Congregation Officially Moves Out

I find it interesting that the Congreation's Owner's attorney couldn't find a way out of the first, lower priced, contract.

"Although an anonymous donor concerned about the neighborhood and congregation was willing to give the congregation a gift and pay $750,000 to buy the building on behalf of Christ Church . . ."

That really wasn't supposed to be brought up...

quote:

Originally posted by Mamattorney:
"Although an anonymous donor concerned about the neighborhood and congregation was willing to give the congregation a gift and pay $750,000 to buy the building on behalf of Christ Church . . ."

Why wasn't this in the YouTube video?...

quote:

Originally posted by glellyn:

quote:

Originally posted by Mamattorney:
"Although an anonymous donor concerned about the neighborhood and congregation was willing to give the congregation a gift and pay $750,000 to buy the building on behalf of Christ Church . . ."

Why wasn't this in the YouTube video?...

They could have called it "Zoning . . . Glen Ellyn style"

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Originally posted by Mamattorney:
They could have called it "Zoning . . . Glen Ellyn style"

Or pay to pray.

It has been a week...is there any status update about this situation?

quote:

Originally posted by GEM:
Montessori opened a school some years back up in Lake County in Riverwoods or Lincolnshire.

They pulled a "fast" one to trick township into a special use permit by agreeing to an exit and entrance on multiple sides of the facility. . . After opening. The required additional exit gates were closed and locked . . . I have yet to see them reopened or utilized as originally required. Anyhow they are in an area which resembles Hillside and Park. Initially the residence up there protested its opening. (The usual traffic, noise, ect.) Today you wouldn't even know the school was there unless you were looking for it. It really has become an asset to the community Look at the bright side!!! It will be one less church running a pads program in our neighborhood!

You should be ashamed of yourself. So it's okay to help the homeless as long as it's not in your backyard. Have you ever talked to a homeless person? PADS is a fantastic program. Here's hoping that you learn your lesson the hard way and that karma bites you in the ***.

quote:

Originally posted by sadiesue:

quote:

Originally posted by GEM:
Montessori opened a school some years back up in Lake County in Riverwoods or Lincolnshire.

They pulled a "fast" one to trick township into a special use permit by agreeing to an exit and entrance on multiple sides of the facility. . . After opening. The required additional exit gates were closed and locked . . . I have yet to see them reopened or utilized as originally required. Anyhow they are in an area which resembles Hillside and Park. Initially the residence up there protested its opening. (The usual traffic, noise, ect.) Today you wouldn't even know the school was there unless you were looking for it. It really has become an asset to the community Look at the bright side!!! It will be one less church running a pads program in our neighborhood!

You should be ashamed of yourself. So it's okay to help the homeless as long as it's not in your backyard. Have you ever talked to a homeless person? PADS is a fantastic program. Here's hoping that you learn your lesson the hard way and that karma bites you in the ***.

PADS as a concept is a fine program, but as with most programs in GE falls way short on execution. PADS needs to step up and ensure that they take responsibility not just for the homeless under their care, but for the towns and neighbors surrounding the PADS facilities.

1) Locking the homeless out of a church or other building until a meal is served only perpetuates the attitude that this allows them the rights to stand on neighboring lawns and properties. See, they've been told they can't stand on the church property until the doors open... so guess what they do.... they stand on the neighbors lawns or storefronts directly across the street. Staring in windows, loitering, eating, smoking (which, I still don't understand how you can't afford a meal, but can afford to chain smoke) and littering.

2) PADS needs to ensure that neighbors are also being communicated to as far as the criminal activities occuring while these people are under their care. I've pointed out before... why was there an obscenity arrest last month and what was done to support the neighbors?

Nicely done Glellyn.

Without retyping all that I have in the archived threads, PADS is an awful organization. I’ll sum it up as follows:

1) PADS success ratio is less than 5%.

2) PADS does not request any meaningful ID upon entry and as a result, it poses a threat to our community.

3) PADS imports criminals, drug addicts, alcoholics, mentally ill, child molesters and people with HIV, and in some cases folks with combinations of these characteristics into our community.

4) Saturating our area with homeless (5 shelters for a community of 27,000) creates a nuisance, yet this crap goes on year, after year, after year. Same bums, same problems.

This is Bendog's wife just to differentiate!

I'm relatively new to Glen Ellyn, and was a little reluctant to move to Glen Ellyn because of various stereotypes I have had over the years that date back to college. I have always been aware of the snobbery of the Western suburbs but bitterboy has taken it to a new low. I don't know that much about the PADS organization, but I am aware of the homeless people that frequent Glen Ellyn and Wheaton. At first it surprised me and made me uncomfortable. Where I'm originally from we don't have this issue. It is simply swept under the rug and bam, homelessness does not exist! I am impressed that Glen Ellyn and Wheaton have stepped up to the plate to help with this issue.

As for bitterboy's rants and raves here are my thoughts:

1. PADS success ratio is less than 5%.
I'm not sure where that data comes from but I'll take it as true. I beg to differ though, they are giving these people a warm meal and a place to sleep every night. They are also giving them respect which is something that you obviously don't do. I would call that a success rate of 100%.

2. PADS does not request any meaningful ID upon entry and as a result, it poses a threat to our community.
Did it ever occur to you that since they are homeless they may not have a valid id or a birth certificate? They're homeless.

3. PADS imports criminals, drug addicts, alcoholics, mentally ill, child molesters and people with HIV, and in some cases folks with combinations of these characteristics into our community.
I understand that in the Glen Ellyn utopia these people do not exist, but let me welcome you to 2008. These people exist. Some of these people are your neighbors, friends, fellow parishoners, your coworkers, the person down the street with the house for sale, your cousin, your aunt's friend, I'm sure you get the point. Everyone has problems, your neighbor may be a drug addicted, gambling, AIDS patient. You don't know. The only difference between the people on the street and the people that have the same issues that live in Glen Ellyn are supportive families. These homeless people are exactly that: PEOPLE. They are your veterans that have fought for your freedom, someone's son or daughter, someone's mom or dad. They mean something to someone out there. Who are you to judge?? But I'm sure you go to church every Sunday and have paid your way to heaven.

4. Saturating our area with homeless (5 shelters for a community of 27,000) creates a nuisance, yet this crap goes on year, after year, after year. Same bums, same problems.

This crap does go on year after year, same snobs, same problems. No wonder things are stagnant...

Welcome Bendog's Wife. A snob? Damn! I thought Clam and Fan were the snobs of the GEBB. I'm not a snob, just an average Joe who has worked hard for everything I have. Growing up, my dad worked his a$$ off and we had very little. Two of my uncles and an aunt lived in section 8 housing as result of their addictions. The best thing my dad ever did was take me with him to visit them while explaining to me why I shouldn't grow up to be like them. I am very much in tune with the real world.

I have zero tolerance for an organization that enables poor behavior/habits and PADS does just that, particularly with its "Housing First" strategy. Sure, there are some PADS members that may have lost a job, a spouse, etc and need a helping hand. Sure, people who actually live in homes and have real jobs may have some of the same characteristics that I have described above, but these folks are evenly displaced among our neighborhoods. The likelihood of moving next door to one of these nuts is equally probable. PADS however, multiplies the problem by importing more, a lot more while concentrating them in one realtively small area. Did you know that a significant portion of PADS members are not even from DuPage? Did you know that PADS refused to comment when a little girl was raped by a PADS member in the Coveted Lake Ellyn area. They were not forthcoming in the least bit and that really bothers me.

I think Glellyn hit it on the head by writing this:

quote:

PADS needs to step up and ensure that they take responsibility not just for the homeless under their care, but for the towns and neighbors surrounding the PADS facilities.

