Cathy Brechtelsbauer, of Sioux Falls, was the recipient of the McGovern South Dakota Hunger Ambassador Award for her work as a longtime volunteer for Bread for the World.
Brechtelsbauer received the award Thursday during the McGovern Hunger Summit at Dakota Wesleyan University. She has been serving as the South Dakota coordinator for Bread for the World for more than 30 years. Her primary efforts revolve around policy reform to aid those with the fewest resources.
The Sioux Falls city council had a discussion today during the informational about what to do with the problem at Heritage Park. I have no idea of what a solution would look like, it’s like whack a mole. But I do see how this came about.
• Concentrating all the poor and homeless services into one neighborhood (deciding to put the Bishop Dudley house next to the Banquet).
• Allowing alcohol in some parks but not in others (eliminate it in all parks).
• Lots of poor and impoverished people in Sioux Falls (crap wages).
The city council isn’t going to solve this problem overnight, but first they have to look at the symptoms of the disease and realize where they messed up, then correct the bad decisions that were made in the past.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/d0QR2PhfhIQ[/youtube]
Nothing like being scolded for using the word ‘ass’ by the guy who is rumored to drop the F-Bomb quite frequently to whoever is in the room. As for a grammar reference, the term ‘Hard Ass’ refers to a stubborn mule, you know, the mascot of the party you belong to, Mike? The F-word refers to sex. So Mike, I think the people of Sioux Falls would appreciate you refrain from using the word from now on.
At the last minute, I decided to show up to this meeting. It was a packed house and held in the room where the men normally sleep.
I chose two biblical verses to start out this post, one about helping the less fortunate and one about fairness, because they both apply.
Did I go into the meeting with an open mind? That’s hard to say, but I left with some clarity.
The meeting started with the director, Chad Campbell explaining all the good things the house has done since it has opened in January. And those accomplishments took him almost 40 minutes to lay out, and they are great.
As the public began to ask questions, the lights went out (power outage) but the meeting continued. Several people commented on the great things they are doing, and several neighbors commented on improvements that could be made.
I commented that there is NO DOUBT the facility is needed, and doing good things. But I questioned the process in which the location was selected. Mr. Campbell did a fantastic job of explaining all the other services in the area as for picking the location, as did City Councilor Kenny Anderson. But I was disappointed that Mr. Campbell commented that those decisions were made before he came aboard. While that is true, I suggest that Chad studies those discussions and educates himself in what happened in the past. They will be very useful to him in the future. History teaches us to not repeat mistakes . . . most of the time.
I also commented that many who were in the room tonight, including staff, would probably be uncomfortable having this shelter in their neighborhood, I even suggested having it next to the Bishop’s home. I mentioned that I watched the Safe Home discussions very closely, and felt that it’s location choice was well thought out, and that has proven to be so.
Remember, my main reason to comment tonight was not about the mission of the house, but the process that was performed to pick the location.
It’s no different then the Hotel sized home being built in McKennan Park, or the Walmart in the SON neighborhood. Neighbors and citizens must be listened to when zoning decisions are made. Period. It is beginning to sound like a broken record and a dysfunctional turn table.
I personally believe in the long run, the house will actually improve the neighborhood, but I will also warn people, it’s going to be a rough first year, including this summer.
At the end of the day, we need to use this house as an example of how feelings and relationships get burnt when we don’t listen to all sides. That is why I spoke up tonight. The downtrodden and the property owner all breath and share the same air, we are all brothers and sisters.
BTW, would like to commend all the Police Officers, including Mr. Larson for attending tonight. Would also like to thank local leaders and lawmakers Kenny Anderson, Michelle Erpenbach, Darrin Smith and Pat Kirshman for attending tonight, and anyone I might have missed. True leadership comes from courage and the willingness to listen and participate in a community discussion.
IMAGE: KSFY
And what is the SFPD, Dudley House and city government doing about it?
The Sioux Falls Police Department told Buehner and other business owners
to put up no loitering and no trespassing signs to keep people out but many owners are concerned that signage would only make customers uncomfortable and ultimately hurt their business further. So what’s causing the spike in drunken trespassing? Buehner and others say these incidents have been on the rise ever since the Bishop Dudley Hospitality House opened up next door. The reason? Their “no questions asked” policy.
Was their a need for a shelter of this kind? Most definitely! The problem is the location. The shelter should have been closer to the Jail and Safe House, and closer to Minnesota Avenue, instead of being plopped in the middle of a neighborhood.
The Whittier neighborhood residents warned of the problems before ground was even broke, and the city council and Catholic Diocese ignored the warnings. The residents asked for a plan to deal with the potential problems, and were given nothing.
So what is the plan?
It’s too late to move the shelter now, but the residents at least deserve a plan to help patrol the neighborhood, because saying this, just doesn’t cut it;
Campbell says his staff does all they can to help change their guest’s behavior, but once they leave the center they are out of his control. That being said, if the problem persists Campbell says he is more than willing to work on a solution
The ‘solution’ should have been in place before you even opened the doors. But once again, we are using Whittier Neighborhood for the dumping grounds of our social ills so the elite can live in peace in their tax subsidized condos downtown.
l3wis