Whose Problem Are the Homeless?

Written By: Dan Stanley  |  Posted: Thursday, July 28th, 2011

            According to Phil Grande, a businessman and radio talk show host who also lives downtown in Sarasota, Florida, it is the city's problem. Mike Deeson writes and WTSP10 News reports that Grande is now confronting the Vice Mayor Terry Turner about this problem. He is not only confronting the Mayor, but acting on it. He is busing the homeless to Turner's upscale neighborhood to feed them meals to make his point.  Turner doesn't agree with Grande's assessment nor his method to make his point.  Rather, Turner makes plain Sarasota has addressed the homeless problem to the degree it is needed. Regardless of one's agreement or disagreement with Grande, all recognize that there are homeless people in America and that some problems are created out of it.

            In commenting on this well known issue, it seems good to let the reader know that I personally have been involved with the homeless in varying degrees for many, many years, technically over forty if observation counts.  When only a child we stayed annually for various days in a large Rescue Mission in Boston, Massachusetts.  My Uncle George was the Assistant Superintendent.  So it was "family time!"  This mission was near the corner of Tremont and Dover Street.  It is long gone, having been torn down many years ago.   The stories I could tell are too many to recount.  Since then, along with being involved with the start of a Rescue Mission in my own city and many other Rescue Missions in varying degrees, I have and do presently work with homeless people on a regular basis, giving them work out of my own pocket along with comfort, instruction and warnings as seen  needed.

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