I have support for all my rant and most of it can be found in the archived threads. My opinion of PADS is based on fact and not emotion. Funny thing is, much of this information isn't present on PADS website. Why is that?

I've stated lots of things about PADS before too but to summarize (and Bitterboy knows where I stand on this -even if we do not see exactly eye-to-eye):

1. I support PADS by donating time and/or money.
2. My church hosts PADS on Sundays.
3. I like the concept of PADS very much and want to do what I can to help a person who is struggling.
4. The problem is, there is nothing in place to help the chronically homeless - especially those who are homeless due to mental illness and there does not appear to be a very good system in place to ensure that we are not importing violent criminals.
5. The users of PADS owe some degree of stewardship and responsibility to the communities that host shelters. That means behaving in a socially acceptable manner such as not throwing trash or cigarette butts on the ground, not cleansing oneself in view of the public, not piling one's dirty laundry between the window and chair of a place that serves food, observing the ordinances about how far one must be from a business entrance in order to smoke, not cursing loudly, not panhandling, not taking a table at a restaurant for your nap, not taking a bench in the central business district for your nap, not urinating on said bench, not crapping in your pants and then sitting in the chairs in a restaurant.

I don't think my thoughts and concerns are unreasonable or unfair.

quote:

Originally posted by BennyDog:
This is Bendog's wife just to differentiate!


1. PADS success ratio is less than 5%.
I'm not sure where that data comes from but I'll take it as true. I beg to differ though, they are giving these people a warm meal and a place to sleep every night. They are also giving them respect which is something that you obviously don't do. I would call that a success rate of 100%.

2. PADS does not request any meaningful ID upon entry and as a result, it poses a threat to our community.
Did it ever occur to you that since they are homeless they may not have a valid id or a birth certificate? They're homeless.

3. PADS imports criminals, drug addicts, alcoholics, mentally ill, child molesters and people with HIV, and in some cases folks with combinations of these characteristics into our community.
I understand that in the Glen Ellyn utopia these people do not exist, but let me welcome you to 2008. These people exist. Some of these people are your neighbors, friends, fellow parishoners, your coworkers, the person down the street with the house for sale, your cousin, your aunt's friend, I'm sure you get the point. Everyone has problems, your neighbor may be a drug addicted, gambling, AIDS patient. You don't know. The only difference between the people on the street and the people that have the same issues that live in Glen Ellyn are supportive families. These homeless people are exactly that: PEOPLE. They are your veterans that have fought for your freedom, someone's son or daughter, someone's mom or dad. They mean something to someone out there. Who are you to judge?? But I'm sure you go to church every Sunday and have paid your way to heaven.

4. Saturating our area with homeless (5 shelters for a community of 27,000) creates a nuisance, yet this crap goes on year, after year, after year. Same bums, same problems.

This crap does go on year after year, same snobs, same problems. No wonder things are stagnant...

See, now you are turning this into a morality play about the homeless instead of a discussion about how PADS is executing within a community. Just because PADS is well-intentioned, doesn't give them free reign to crap on their towns and neighbors.

You mentioned PADS "They are also giving them respect which is something that you obviously don't do." This is the problem... why doesn't PADS respect the shops and neighbors in Glen Ellyn? Why does PADS allow - and promote - their clients to sit and smoke on neighboring porches, stoops, benches, etc. because they have been told "If you stand on the church property before the doors open, you won't get a meal"...why is that ok?

Talk about no respect? The absolute FIRST thing they should teach this sad people, if they want to assimilate back into normal society, is to respect their communities and the people around them. If they teach these people to respect OTHERS, their success rate may peak up a bit.

See, now you are turning this into a morality play about the homeless instead of a discussion about how PADS is executing within a community. Just because PADS is well-intentioned, doesn't give them free reign to crap on their towns and neighbors.

