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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us December 13, 2004 Homeless camp might work, but where will it go? As temperatures get down to freezing and below most nights in Ashland, it makes sense that an issue getting a fair amount of attention is the plight of the local homeless. When outgoing Mayor Alan DeBoer acquired the former Handyman Hardware building on Ashland Street, the discussion became more well-defined. DeBoer wants to use the space as a services center for the homeless that includes a Salvation Army thrift store. Many residents came out against the idea, saying that what Ashland really needs is a permanent, sanctioned homeless camp. Pointing to the successes of Dignity Village in Portland, they argued that a self-sufficient, cooperative environment would help people who have no interest in living "on the grid." And so here we are, apparently facing a choice between two options. But before this community discussion goes into specifics about what such a camp will look like, and what would be involved in creating it, two things must be resolved. As with so many public projects, a reliable, stable funding source is important to identify, but in this case, the site is the real sticking point. Early on into the debate, we have not yet decided where to throw our support, but one thing is certain: There's no point discussing the virtues of a homeless camp before coming to a consensus on where it will be. We suspect many who support the camp as an ephemeral idea will be prone to rampant bouts of NIMBYism if the project is put near where they live, work or play. The location is going to be a political football. Suggestions of using the quarry on Granite Street are sure to face stiff opposition from people who have built their dream homes along that road closer to the city. Few who own a million-dollar-plus abode will be thrilled to have a homeless camp with an address that varies only numerically from their own. What may be considered the shoo-in spot in the Railroad District has the niggling issue of being a Superfund site. So, where is this thing going to go? We can worry about composting toilets and by-laws as the process continues, and perhaps DeBoer's idea - regardless of its merits - will emerge as the political winner. Until then, let's start with the question that may ultimately kill the plan for a camp instead of wasting time on details that will never matter. 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 Isotoner Slippers Dsw Shoes Ceramic Piggy Banks Fanny Mae Eloans Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Accelerate Weight Loss Programs Citibank Student Loans Acs Loan Matchmaking & Dating Scripts Adventure Travel Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems student loan consolidation helzberg diamonds Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams