Houseless, not homeless!: August 2013

Fixing Sarasota's homeless problem - www.Houseless.org

"Houseless", not homeless!

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Fixing Sarasota's homeless problem

Posted: Monday, August 12, 2013 10:36 am

Robert Marbut

SARASOTA, FL - Work begins today for the man that officials hope can help solve the local problem of homelessness.

City and county leaders agreed to hire Robert Marbut to assess the situation here and recommend fixes.

He has helped other cities around the country plan for more affordable housing, and emergency shelters.

Marbut feels the Suncoast has enough resources, but better coordination is needed.

ABC 7 Reporter Trevor Shirley is following the story.

Florida related:

Tampa passes new ordinances on "The Houseless" despite protests (Photos)

Lest we not forget!

"Houseless", not homeless!

15th St. and M St. in DC, "The Houseless" at http://Houseless.net

Caldwell talks rail, trash pick-up, homeless problems on Sunrise - www.Housless.org

"Houseless", not homeless!

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Caldwell talks rail, trash pick-up, homeless problems on Sunrise

Posted: Aug 12, 2013 4:16 PM EST Updated: Aug 12, 2013 4:35 PM EST By Ian Scheuring

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -

(Editors Note: After his appearance on Hawaii News Now Sunrise on Monday, Mayor Caldwell stuck around to answer more of the viewer questions that were posted to our Facebook page. His answers can be found below, with each question taken from Facebook. Mayor Caldwell will return to Sunrise each month for another "Ask The Mayor" segment to answer your questions from Facebook.)

Hawaii Mayor Caldwell

Ask the Mayor, part 1 (12 August, 2013)

Ask the Mayor, part 2 (12 August, 2013)

Sylvia Dahlby: How does the city plan on maintaining the rail system when it can't maintain roads, water mains, and schools?

Mayor Caldwell: Rail, when it is up and running, will have only 300 employees, as opposed to TheBus, which has 1,800 employees. The operation and maintenance of rail is going to be less than TheBus system by a lot. The entire system is going to cost more, but we're going to need fewer buses, meaning an all-bus system in 2030 would cost more than a bus-rail system.

Michele Golujuch: Would you ever consider a bill that required Honolulu residents to pay for trash pick-up to help pay for that service?

Mayor Caldwell: Commercial trash pick-up is something that a lot of people have to pay for in Waikiki, like restaurants and things like that. Perhaps we should explore charging [other commercial customers, like private schools] just like other establishments have to pay. If we did look at doing this, it would probably be in the commercial sector first.

Traci Powers: Cleaning up sidewalks and parks is akin to sweeping the problem under the rug. What are the long term plans to alleviate the homeless population?

Mayor Caldwell: Just moving homeless people from one place to another is crazy and I think it's the definition of insanity. We have pushed this thing called ‘Housing First,' it's a pilot project, where we are going to house the most chronic homeless, the drug addicted or who have a mental illness of some sort, on site, in a home, where they get their treatment.

Gary Gonsalves: What is it going to take to impose a law making it illegal to migrate homeless people from the mainland to Hawaii?

Mayor Caldwell: I wish I could pass such a law. Unfortunately, since we are part of the United States, it is illegal to prohibit people from traveling between states. Therefore, we need to develop alternative solutions, such as working with providers to return homeless back to their families.

Barbara Bonura: Potholes! Why such expensive registration for vehicles but the roads still suck!

Mayor Caldwell: As of December, 43% of our roads are graded substandard. We have a program in which all of those roads will be repaved within 5 years at 300 lane miles per year. We are on target to hit the first 300 miles this December, and are working hard to improve our roads for years to come.

Marie Hite: Our traffic problems on the North Shore at Lani's... Turtle Beach.. is now an everyday problem. What used to take 10 minutes Monday through Friday is now taking drivers half an hour. Weekends are far worse. Please send someone out there to figure out how to solve this traffic. Way too many people crossing the streets to go to the beach. It's an accident waiting to happen.

Mayor Caldwell: I sympathize with the plight of those who live on the North Shore, particularly on weekends when the surf is large during the winter. Kamehameha Highway is a state owned road, though the City is considering several alternatives at Laniakea and will need the state's cooperation to implement them. One is to offer angled parking with barriers for crossing only in certain areas. The long term solution is to move Kam Highway mauka around Laniakea, but this is going to take a while, since it is a wetland on the mauka side of the road and will need EPA clearance along with other federal and state permits.

Candice Kehaulani: When will the city start paving the roads that REALLY need it! Like the Meheula Parkway in front of the Mililani Post Office! They are always paving roads that don't need it.

Mayor Caldwell: Meheula Parkway is one of the roads that will be repaved within the next 12 months.

Michele Golojuch: When will the building of our wonderful rail system begin again? I'm tired of driving to work. I can't wait to ride!

Mayor Caldwell: If everything goes well, we anticipate starting construction again next month.

Linda Fowler: How will you handle the noticeable rise of crime in our state? It seems like every week I read the news someone has been mugged, shot, or murdered and I bet that's not even the half of it. Please justify the pay raise that HPD has gotten when the crime rate has raised so much in the last few years.

Mayor Caldwell: We are lucky that Honolulu is one of the safest big cities in America. HPD is out there every day making sure that we are safe as we go about our daily lives. During the summer we do see an increase in property crime that does decrease in the fall, and police are working as hard as they can to deal with that property crime problem.

PuaOlena Ngatuvai: Why are the camping permits so expensive now? $300 a day to camp? If that's the case, bathrooms should be clean (always toilet paper, no graffiti, etc).Also it should stay opened 24 hours. There are thousands that camp at Kokololio Beach & there is no light in parking lot, should also be provided by the state, security should be around the clock, for $300 it better be worth it!

Mayor Caldwell: You can get a city camping permit for as little as 32 dollars for three days. Click here to see how.

Hawaii related:

Homeless man charged in Waikiki burglary, assault

UPDATE to: Aloha! Hawaii caters to "Haves", "Have-more" while flying (forcing) the "Have-less" & "Have-not" off islands

Lest we not forget!

"Houseless", not homeless!

Homeless man charged in Waikiki burglary, assault - www.Houseless.org

"Houseless", not homeless!

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Homeless man charged in Waikiki burglary, assault

By Star-Advertiser staff

POSTED: 09:00 a.m. HST, Aug 12, 2013

LAST UPDATED: 09:01 a.m. HST, Aug 12, 2013

A 26-year-old homeless man has been charged with breaking into a Waikiki apartment and assaulting a male occupant.

Police said Anthony Shermeta was arrested Friday after he allegedly kicked out the window of a Waikiki apartment at 1:17 a.m. near Kalaimoku Street and allegedly attacked a 29-year-old man in his living room.

The victim was not seriously injured, and said he knew the man who broke into his apartment.

Shermeta was charged with first-degree burglary and second-degree assault Saturday. His bail was set at $11,000.

Hawaii related:

UPDATE to: Aloha! Hawaii caters to "Haves", "Have-more" while flying (forcing) the "Have-less" & "Have-not" off islands

Lest we not forget!

"Houseless", not homeless!

Floods kill at least 36 and leave thousands homeless in northern Sudan - www.Houseless.org

"Houseless", not homeless!

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Floods kill at least 36 and leave thousands homeless in northern Sudan

Published August 11, 2013
Associated Press

KHARTOUM, Sudan – Sudanese authorities say flooding has killed at least 36 people and left thousands homeless.

The semi-official Sudan media center said Sunday that many are without electricity as well in the northern River Nile state, just south of Egypt. The center says at least 5,000 homes have been severely destroyed, almost half beyond repair.

Images from Sudan showed mud brick homes submerged under large lakes of brown water.

The United Nation's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that while the Rive Nile state in Sudan's north was the hardest hit, close to 150,000 people across eight states have been affected by the heavy flooding that began this month.

More rain is expected in the coming days and the estimated number of those affected is likely to rise.

Lest we not forget!

"Houseless", not homeless!

Homeless under the bridge: "Go where?" - www.Houseless.org

"Houseless", not homeless!

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August 9, 2013

Homeless under the bridge: "Go where?"

Ohio River Bridges Project hits homeless as planners, advocates seek solutions

By BRADEN LAMMERS braden.lammers@newsandtribune.com

JEFFERSONVILLE — As a handful of people were being handed meals out of the back of a repurposed ambulance, another dozen walked from about a quarter-mile away where they had been waiting for food.