You mentioned PADS "They are also giving them respect which is something that you obviously don't do." This is the problem... why doesn't PADS respect the shops and neighbors in Glen Ellyn? Why does PADS allow - and promote - their clients to sit and smoke on neighboring porches, stoops, benches, etc. because they have been told "If you stand on the church property before the doors open, you won't get a meal"...why is that ok?

Talk about no respect? The absolute FIRST thing they should teach this sad people, if they want to assimilate back into normal society, is to respect their communities and the people around them. If they teach these people to respect OTHERS, their success rate may peak up a bit.[/QUOTE]



How can you expect an organization to take on responsibility for grown adults? Last time I checked smoking is legal and the government is making a ton of money off those people. How are they crapping on the "village"? By standing around in dirty clothes instead of name brands? Granted they should not be on private property, but again how can you control the actions of grown adults?? I've walked around the "village" of Glen Ellyn when these folks are standing around, and the one thing I've noticed for the majority is they are respectful. They will say, "Good evening, how are you?" and other niceities, that's more than I can say for some of the fine outstanding folks that aren't homeless. The problem I'm having is the judgemental attitude of some of the people on this board. I'm a teacher in the area, and now I see why some of the kids in the area have absolutely no sympathy for people less fortunate then they are. They are parroting back these same ignorant attitudes.

I don't know how this thread morphed into a PADS theme, but here are my thoughts:

Any of Amy's points in in her item #5 simply can't be argued with.

I find it hypocritical and disrespectful to our community that the PADS sites can deny services to their patrons who arrive on the premises too early. What are the reasons PADS has that rule? I suspect they are some of the same reasons residents don't want visitors hanging around public areas for hours and hours on end.

This is Du Page PADS and it is based in Wheaton. Why does Glen Ellyn, which is half the size of Wheaton, sponsor twice the number of shelters at this time? It appears Glen Ellyn has taken on a disproportionate amount of responsibility and it shows.

Finally, I also believe that like many situations in life, the actions of a few are coloring our view of many. There are several very visible individuals that are creating most of the bad feelings residents have attributed towards the work PADS does. If these individuals could be actually assisted by PADS instead of enabled, then everyone would benefit.

I think the reason the homeless are turned away at the PADS sites until a certain time is because a volunteer of the church has to arrive first, prepare the facility, and unlock the doors. The arrangement is not 24/7. The arrangement is to provide a meal and a place to sleep. How is this hypocritical and disrespectful to the community? The churches that support pads should be patted on the back and thanked, as should pads themselves.

Think of it this way. If it was your son or daughter who was homeless, and using the services of pads, I think you would be thanking pads, and the churches that supported pads.

The last time I checked the "rules" it was written that PADS could deny service if visitors arrived at the host property before a stated time - not deny services until someone arrived to let them in.

The reason there is a stated time is that someone that is volunteering to help that night probably only arrives shortly before the stated time. They then need some time to set up and be prepared for the evening. Again, this is just scheduling and logistics, has nothing to do with disrespect or hypocrosy. That was my point.

I am sure PADS does try to talk to these people and get them help where they can.

The enforcement of bad apples should or course come from the GEPD.

Tough topic, probably deserves it's own thread, I agree with you the thread should have not been hijacked!

quote:

Originally posted by Floyd:
Tough topic, probably deserves it's own thread, I agree with you the thread should have not been hijacked!

I've certainly got plenty of opinions on the way PADS is operated and (ineffectively) regulated, and have expressed those opinions several times on these boards in threads on the subject. But I can't imagine why this particular thread has turned to a discussion of PADS.

I, for one, didn't even notice GEM's comment back on page 4.

Welcome to the boards, sadiesue - but I think it was pretty crappy for you to go back there and dredge up what is clearly a tangential comment, to derail this particular discussion. Do you have anything to say about the issue of the new school, or 4MP's request for an update immediately preceding your debut? By all means, start any thread about any topic you wish - including what you consider GEM's inappropriate comment about homeless services - and we'll undoubtedly join the discussion.