Anyone else notice the young african-american woman with the very young baby that has been hanging out in the CBD on PADS days? She's always pleasant and is always pushing her child around and planting on the park benches for hours waiting for the PADS doors to open.
What's curious is... she always has her hair done to the nines, and almost every week (or couple of weeks) it's a different style. I'd normally never notice, but you tend to notice the homeless african-american woman pushing a baby all day around downtown Glen Ellyn with perfectly quaffed hair.
Today, she has new extensions and a new color (black with white streaks). All perfectly straightened. Where does this young mother get the dough to pay for her stylist? Is anyone with PADS working with these folks to help them with fiscal responsibility and self-accountibility? Doesn't anyone at PADS step in and ask... 'Ya know... you might want to be saving that money so you don't need to be sleeping in a homeless shelter with a baby'.
Or am I just thinking with common sense again and underestimating what the affects of providing handout services to a young mother and baby week-in and week-out has on the PADS reports when they have to go get their federal funding to pay for those offices and staff in Wheaton?
She may have a friend who does her hair for her. I have had a number of african-american students who have a family member that does their hair for free or for the cost of the products....I know this because I've commented on their nice hairstyles that change frequently and they tell me why they get it done so often. That's just a thought.
Or, maybe she's squandering the little cash she has on her hair - who knows!?!
"The most valuable things in life are not measured in monetary terms. The really important things are not houses and lands, stocks and bonds, automobiles and real state, but friendships, trust, confidence, empathy, mercy, love and faith. " -Bertrand Russell V. Delong
Posts: 3305 | Location: Glen Ellyn, IL | Registered: April 04, 2003
I'd really hope that if she had a friend that was willing to provide free hair services, that they'd also be kind enough to offer a place to crash for woman schlepping an infant from PADS site to PADS site on daily basis.
I too thought the exact same thing.. Saw her today in front of Starbucks.. Very sad! I was actually wondering how DCFS does not get involved? Is that not an issue with them, or does PADS and DCFS not communicate?
Ok, none of you know anything about this woman. Maybe DCFS is involved. Maybe they connected her to PADS. And just because she has a friend who can do her hair, doesn't mean the friend has space for her and her baby. Don't get me wrong, I can't personally imagine NOT helping out a friend or family member who found themselves in her position but then again, because of that, I wouldn't have a family member or friend in that position. My only point is, that we are jumping to a lot of conclusions about a woman whom none of us have spoken to or know anything about!
"The most valuable things in life are not measured in monetary terms. The really important things are not houses and lands, stocks and bonds, automobiles and real state, but friendships, trust, confidence, empathy, mercy, love and faith. " -Bertrand Russell V. Delong
Posts: 3305 | Location: Glen Ellyn, IL | Registered: April 04, 2003
Actually... I admit I am jumping to a conclusion. I'm really not judging the poor lady and especially her infant. I'm just curious as to where the money comes from and how PADS enables this behavior.
It's the same question I have about where do these PADS folk get cell phones and laptops. I HONESTLY don't get it. When there are 10+ men and women standing in front of 1st Cong., walking up and down the sidewalks chatting on their cell phones... where is PADS to ask,"hey, are you calling for a job interview or a landlord?", or "hey, how can you afford a monthly cell phone bill but not the monthly bit on an apartment or temporary housing?" (of course, this is where the PADS apologists say "They may have a 'pay as you go phone'"). If a group of those people that had cell phones pooled their money together, they could get a decent apartment with a single land line telephone. And then they'd be on their way!
Perhaps Fan, but at least my conclusions give a human being the benefit of the doubt. If you wanted to say such things about the bag lady, McSmokes, or 50centTony, I'd probably just shut my mouth because they've demonstrated long-term problems and poor behavior (noting that two on that list are not PADS clients anyway).
And glellyn, while I understand what you are saying philosophically, you can't hardly compare a cell phone plan to a monthly housing payment....
I really do understand the frustration and exhaustion people in GE are feeling about PADS since we do host more than our fair share of nights but I still firmly believe that the majority of PADS clients are trying to do the best they can....
"The most valuable things in life are not measured in monetary terms. The really important things are not houses and lands, stocks and bonds, automobiles and real state, but friendships, trust, confidence, empathy, mercy, love and faith. " -Bertrand Russell V. Delong
Posts: 3305 | Location: Glen Ellyn, IL | Registered: April 04, 2003
Agreed that a single cell phone plan wouldnt cover the rent....
That's why I proposed PADS getting these folks together - possibly in groups of 4 - and getting them section 8 with the noney they'd bank from not spending money on cell phones.
Maybe they could them up with the laptop guy who uses the free wifi and they can share that as well!
[QUOTE]Originally posted by glellyn: Actually... I admit I am jumping to a conclusion. I'm really not judging the poor lady and especially her infant. I'm just curious as to where the money comes from and how PADS enables this behavior. [QUOTE]
Your first mistake is that you are assuming DuPage PADS goal is for the homeless to become independent. It's quite the contrary. See, the number of PADS clients served by DuPage PADS consistently decreased throughout each year between 1997 and 2001. In fact, from 1997 through 2001, the number of PADS clients served by DuPage PADS had decreased almost 30%. It appears based on these statistics, PADS, during this time may have been successful. However, despite its apparent success, sometime in late 2002 or 2003 PADS switched its philosophy from a structured, laddered approach (the one that was working, where clients had to earn privileges) to what's called "housing first" (the one that got their head count back up, where clients no longer have to earn anything, but rather are given privileges.) Guess what the result was? The number of clients PADS served last year is back to where it was in 1997. You see PADS philosophy is "If it works, break it". PADS gets money from the government based on head count. Less heads/less money, more heads/more money. They want and need folks to be dependent, it's that simple.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: bitterboy,
"You shouldn't soil your Sunday pants, like those other foolish ants."
If I were running PADS, I would have a difficult time facing the residents of any community that hosts PADS events unless I'd already exhausted every available location in my own community first.
Let's just say, (hypothetically) that the Director of PADS lived in Villa Park. Is it safe to assume that every church right there in Villa Park is currently hosting PADS on a regular basis?
Why should this matter? IMO, one cannot fully understand the impact on a community unless one experiences it first hand. I'd compare it to hosting a party in someone else's home. When the party's over, everyone goes home except the hosts - who have to clean up.