They used to know exactly where they were going to get their next meal, because it was the same place every evening.

But now, because of the Ohio River Bridges Project, the homeless encampments at exit 0 have been pushed farther north, and outreach efforts are searching for a new location where they can provide the homeless with daily necessities. It’s one of the many issues homeless advocates, project managers and elected officials are facing as they try to address the impact of the bridge project on homelessness.

“We understand that there’s construction coming through, but to find out these camps over [to] 10th Street are going to be wiped out in less than four days, someone knew something that could have prepared us,” said Paul Stensrud, founder of Jesus Cares at Exit 0, a homeless outreach organization.

It was no surprise that the Ohio River Bridges Project was coming and that it would affect the homeless camps under the viaducts along Interstate 65. But, Stensrud said, while bridge planners have been in contact with him, it was after construction crews had already removed some of the camps and new policies set up in Jeffersonville to protect the homeless were not followed.

At a meeting on Thursday, it was agreed that project managers or a member of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet would contact a representative of the Jeffersonville Homeless Task Force about any issues regarding the homeless population and not deal with the homeless directly.

WHERE’S THE NEXT MEAL?

Stensrud and Exit 0 volunteers had long-established that they would serve meals at the same place near the Court Avenue exit. With the ongoing construction and the need to relocate, Stensrud, the volunteers and exit 0’s homeless are looking for a place where they can get their next meal.

“There is a need for our community here, it’s not a want,” he said. “People have to eat.”

Roy White, who has been homeless for five years, was waiting at the former dialysis center off Broadway Street near exit 0 for Stensrud and the volunteers for meals on Tuesday. Along with him were about a dozen other people, including a mother and daughter who said they walked over from Louisville for a meal and another homeless man who said he walked two hours from New Albany.

But Stensrud was setting up about a quarter-mile down the road, feeding a handful of people under an overpass off Seventh Street.

Tuesday night he had about 75 meals with him. He said on average the group hands out 50 to 75 meals a day. Annually, Exit 0 hands out 2,200 meals a year. And with no specific place to set up, the organization has been forced to locate wherever they can.

“We’ll go mobile, it’s going to hurt us,” Stensrud said.

Exit 0 has funding of about $1,200 per month and it costs about $35 a day to keep a converted ambulance the group uses to deliver the meals running, according to Stensrud.

“We’re going to do what we’ve got to do to keep these guys alive,” he said. “Not to enable, to keep them alive.”

And for many people, the meals bridge a gap while they are trying to get themselves back up on their feet.

“The meal that we serve, they come here because that saves them $15 a day,” Stensrud said. “If you go to the soup kitchen you eat at Exit 0, now they have that extra money they can put towards their bills, towards their rent, towards their medication. Now, with the meals being gone, what’s going to happen? Medication is going to get cut first because it’s medicine or food.”

The money that Tracie Allison, who came to the truck for a meal Tuesday, is saving is invaluable.

“I’m trying, I just need a little help,” she said.

Allison said she is homeless, living in a tent on a family member’s lot. But she has also been working third-shift at Amazon’s fulfillment center. The former nurse ran into some legal trouble and is working at the warehouse until she can get the issues straightened out. But because she has a job and does not meet the income guidelines, and has also received assistance within the last six months, she said she is no longer eligible for aid from Jeffersonville’s trustee.

While Allison is trying to raise the money to get a deposit for an apartment, she is forced to live in the tent.

“If I could get a place to live I would be OK,” she said.

David M. LaTouche, a regular volunteer with Exit 0 said he knows what it’s like to try and get over that hurdle. He said he was homeless off-and-on for five years.

“I know what the homeless have to go through and it’s not easy at all,” he said.

And the time he spent out on the streets he said worry was his biggest concern. He was worried about his surroundings and worried that at night when he went to sleep, he may not wake up.

While Stensrud acknowledged the effort moving forward through Jeffersonville’s Homeless Task Force, of which he is a member, the $30,000 [$15,000 from the Redevelopment Commission and $15,000 from the City County] the city will use to hire a consultant is overlooking a major need.

“What about the immediate need right now?” Stensrud asked. “Where are they going to go? The shelter’s full.”

NO ANSWER FOR HOMELESSNESS

Confronted with the question of where to go, the homeless are also at a loss.

