A true story:

Over the weekend I went for a few long bike rides in Du Page. While I did see the poorly pruned trees along the trails, that was not the most upsetting image I was left with.

Returning to Glen Ellyn heading East on the Elgin spur, we biked past the Wheaton DuPage PADS site. While there were few mangled bikes littering the property, there was not a homeless person in sight. We continued on towards Glen Ellyn. Any other bikers or runners passing through our Village would see the same as we did - more homeless people than I could even count in the Prairie Path Park and train station vicinity.

It was not a welcoming sight and one that caused my bicycling partner to quip, "Welcome to Glen Ellyn - Home of the Homeless." Nearly every bench was occupied and surrounded with bags of personal possessions. It certainly did not make me want to stop and pass any time in the park or the CBD.

I am not heartless. I know times are tough and I do feel for the families and individuals who are going through a rough patch and have either no available help beyond PADS or who have exhausted their friends' and families' hospitality.

Those were not the people I saw. PADS continues to use our community as a holding pen for their chronic clients. The summer is just beginning and I thought we had some loitering or vagrancy ordinances on the books. Did those not pass or are they just not being enforced?

I believe our community's hosting of consecutive weekend shelter nights and PADS' lack of comprehensive oversight combine to create this situation. Is everyone else in town completely fine with this being the norm or simply not paying attention anymore?

I had a similar experience yesterday. Heading East to Wheaton passing through Prairie Path Park there was about 5 of the homeless men with their possessions scattered about. I had two 12 yr olds with me who 90mins later said I am scared to ride by that section follow me, they went south on Forest to ride down Duane. I said I'd met up with them and counted 9 homeless people waiting in the PP path. And I also noticed no one at the PADS site in Wheaton.

I have no idea what should be done, but I agree with the above post.

Hi,
On Friday morning, there were two homeless men sleeping on our park benches at Prairie Path park by the gazebo. It did not look like they just arrived, as they had their bags nearby and one was covered with a blanket.

So what's the story with our so-called ordinance prohibiting this type of thing? There's no way anyone else could have used the benches. It's not fair that the homeless people have taken over that park.

I've seen the same situation...particularly this weekend. I was walking one day and biking another and was stunned by the campground-like atmosphere of that little park with the gazebo by the station. I, too am not heartless, but I truly question whether most of these individuals are not just being enabled by PADS and indirectly by our local churches who sponsor them. Several of the people I saw were those I consider "regulars", the ones that I've seen for 10 years or more just ambling along between PADS sites night after night.

I believe the new ordinance requires someone to call in a complaint. Then the officers will speak to the individuals and inform them of the new rule and ask them to move along.

quote:

Originally posted by JustAResident:
I believe the new ordinance requires someone to call in a complaint. Then the officers will speak to the individuals and inform them of the new rule and ask them to move along.

Call??!!? Have you tried texting?

quote:

Originally posted by GE Fan:
That's all fine and good JustAResident but why must a complaint be a pre-text to enforcement of the ordinance?

Can't the ordinance be enforced unilaterally...by those with the training to deal with it?

I have had this exact response on a number of occasions - not limited to the homeless. I do not understand why a LEO cannot take action with respect to a clear ordinance violation occurring in plain view. Heck, it is okay for a camera to identify violators ...

Re: GE's image from the path. My sister lives in Elmhurst and is a pretty fanatical biker. For a couple of years now she has regularly commented that NO TOWN viewed from the path has as many openly homeless people as GE. WE'RE #1!

Buggy's lack of a Village sticker was an ordinance violation. I truly doubt one of her neighbors reported her to the GE police. Maybe taxpaying residents get special scrutiny.

Also, when I looked at the Village Code under Title 6 - Police Regulations, then "General Offenses" and finally to "Disruptive Public Conduct," I did not see any mention that citizens needed to complain to have a situation taken care of.

quote:

Originally posted by GEmom2:
Buggy's lack of a Village sticker was an ordinance violation. I truly doubt one of her neighbors reported her to the GE police. Maybe taxpaying residents get special scrutiny.

Yeah - they seem to be somewhat selective in what they choose to unilaterally enforce. A couple of relatively minor situations that have regularly bothered me as a pedestrian are folks who regularly park blocking the sidewalk, and folks whose bushes significantly encroach upon the sidewalk. Would expect either of these to be easily observable by our officers, and wouldn't even require that they get out of their cars to write them up.

Same with the bums. Maybe their layers of clothing operate as a cloaking devices rendering them invisible to LEOs...

quote:

Yeah - they seem to be somewhat selective in what they choose to unilaterally enforce.

Wonder if this fella got a ticket?

Hi,

When was that photo taken? I find it hard to believe that no police officers saw that! What a nice image it must have been for those passing through Glen Ellyn while on the train or using the prairie path.

And check out the empty water bottle in the right side of the photo. Nice.

This image makes me feel very sad, angry and disappointed.

It illustrates such myriad wrongs, it leaves me speechless.

Where are the homeless supposed to go?
This time of year the shelters are closed.
I suspect they would prefer to have a home. There is a reason they don't, and the same reason gives them no control over anything-including where to live.

quote:

Originally posted by Nuts:
Where are the homeless supposed to go?

To a town that cares enough about their students' education to provide turf instead of driving BMW's. That town would surely welcome these under priviledged folks.

PADS' May schedule shows three "interim shelter" nights per week hosted by Glen Ellyn churches. There were three nights last week - Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. For the current week, both Thursday and Saturday nights are cancelled for the Glen Ellyn sites, but other sites are available.

Wheaton has no churches hosting in May. Wheaton does have turf on BOTH of their high schools' football fields.

Rob, I think your assumption is incorrect.

quote:

Originally posted by Nuts:
Where are the homeless supposed to go?

Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?

quote:

Originally posted by GEmom2:
Wheaton has no churches hosting in May. Wheaton does have turf on BOTH of their high schools' football fields.

Rob, I think your assumption is incorrect.

My sarcasm or lack of probably was not picked up on. Wheaton should be shouldering more of this load.

quote:

Wheaton should be shouldering more of this load.

What about Wheaton college's dorms??

quote:

When was that photo taken?

It was taken Tuesday morning.

What I can't help but wonder is whether this guy was on the PADS "Do Not Admit" list.

It's one thing having a PADS Shelter in town, as at least a shelter provides somewhat of a short-term, controlled environment during the evenings. And it's another to allow anyone to sleep anywhere overnight, particularly in front of a childrens' candy store.

quote:

Where the hell is Wheaton, Elmhurst, Naperville, etc., etc.

Seems to me like there are plenty of towns to chip-in and do one day every two weeks.

Instead, we carry the burden and allow the homeless to sleep in Glen Ellyn more than a lot of husbands and wives who travel during the week for their jobs.

B-I-N-G-O