Posted by:
Sentinel Staff
12/15/2009 12:41:48 PM
An encampment of homeless people has constructed a shelter on land behind a shopping center in Keene. City officials say the shack must meet certain code requirements. Should the homeless in this case, and other Keene residents, meet the same compliance standards?
2/28/2010 11:38:54 AM
I can see why these men stay in the woods...The Keene Housing Authority says it's low-income residents can no longer smoke in their own homes-What's next? If I'm paying rent, I'll be damned if someone can tell me whether I can smoke there or not! Why don't they institute a rule on "No alcoholic residents"? Alcoholics make more trouble in a housing complex than smokers do...Leave the smokers alone! All the apartments get painted when someone moves anyway. I smoke, and my apartment is immaculate- at least this is what my non-smoking friends tell me!!!
2/3/2010 2:42:08 PM
I wonder who is picking up the tab for the hospital bill after one of the homeless men fell on his way back to the shack. Probably sue the city for lack of code enforcement when he's discharged.
1/28/2010 1:45:04 PM
I wonder if the Keene Sentinel will win any journalism awards for bringing the plight of certain homeless people in Keene to the public attention, especially since the series of articles may help the “homeless” people to be truly without a home.
Heaven forbid that any people would choose to live in a hand made cabin in the woods – that is not the American way! Thank goodness for the modern age with the multitude of city building codes that help protect people from themselves and the numerous dangers of life.
How thoughtful of the the Keene city officials to not want the “homeless” people to run the risk of dying in a cabin fire like the man in Alstead. It is much better for them to be truly without a place to live or let the nanny state take care of them so they can live safely to old age and spend their last days drooling on themselves while tied into a wheelchair parked in the hallway of a nursing home.
1/23/2010 11:46:47 AM
THE HOMELESS ONCE AGAIN MADE THEIR BEDS. LET THEM LIE IN THEM NOW, WHEREEVER THAT MAY BE. this homeless talk is getting old not to say condeming the town. throw them out, clean it up. over due.
1/22/2010 7:56:17 AM
You all seem to have opinions but of no value and obviously no outcome. People often choose their life, take care of your own. Everyone has enough to deal with in their own life, why reach out to homeless who chose that way? If you ever studied the subject, you'd understand most of them, choose this life, for whatever the reason, maybe its just easier for them. Whatever we all feel, nothing will every help them.,not a thing. Homelessness? everywhere you live. its endless as it is hopeless. am sick of hearing about it.
1/7/2010 5:25:42 PM
I'm sorry but I have to totally disagree with nobodyishomeless. The Democrat will open thier door and give them directions to a hard working taxpayer to give them refuge. Then the Democrat will call CNN and the Keene Sentinel, and direct them to that address to do a story on how selfish the hard working taxpayer is by not caring for the homeless. The democrat will then go to bed after having a good meal and a glass of wine feeling warm and fuzzy for their great contributions to the cause.
Although I have to admit it was so cold outside, that I DID see a Democrat with their hand in their OWN pockets. We have to give them SOME credit!
1/7/2010 11:01:45 AM
There is always a warm home and plenty of food and drink for anyone that claims to be homeless. Knock on the door of any Democrat and you will find the love and an open door policy. If they do not let you in, you may squat in their garage.
12/30/2009 9:35:31 PM
I am a mother of a daughter who is over 18. She left home in the middle of this year 2009. She chose to be homeless with her boyfriend who wants to suck off the welfare system. He got my daughter pregnant so "they could get an apartment" that was their whole plan. They thought it would be their ticket to "freedom". He doesnt work and cant hold down a job without scamming workmans comp. No jobs, no home and a baby on the way. Thats really smart in a time when the economy sucks as well. He would rather sit on his behind and smoke his dope and drink and let her bust her behind. sounds like a ball and chain to me, especially when my daughter had her own bedroom, food, clean clothes and could come and go when she wanted. Now, her boyfriend wont let her make her own decisions or come see her family or have her own friends without him. Miseries, pure and simple, brought on by the choices my daughter has made. What is wrong with this picture???? Choose a boyfriend over a loving family.... Their miseries are only beginning.