“Where am I going? I don’t know,” White said. “They come to you and say, ‘you’ve got to go.’ Go where?”

He and others that have been living along the interstate are getting frustrated about being pushed out.

“I’m going to figure out a place to go and if they come over there and try and run me off again it’s going to be all bad, it’s going to be a fight,” he said.

The prospect of getting into housing is also daunting. While White said he doesn’t drink or use drugs, he does rely on prescription medication for his schizophrenia. He also has a leg that has been severely injured and said he has been denied disability three times. White said he has been working with Stensrud to try and collect a disability check, but it might be as long as nine months before he gets an answer and the payments come through.

“If I don’t get that, I’m going to be in the same place I am now,” White said.

The cycle of frustration continues for those that are homeless as several said they feel like they are constantly harassed or denigrated by police.

“The cops won’t leave us alone,” White said. “We could be walking down the street and they’ll ask us where we’re going. We’d be walking through Thornton’s parking lot —’oh, where are you going, you’re not supposed to be on here, you’re homeless.’ So what? That’s all I want, that’s all I ask for —leave me alone.”

When asked what kind of help local entities could provide, White said just a little work.

“All the city’s got to do is, the people out here that can work, all this trash on the road and stuff —give them a job, pick it up,” he said. “Pay them minimum wage and give them a job picking it up.”

Stensrud said housing is the answer, but there’s a back log. And with the recent notice given to tenants of Rose Hill Residences, which is being converted into a mixed-use development, he feels the situation may get worse.

“They’re going to be back in their cars,” he said.

Stensrud is also reaching a tipping point with the areas homeless situation.

“It’s not our issue,” he said. “It’s the government, it’s the city, community, it is everybody’s issue not just one particular organization. It’s not the churches issue. I’m fed up.”

A PLAN WAS IN PLACE

Organizers had a plan in place to ensure they would be able to continue to provide meals to the homeless, but it did not get approved.

“We wanted the council to zone a building for us so we wouldn’t have this issue,” Stensrud said. “We knew a bridge was coming through [and] that was our plan. But the city says a day shelter isn’t the [answer] for this area. We’re trying to do the right thing and communicate with [Mayor] Mike [Moore] saying, look, you’re giving away properties to museums, you’re giving away properties for art and stuff like that. Dude, I just need a parking lot. Basically, I’m told if you’re looking for a blessing you’re not going to get it from me.”

But Moore said he was under the impression that the task force had advised him that a site had potentially been identified that could be used as a day shelter and to distribute meals. Attempts to confirm a site had been identified late Thursday were unsuccessful.

Thomas Steinberger, director of the food pantry at Harvest Chapel Church, said that previously the J and J Video building was identified as a place that could house a day center.

However, a zoning request to allow the space to be used for a shelter was not approved.

Connie Sellers, City Council president and a member of Jeffersonville’s Plan Commission, said the zoning request was denied for two reasons. She said the residents who lived in that area did not want it and the area was part of an area targeted for redevelopment.

“I don’t think it is a good place for it because we’re trying to develop that area,” she said.

When asked if there was another area in the city that could be used as a day shelter she said she is waiting on recommendation of the task force.

“That’s why we gave them $15,000,” she said.

Steinberger was not optimistic about the prospect of finding a different location to set up a shelter.

“The problem is we can’t move anywhere because Jeffersonville has a NIBY (not in my back yard) factor,” he said. “It just seems like the homeless are on the back burner and nobody gives a care about them.”

He said the situation is even more complicated because homeless people don’t trust others because of the way they’ve been treated and they are trying to fight the negative perception of homelessness.

“You’ve got to find an area where the people are accessible,” Steinberger said. “You‘ve got to be able to have a place where they can have access to public transportation and access to a computer to find a job ... they’ve got nowhere to go. It’s a situation that everybody wants to turn their back on.”

Roy White stands next to an overpass along Interstate 65 in Jeffersonville on Tuesday evening. White has been homeless for five years, and he and several other members of the homeless community are being affected by the I-65 bridge work. Staff photo by Christopher Fryer

Paul Stensrud, director of Jesus Cares at Exit 0, stands in front of his van underneath Interstate 65 in Jeffersonville on Tuesday evening where he passes out free meals and supplies to the homeless. Staff photo by Christopher Fryer

Paul Stensrud, director of Jesus Cares at Exit 0, gets into his van after passing out free meals and supplies to the homeless underneath Interstate 65 in Jeffersonville on Tuesday evening.
Staff photo by Christopher Fryer

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Managers of Ohio River Bridges Project Say Homeless Camps Have to Go

7:43 am Fri August 9, 2013

The project managers for a new Ohio River bridge between Indiana and Kentucky say makeshift homeless camps in the new span's path need to be moved soon.

