 911? They're just people like you and me. Remember, "there but for the grace of g*d go I."

They've been behind that wall for years.   They never bug me when I run or bike by. Occasionally I smell cigarette smoke, but I encounter more smoke from walkers on the other part of the trail between Millvale and the stadiums. And the most trash on the trail is from the boaters. They leave a lot of crap, especially during the football season.

I've worked in the building neighboring that camp for the last 10 years, we've never had an issue other than some litter, they actually litter less than the sporting event tailgaters. I'll take the homeless over a parking lot after a bunch of Steelers fans have barfed, pissed and left tons of uneaten/ half eaten food all over it. Those people are animals.

It's a pretty complicated issue. I read a little on community empowerment for the homeless; most of it seems to be focused on getting them homes, which makes sense. I'll bet that's where Pittsburgh is putting its resources.

Agreed. Seemingly the best "treatment" is rapidly rehousing people and then, once they are housed, figuring out the other issues like job, medical/mental health treatment, drug and alcohol, etc. However, housing and funds are limited, and with the proposed Federal and state budgets...