12/28/2009 9:58:49 AM
Are you kidding me? The problem lies in the fact that N.H. has so much legal paper work to get through they would probably be dead from waiting for a place to stay. Why is not the housing giving them Emergency housing funds? Instead of putting them on a waiting list for a yr or two or three. I'm sure anyone of them when it came down to it would love to have their own place. I have friends out here in Michigan that have housing and pay anywhere from 16 to 34 a month. So the guy living there that says he can't afford a apt. get off your ass and sign up for housing. Better yet go to rehab,quit drinking get on housing and make a life for you and your wife. Why is she not working to help the situation. You know what I do for a living home health care,you think that's fun cleaning people up? It's a good viable job and one that will be around for a long time as the baby boomers get older. So put on your big boy pants and big girl panties and stop being part of the problem and start being part of the solution. If there are no jobs in Keene N.H. move to another state. I hear wyoming is looking for workers.
12/21/2009 1:13:13 PM
What about "choice" don't you people understand. Obviously, the people living in the structure choose to live there. They've said it over and over again.
As for not one of them asking for handouts....excuse me but I think they are getting a hand out every month when their check arrives.
12/21/2009 1:00:45 PM
The natives have been living in encampments around NH for as long as I remember. I'm aquainted with several families that have raised their children in similar circumstances, except their tents are in the woods, not the city. The crazy thing is that the folk in the woods moved there to be near their food source, which I've heard as justification for the folk in "tent city" to be here. Perhaps some of the helpful agencies should run a workshop on how to snare and skin a rabbit?
12/21/2009 2:06:58 AM
For those who complain about codes and fees and taxes on their own comfortable homes, complain TO the City about it and don't scapegoat the homeless.
These men out in the woods don't charge you money for living in your own home and they don't charge you fees or make you apply to them when you want to add on or make you come to them to get a permit for what you want to do with your house.
The guys in the woods are trying to get by without asking for a handout from anyone. Live and let live please.
12/20/2009 4:35:27 PM
The homeless people living there are first and formost- people. We are so concerned about animal rights and lets not execute a murderer that raped and killed the little girl down the road but we will let these people in the woods die from exposure as long as we dont have to witness it and its done quietly. My soulution: We built a new jail where we will house and feed criminals well how about adding a section( an not to look like the jail) that has beds and privacy and a dinning hall and showers. A place where counslers can help these people find jobs. We are doing that with the inmates, well how about with these people who are down on their luck. This makes alot of sense. Help these people, this is the place to do it. Next month, it could be YOU and your family that is homeless. "Gimme Shelter"
12/18/2009 9:14:58 PM
Ms Rose, I'm sorry but the Sentinel did cause this problem. Before the series was printed, the landowner knew the "tent city" existed, the police were watching out for them (quietly) and at least two social services were checking up on them and offering assistance. Once the Sentinel brought the homeless to the forefront, now the CITY has to, by law, step in and enforce their codes. So Good Story but lousy timing.
12/18/2009 6:09:46 PM
I was scrolling through the pictures at http://keenesentinel.com/mediabin/tent_city_widget/ on the “Tent City” or what ever you want to assign as a politically correct name for this “shanty town” and I noticed a dumpy looking couch on the last picture on the right.
About a year ago there was a big fiasco about a couch on Court Street that ended up in court http://freekeene.com/2008/11/23/couch-court-audio-orders/.
The difference between these two couches is that the one on Court Street was owned by a Free Stater, whereas the location of the couch in the Sentinel picture is on property, from what I understand, is owned State Representative Timothy Robertson (d).
12/18/2009 3:12:46 PM
What's the going tax rate for a cardboard condo?
12/17/2009 4:13:32 PM
These people are out in the freezing cold, barely getting by as it is. Let it be.
12/17/2009 1:44:31 PM
I don't agree that the Sentinel caused the problem by reporting about it - however, it is ironic that a series of articles that seemed to be trying to get readers to empathize with the situation - instead has created problems for the people living there.
I think it is disgusting that the town, knowing full well that they were there - AND knowing full well the conditions that they were living in - only now choose to get involved and pretend to care - if the town really had an interest they would have been reaching out in ways that mattered long ago. But as usual, the emphasis by the goverment is always about giving us what THEY think we, the people, need - NOT about giving us what we tell them we need.