Indiana and Kentucky officials told members of the Jeffersonville-Clarksville Homelessness Task Force on Thursday that the homeless residents need to be moved so crews can clear land for the new bridge's ramps.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet project manager Andy Barber told the panel it's unsafe for people to be in the construction zone without protective equipment.

The Courier-Journal reports Walsh Construction project manager Blake Morris told task force members crews planned to begin clearing land near one camp area late this week.

Task force member the Rev. Jim Moon says homeless advocates "need a little more time than that."

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Officials advise moving homeless near downtown bridge construction

Camps near construction for new bridge are dangerous locations, meeting is told

Aug. 9, 2013

Click the image above to watch a video

Homeless camps in the path of downtown bridge construction

need to be moved as workers continue clearing land for new ramps, Ohio River Bridges Project officials told members of the Jeffersonville-Clarksville Homelessness Task Force on Thursday.

The meeting was requested by project officials from Indiana and Kentucky, as well as contractor Walsh Construction, after task force members complained a week ago that workers from a subcontractor cleared a homeless encampment as they began removing trees and brush from just east of the Interstate 65 in Jeffersonville.

No one was inside the camp at the time, according to task force members, who like project officials say they want to avoid injuries as the project moves forward.

Project officials apologized Thursday afternoon to the task force, which Mayor Mike Moore formed after halting controversial homeless sweeps and has since made recommendations that led to a new policy being adopted earlier this year requiring the task force to be given 48 hours notice before items belonging to the homeless are removed.

Subcontractors for the Ohio River Bridges Project cleared trees and brush near the Ninth Street overpass just east of U.S. 31 and Interstate 65. Aug. 1, 2013 / Charlie White/The Courier-Journal

A project spokesman said last week that the subcontractor was not aware of the policy, and project officials said Thursday that workers have since been instructed not to interact with the homeless living under overpasses and camps elsewhere.

Andy Barber, a project manager

for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, said the issue of homeless camps in the construction area is a matter of safety.

“It’s not safe for people to be within the construction zone unless you have the proper vest, hard hat, boots and you’re out there doing the job,” Barbour said.

Blake Morris, project manager for Walsh overseeing the section of the downtown bridge project where the new I-65 bridge will meet land in Indiana, told task force members Thursday that they will begin clearing the area near 10th Street at the end of this week.

“We’re going to need a little more time than that,” said the Rev. Jim Moon, a task force member and pastor of Park Memorial United Methodist Church.

“Unless we’re just going to get the police and drag them out, and that’s going to cause a problem. I think it would be best if we could just have a few days and get them out of there because we’re actually having to find where to put them,” Moon said.

Paul Stensrud, director of Jesus Cares at Exit 0, said he’s been scouting for new locations for the homeless and some will likely use areas in Clarksville that are outside the construction area. The homeless outreach ministry also has temporarily suspended its community meals near I-65 so it doesn’t encourage the homeless to gather there.

Stensrud said suspending meals also will make it tougher to get in touch with the roughly 30 to 40 homeless known to be living in the project area.

Southern Indiana’s only homeless shelter, Jeffersonville’s Haven House, is currently filled and more are expected to be homeless in 30 days when residents of the former Rose Hill School are evicted, he said.

Stensrud said nearly half of the downtown homeless now live under the Seventh Street overpass, which Morris said will need to vacated by early next month so workers can begin bringing in fill dirt that eventually will be used to permanently close the street to pedestrians and traffic.

Morris said workers will install signs, flashing lights and traffic pylons to alert the public of this and other street closings.

Related:

NE Indiana's homeless veteran population triples

RI gets $210k to help homeless veterans

Houseless MCTC students have "No Place to Call Home"

UPDATE to: Aloha! Hawaii caters to "Haves", "Have-more" while flying (forcing) the "Have-less" & "Have-not" off islands

Tampa passes new ordinances on "The Houseless" despite protests (Photos)

Lest we not forget!

