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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us February 16, 2005 Groups target those in actual distress Stories by Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings A segment of Ashland's homeless population is taking advantage of people's generosity, stretching already scarce resources and hardening public attitudes against those in truly desperate situations. Roxanne Taylor, a pregnant 18-year-old who lives in a van with her boyfriend, Bob Eakin, is struggling to find a home as she endures the last few days of her pregnancy. Orville Hector | Ashland Daily Tidings Many, especially teens and young adults, do have homes to which they could return. Some homeless earn money panhandling and then spend nights in hotels or make-shift camps rather than seeking help to find jobs and housing, according to several homeless people, nonprofit workers and residents who have offered aid. No one interviewed by the Tidings would admit that they panhandle and are not in need. But several homeless and people who work on homeless issues said they have seen the practice first hand. "They're hurting the truly homeless who need help," said Jean Hallinan, house manager for Interfaith Care Community of Ashland, which provides services to help people get back on their feet. "Because we can't discriminate, we're using resources on them. We're using resources on kids who have a choice." Roxanne Taylor, a pregnant 18-year-old who lives in a van with her boyfriend, is struggling to find a home as she endures the last few days of her pregnancy. "I can't handle the idea of all the homeless sitting on the freeway making money for beer and drugs. It ruins it completely for people in need like me and my significant other. People get so used to seeing people accept money for drugs and alcohol," Taylor said. "We're in a really tough situation. We don't want to be homeless. We want to have a home. It's real tough. I don't know why people do that." Resources stretched thin The ICCA has operated from a small cottage just a few blocks from downtown Ashland since 1996. Founded in 1989, the nonprofit organization provides a place for nearly 20 local congregations to direct their efforts in support of the homeless. "We are a refuge in the storm," Hallinan said. "It's a place where people can get a cup of coffee, get warm for a minute, take a shower and do laundry." The ICCA provides a telephone and answering service, help with resumes and job-hunting, and an address for mail. A steady stream of homeless come and go during the day, but they are not allowed to spend the night. Securing enough resources is always a struggle. In the past, the ICCA has shortened its hours and staff members have gone without pay, according to Hallinan. Right now, the ICCA offers gas vouchers, but its bus tokens are limited and the Goodwill and prescription vouchers are gone, she said. "As the number of homeless goes up, our funding goes down. People don't want it," Hallinan. Ashlanders perceived an increase in the number of homeless after the Rainbow Gathering - a countercultural gathering known for its celebration of marijuana use - was staged in Northern California in 2004. People who are homeless to experience an alternative lifestyle, be close to nature or to travel are mixed in with people who lost their homes after a fire or major medical problem, single mothers and those who are battling mental illness or addiction or who are escaping abuse, according to Hallinan. Gary Beamer has joined the ICCA staff as a client advocate. Part of his duties will be to find a way to distinguish the truly needy homeless from those with more means. "We'd like to reserve our supplies for people in need," he said. That is a difficult balancing act given ICCA's mission to offer assistance with compassion and in a non-judgmental manner. But the ICCA also has a goal to promote self-sufficiency. Excessive questioning of clients could drive away the truly needy who are embarrassed by their condition, according to Beamer. "You don't want to be a gatekeeper. You want to help people," he said. Bennett Tanner, 52, has been homeless in Ashland by choice for the past six years, enjoying what he calls "a mid-life adventure." He said he survives on food stamps, free meals and odd jobs, but will occasionally put up a sign and ask for help. But he said he doesn't make much money panhandling because he doesn't put up a "sympathy message" and smiles too much. The majority of people who put up such signs are youths, with a sizable minority of middle-aged people, according to Bennett. "The younger kids are still finding themselves. It's their time in life to party," he said. Bennett said it is difficult to tell who really needs help. "Some people put up a sympathy card and they're not even homeless. Other people don't put up a plight sign at all," he said. Trying to help Reaching out to try and help the homeless can be either a gratifying or frustrating experience, as some residents have found. "We've gone by and offered them jobs and they'll flip you the finger," said former Mayor Alan DeBoer, owner of Town & Country Chevrolet Oldsmobile. "All they want is the cash." Beamer said while some homeless are fully capable of working, others are mentally ill and unable to hold steady jobs. People suffering from schizophrenia have particular difficulties. "One day they could be a very alert ditch digger and the next day say, 'I don't dig ditches!' A lot of people are not capable of continuous work," he said. "They go through their highs and lows." Being on the streets frequently causes people with marginal mental illness to go into steep declines as they battle the elements, Hallinan said. Others have different reasons for not wanting a job. "A job has boundaries they don't want," Hallinan said. "A lot are from abusive backgrounds or foster care. Now they are in control. One thing they don't want to give up is that freedom. I asked one man, 'Is this freedom really freedom at all?' He looked me straight in the face and said, 'No. It's bondage.'" Rather than giving cash, Hallinan said people who want to help the homeless should give food or donate to nonprofits. She said she is not opposed to passing a city law to discourage aggressive panhandlers who will not take steps to get off the streets. "They harden hearts to the truly homeless. Twice, a person who comes in here has shoved a dirty coffee cup in my face when I was out in town. It was aggressive. It was almost scary," Hallinan said. Staff writer Vickie Aldous can be reached at 482-3456 x 3018 or [email protected] Fire creates ordeal for young family Roxanne Taylor's baby is due on Monday. But instead of decorating a nursery, the 18-year-old who lives in a van with her boyfriend is asking various friends if she can stay with them. Taylor may try to go back to her family in Utah, or, as a last resort, enter a homeless shelter. "I've been living on and off the streets for a long time. My family decided they didn't want much to do with me," she said. Her situation had been improving until she and her boyfriend lost the lease to their home after a fire broke out around Christmas. They were able to save most of the baby's things. As a middle-schooler, Taylor was placed in foster care and eventually took to the streets. The braces she got in the seventh grade are still on her teeth. "They're destroying my mouth right now. There's a few broken brackets. One's missing. The wire on the bottom row is shifting to the side. It's cutting my mouth and cheek up real bad and stabbing into my mouth on the left side," she said. "A lot of times my mouth will pour blood from brushing real lightly." The ICCA is trying to raise money to have the braces removed. Donations can be sent to ICCA, 144 N. 2nd St., Ashland, OR 97520. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Slippers Women's & Men's Slippers Ceramic Piggy Banks heloc libor rate Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Accelerate Weightloss Products Memory Foam Mattress afsa studentloans home equity loans teleconferencing W2 Forms fasa student loans Matchmaking & Dating Scripts African Safari Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems student loan consolidation wholesale diamonds Currancy Exchange web conferencing Online Casinos Community Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. 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