Wow! Apparently the cities way of dealing with an issue of having 4 times the amount of homeless as they do room in shelter is to treat them like animals. No food, they'll just go away.
They will allow feeding multitudes of homeless if they obtain a permit but only allow 2 permits a year.
Those who wished to feed more than 25 hungry individuals at parks within a 2-mile radius of City Hall could do so, but only if they obtained a "Large Group Feeding Permit" from the parks department — and no one would be granted more than two feeding permits a year.
But then most like to eat more than two times a year! At least I know I do!
After a law that banned panhandling was struck down by the courts, the city tried to discourage aggressive beggars by obliging them to carry ID cards, and later by confining them to 3-by-15-foot "panhandling zones" painted in blue on sidewalks downtown.
So if you carry this card and stay with in the blue colored lines and someone comes by to offer you food, you get to eat today. But you better be quick cause there are 8,000 others in need of that one sandwich you're being handed. Oh wow! Basically why don't they just say, stay with in the blue lines so people will be able to avoid you and ignore your problem and go on with their happy little picnic in the park.
Why not create more shelters. Here we have what is called Job Fairs where homeless have a weekend to join where they receive free hair cuts, shaves, clean clothing, food, and training on mannerism if necessary. Someone actually sets down with them over the course of the weekend and helps them become fitted for a job. Businesses come to seek out these workers as they understand they aren't bums, they are folks in need of a hand up who have talents and desire to take care of themselves and give to the community. It was started by one christian man and has now been handed over to the government. It has begun to spread through out the state. Many are back in the work force through this organization.