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Anyone who works in government, or even pays close attention to what government can and will do on any given issue, knows that policy is driven by money. Perhaps not entirely but certainly to some significant degree. That’s the case at the local level, where massive borrowing to cover pell-mell spending just doesn’t happen like it does at the federal and state levels.
Where are we going with this? The most recent dust up involving residents and others who frequent the Room at the Inn facility on West Washington Street in downtown Marquette is a textbook example of government policy influenced by limited dollars, with a result that no one seems satisfied with.
Marquette city commissioners got an ear full from both sides of the issue earlier this week when one resident of Snowberry Heights, an apartment community for those 62 and older or those with disabilities located on Fifth Street, voiced concerns that “transients and homeless persons” were building campfires, sleeping, digging an outdoor latrine and leaving belongings such as sleeping bags, telephones, bottles and syringes in the wooded area between Snowberry Heights and the bike path. She also said that she has heard "screaming and fighting."
A resident at Room at the Inn, often shortened to RATI, apologized for such occurrences while taking exception with the facility acronym and what it might convey.
"I am not a rodent, I am a human being. I am 48 years old ... we are not rats, we are not vermin, we are human beings and we deserve respect just like every one of yous sitting up here today."
He continued that the offending persons observed by Snowberry residents were not residents of Room at the Inn.
For the record, we believe it is exceedingly easy to find oneself looking down one’s nose at the people at Room at the Inn. We shouldn’t. They are simply people grappling with difficult issues that aren’t easily resolvable. And they need help.
The folks who operate Room at the Inn are trying to provide some of that help and in doing so have earned our everlasting respect as we’re certain no one is getting rich working there. They’re involved because they are caring people doing a job that needs to be done.
Same goes for the businesses that are near Room at the Inn, or the residents of Snowberry Heights or the many passersby to the facility who report objectionable conduct. As we see it, here are no real bad people in any of this.
But how to resolve it? Now, we’re back to money. Marquette City Manager Karen Kovacs hit the nail squarely on the head when she said city government’s hands are largely tied.
"As the local unit of government, we really see this as a community need to approach and all levels of government need to be at this table working with the local nonprofits and organizations to find better solutions for addressing homelessness in our community," said Kovacs. "... Municipalities are extremely limited on what we can spend public funds on. We cannot give money to nonprofits unless we are contracting with them to do something that we should be doing as the government agency, or a service that we would otherwise provide, so our support for serving the homeless is not as obvious or direct as some may demand or expect of the local government.”
She further suggested that government and non-profits should work together to find solutions.
While we think Kovacs is on the right track, we don’t expect this issue to go away any time soon. That would require a massive infusion of cash from somewhere and that likely isn’t going to happen.