12/17/2009 10:58:10 AM
One of these "homeless" men are a relative of mine and quite frankly I'm tired of hearing about this. We know he's homeless, it's a choice/disease! Are we seriously spending my tax dollars to make sure their "homelessness" is up to code!!!!!! Could you imagine if NYC did this??? And seriusly my children are tired (humiliated) of hearing about this...imagine going to school and hearing "im sorry to hear about your father being homeless"....not their father but their uncle...but if it was their father, imagine how that would have made them feel!!!! Let's move on and stop wasting my tax dollars on this and I don't know, maybe fix the roads instead!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
12/16/2009 4:07:44 PM
Who's to have the say? If a Native American builds a longhouse or other traditional structure, for example, will it meet the City's rules?
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Also, listen to this: in Zimbabwe four years ago the Government destroyed the homes of at least 700,000 people after an election wherein most of the voters in those neighborhoods voted for the opposition Party (MDC). The Government announced that they were bulldozing the homes due to substandard conditions and code violations, a crackdown on illegal housing is how they characterized it. The name of the operation was Murambatsvina, a horrific Government mass eviction campaign. Better housing for the people was promised by Government spokesmen at the time, but never built. Politics?
12/16/2009 9:01:19 AM
Building standards for the homeless??? The HOPE & CHANGE philosophy is spilling over to Keene's homeless. If The government wants "change", all they need to do is regulate or tax the issue until the problem goes away and there is no "hope" for it ever returning.
Besides, what's all the fuss about? With all of OUR money that Barak Housain Obama is spending, we will all get to live in cardboard boxes before long. He does promise however, that the government will allow you stand in line to get free amputations for your frostbite toes; if of course you meet certain criteria, such as not being too old to waste the money on.
12/16/2009 7:18:22 AM
Well the media (Sentinel) has done another "not so good" deed in exposing the homeless around Keene. According to your three part article (yes I read it all), there were agencies, including the police, who were aware of the homeless encampments at various locations and were watching over and helping these folks. Because of your article they now have to have politically correct hovels to live in. The reason many, even most, of these folks are living the homeless life is to get away from the rules that many have contributed to their being homeless. Apparently the property owners were aware of the "trespassers" and chose to ignore them because the land is worthless, unless the plaza in one instance decided to expand. Now, thanks to you, (note the sarcasm) the city, police, fire and before long the state will step in and make them comply with rules that will cause them to abandon their present locations. OR WAS THAT YOUR INTENTION IN WRITTING THE ARTICLES IN THE FIRST PLACE?
12/15/2009 6:20:08 PM
Don't we live in a society where (in theory, anyway)the laws that are on the books are supposed to apply--in an equal, even-handed manner-- to all citizens?
Is it really fair to the rest of the citizenry if they are held to a higher standard? To require some to incur costs related to meeting the requirements of the code--while turning the proverbial blind eye to others--who don't--seems to run counter to a basic tenant of our society
And what do we do with the guy who argues that, while he isn't homeless today, he might be homeless next week, next month, or next year? And that this dire condition might very well be brought down upon him (the more imaginative amongst us may argue)as a direct consequence of the city fathers requiring him to spend all of his hard earned dough on (what he considers to be)some frivolous matter like meeting the standards of the code, and abiding by the law.
Don't get me wrong: I have considerable empathy and compassion for the homeless. I just don't believe, however, that city government should all of a sudden decide that they are now a "social agency," or, for that matter, should be able to operate with an unwritten set of rules that change from hour to hour, day to day, person to person.
Keene seems to have a difficult enough time as it is with getting property owners to keep the condition and appearance of their property up; what a practice such as the one suggested here will do, most certainly, is lead to even more blight--and on a widescale basis, at that!
12/15/2009 2:55:26 PM
You Gotta Be Kidding Me?!?!?!?
It's Not bad enough that these people have become homeless... No No No, Lets throw some More B.S. on them, Their tents and cardboard boxes have to meet Standars. Give Me a Break! Leave these people alone to cope as best as they can! IF You are Not part of the solution, Don't be part of the Problem.