"Houseless", not homeless!

NE Indiana's homeless veteran population triples - www.Houseless.org

"Houseless", not homeless!

STOP the madness being done to United States of America Veterans. STOP it now! Don't wait for any administration to guide you, you should know right from wrong. Right?

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NE Indiana's homeless veteran population triples

Updated: 1:51 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9, 2013 | Posted: 1:51 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9, 2013

FORT WAYNE, Ind. —

The number of homeless veterans seeking help in northeastern Indiana has tripled in the past year, according to a newly released survey that one expert said isn't surprising and likely underestimates the plight of the region's homeless veterans.

The survey released Thursday shows that the number of homeless veterans in a nine-county area of Indiana's northeastern corner grew from 32 last year to 96 this year, said United Way of Allen County spokeswoman Molly Link.

Link said it's unclear what might have caused the big increase in those counties, which are: Allen, Adams, DeKalb, LaGrange, Huntington, Noble, Steuben, Wells and Whitley.

"We are not sure if there are more homeless veterans or if they are just more willing to ask for assistance since we now have shelters specifically for veterans," Link told The Journal Gazette (http://bit.ly/1ewYf1z ).

But the leader of an Indianapolis-based group that serves more than 7,700 homeless veterans in 15 states every year said he's not surprised by the numbers.

Timothy Campbell of Volunteers of America in Indianapolis said the latest statistics suggest there are about 800 homeless veterans across Indiana on any given night. But he thinks the actual number of homeless veterans is much higher.

He said the numbers do not include the veterans who staying at a friend's or relative's home because they have no home of their own.

Campbell said Indiana has a disproportionately high number of homeless veterans because it has a high incidence of residents who volunteer to serve in the military.

"We are fourth in the nation with the highest percentage of population that serves in the military," he said. "It's a tradition that is strong in Indiana."

The sluggish economy and more veterans returning home with stress-related mental and physical issues only increases the number of veterans who end up homeless, he said.

"It can be hard for them to find a job, and add to that the stress of coming home with more challenges," Campbell said.

Related:

RI gets $210k to help homeless veterans

Houseless Veteran, Michael Boatwright wakes from coma speaking only Swedish

Lest we not forget!

"Houseless", not homeless!

Police: Flint homeless man was stomped to death because alleged attacker felt "disrespected" - www.Houseless.org

"Houseless", not homeless!

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Police: Flint homeless man was stomped to death because alleged attacker felt "disrespected"

Gary Lee Nagy, 57 of Flint, was found dead at McKinley Middle School around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 30. A 20-year-old Flint man has been charged with murder in his death. MLive.com File

By David Harris | dharris5@mlive.com

on August 05, 2013 at 5:30 PM, updated August 06, 2013 at 11:51 AM

Peris Dorsette

FLINT, MI – Police and prosecutors allege 20-year-old Peris Dorsette kicked and stomped a homeless man to death because Doresette felt "disrespected."

Dorsette, along with a 15-year-old boy who has not yet been arrested or charged, allegedly beat 57-year-old Gary Nagy, who they found sleeping next to a dumpster near McKinley Middle School on July 30. Police also are looking for others who may have been involved.

In a warrant hearing on Friday, Michigan State Police Detective Tiffany Robbins said Dorsette, a 15-year-old boy and two others were walking to get cigarettes from King's Lane apartments sometime after midnight July 30 when Nagy was attacked.

A witness told police the men were walking through the parking lot at the now-closed McKinley when they heard a noise and saw Nagy sleeping under a dumpster cover, Robbins said. They allegedy began "taunting and teasing" Nagy about being homeless and asking why he was sleeping under a dumpster.

Words were then exchanged between Nagy and the group, police said.

Dorsette allegedly told his friends he "felt disrespected" and then began to kick Nagy in the head, Robbins testified.

The 15-year-old boy also joined in, she said. The beating lasted 10 to 15 minutes, according to court testimony.

At one point, Dorsette allegedly took off the dumpster lid and started jumping on Nagy with both feet, Robbins said. The 15-year-old also did the same thing. The two were "joking about it," Robbins testified.

According to Robbins' testimony, Dorsette took friends to see the body before it was found. He was arrested on Thursday night.

Nagy's body was found by a bus driver at McKinley around 11:15 a.m. July 30.

Nagy's nephew, Scott Greer, was upset by how his uncle died.

"If (the detective) called me and told me he died of natural causes, I would have been content," Greer said. "To be tortured, that's what angers me. I wish Michigan had the death penalty."

Dorsette is charged with felony murder and torture. Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said because Nagy was kicked and stomped, a torture cause was warranted.

Earlier this year, Dorsette spent just more than a month in the Genesee County Jail for a probation violation from a 2012 felonious assault charge. He was released on July 4. He has been lodged in the jail six times since 2011, according to the Genesee County Sheriff's Department.

Nagy chose to be homeless and battled alcoholism for much of his life, his nephew said. Greer said he would help his uncle has much as he could.

"I loved that guy," he said.

Nagy went to Bendle High School where he graduated in the 1970s. A yearbook photo says he was "a friend to all who know him."

After high school, he went on to join the Army where he served in Korea, a friend said. When he returned home, he worked Fisher Body plant for several years before it closed in 1987. He did odd jobs and eventually became homeless.

He was one of the founders of the so-called "Tent City" an area near a former GM site where a group of homeless people lived.

Dorsette's next court date has not yet been set. He is lodged in the Genesee County Jail.

Gary Nagy at Bendle High School in the 1970s

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Lest we not forget!

"Houseless", not homeless!

Churches, government, non-profits & others seek others to take more responsibility for "The Houseless" - www.Houseless.org

"Houseless", not homeless!

Churches, government, non-profits & others seek others to take more responsibility for "The Houseless"

It is overwhelmingly sad and even sick that even one such article has to ever be written as the one below.

First of all, any 501(c)(3) - non-profit - which propaganda's itself as being our Creators church, knows that to be in accordance with True Scripture, they are to be as what is listed to the left of this article. (MANS' CHURCHES TAKE NOTICE")

"The Houseless" has found in real time experience that most churches aren't helping "The Houseless" without getting something that benefits them.

To even try to put blame elsewhere for others not doing their fair share, is in one way, taking focus away on ones own responsibilities.

The crazy notion would be for ALL people who claim to be "Chrisitian", to actually do in accordance with Scripture, thus being "About it". Then, and only then, perhaps the rise in "The Houseless" will take a turn in the other direction.

It's up to us all to "Be About It".

"The Houseless"

Via

August 6, 2013 at 11:37 AM

Stepping up to help the homeless

Posted by Letters Coordinator

Jamie Mann holds a sign that explains the cause of the Nickelsville residents that will be forced to leave their encampment. [Steve Ringman, The Seattle Times.]

Everyone should contribute

If you want to know what is next in helping people who are homeless, your paper might promote an increase in county and city taxes that would be allocated specifically for more emergency services and affordable housing. [“Editorial: Who will step up to help the homeless?”, Opinion, Aug. 4.]

Across the board, churches and faith-based organizations already carry their fair share and more in providing emergency services for homeless people.

The responsibility of addressing this crisis in our community rests with the entire population of King County and the city of Seattle, especially those residents whose annual income exceeds $100,000.

Increased revenue through equitable taxation is the fairest way to share in this responsibility. Your question, “Who will step up to help the homeless?” can be answered in one word: Everyone!

Rev. Ron Moe-Lobeda, University Lutheran Church, Seattle

Hannah Saito, 12, prays at Community Dinners church at the Bitter Lake Community Center on May 19. [Erika Schultz, The Seattle Times.]

Regional efforts must continue

Today I saw one of my neighbors at a University District church’s feeding program for people who are homeless and otherwise in need. He wasn’t there as a volunteer; he came to get a meal.

I was surprised, until I thought about the effect of the recession on middle- and low-income people. Locally, one in five children is at risk of hunger, according to United Way of King County. The lack of affordable housing in this area, coupled with high unemployment, is a major barrier to economic stability.

I’m troubled by this editorial and by some of our Seattle City Council members, who prefer foisting responsibility from government onto churches — who are already doing so much to provide food and shelter — and pitting Seattle against neighboring cities.

To end hunger and homelessness, we need continued efforts as a region, with government, faith communities, nonprofits, private funders and individual residents all unified against poverty.

Catherine Hinrichsen, Seattle

Lest we not forget!

"Houseless", not homeless!

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