International Falls Journal - Community News - Comments

Maybe you can for go all the

kay — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 17:31:41 -0600

Maybe you can for go all the stipulations and put up the people who are in need without filling out forms or passing all the required tests. If the staff is all female maybe some of them should be male. Most of these people also dont have a way to get to the Kootasca office which is off the beaten path. It is a good program but needs some revision.

My hats off to those that

allen_kruse — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 11:25:51 -0600

My hats off to those that decided to move forward with this sort of program, as the homeless issue is extremely huge within the County.

But with that being said - Kay is point on with what she brings up.

How do you expect to "fill up" when the majority of your issue is people that have either a chemical dependency issue, or a mental illness of some sort?

It sounds like the message here is "If your homeless, drug free, not an alchoholic, no prior arrests, and no history of mental illness, that MAYBE - JUST MAYBE we can help you out."

What sort of message is that?

I mean with this article they have essentialy denied their services to almost all homeless veterans. Congratulations.

Again - hats off to all those that are volunteering - but unless there is some serious thought put into how you can serve ALL of those that are homeless, which includes programs to lift them out of that situation - then it is an excercise that will help a very, very small majority of the real problem.

I have to agree with kay's

shway21 — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 02:24:47 -0600

I have to agree with kay's point, but also the point in the article about keeping volunteers and guests safe.

I hate to say it but the

kay — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 18:26:15 -0600

I hate to say it but the people with drug, alcohol and problems are the homeless. If you do not accept them you will not have people.

I am grateful for Joe

Joel — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:20:51 -0600

I am grateful for Joe Boyle's sensible comments about health care, the economy and the importance of doing our homework on the issues. Health care, for example, can be a discouragingly complicated topic. He points out, however, that the United States is an outlier in terms offering an effective system.
The lesson learned by the rest of the developed world is that you cannot have a universal and affordable health care system by giving free reign to insurance companies. All other countries have migrated away from that model and no other countries have migrated toward it, in any substantial way.
We can learn something from those experiences and use them to fashion our own, Minnesotan, health plan, designed for our needs. In fact, Senator John Marty has done just that and his Minnesota Health Plan would deliver health care to every resident of the state for less total cost than we now are paying through co-pays, deductibles, taxes and premiums. See johnmarty.org and mnhealthplan.org.
Joel Clemmer

How much money and how many

kay — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:52:42 -0600

How much money and how many hours have gone into this debate. More than any of us can afford!! This whole he said she said is so sad and stupid. This is a group of adults acting like children. Get on with something productive. It has been on going for so long no one can remember what the other one said and the public doesnt care anymore. A dollar amount of attorney fees, postage, etc would be interesting. What is this costing the taxpayer?

I was at the site two

Thomas L. Johnson — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:18:34 -0500

I was at the site two summers ago when the Mayor unveiled the original plans for the site and I want to congratulate her and all of those who have kept this project alive, particularly with respect to the economic morasse we have passed through since that sunny day when the stock market was probably near its peak.

Tenacity is an important character trait for a local politician and I think this demonstrates that.

Yes you did suggest that the

kay — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:13:06 -0500

Yes you did suggest that the churches and volunteer organizations step forward and they have. I think it is a good start and a welcome one.

Several months ago, we held

Thomas L. Johnson — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:41:18 -0500

Several months ago, we held a short discussion that was terminated by the censors for being off topic. At that time, I wrote: "Correct, kay. And we aren't going to get people from Bemidji largely because that community is already working to deal with the roofless and foodless, namely because the churches of that community have joined together to make sure that the gospel is practiced the way it was in the Bible . . ..
Instead of attacking the poor as one of you found a need to do, try attacking the problem the way it is best attacked: through churches and volunteer organizations.
If your church hasn't started to respond to the needs of the community during this deepest recession in most of our lifetimes, it might be time to leave that church. Or become a leader to direct that church towards its Christian world mission. This isn't the "social gospel;" it's the gospel."

I am overjoyed to find out the someone from Bemidji did consult and that the CHURCHES of International Falls have been part of this fledgling effort. I have no illusions that I triggered this effort, but I do know that I am pleased that the people who should get involved are getting involved. Historically, this country has been great because of the mediating role of institutions like churches, fraternal organizations like Rotary and just plain community involvement like that exhibited by those named above. Good work and nice story, DJ and Faye.

Thank you to Sharon Frank

kay — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:15:57 -0500

Thank you to Sharon Frank and all the people who worked together to make this happen. It has been needed for some time and if it helps one family it will be worth it.

This conversation is being

Journal Staff — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:43:43 -0500

This conversation is being closed due to posts that off the original topic. If you would like to discuss the potential of church impact on a community, feel free to start a new discussion.

The problem with churches is

Thomas L. Johnson — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:50:14 -0500

The problem with churches is not that they are just social gatherings; it is that they are never confident enough to minister in their own communities. A number of the local churches collect money to send people to Mexico or other tropical places to do important work. They pick places that are struggling with poverty and limited aspirations and limited services. This is a good thing for churches to do.
The problem is that they do not look at the same poverty at their doorstep and have the same reaction. Perhaps it is the small-town bias -- we know these people and know that some of them are struggling with alcohol issues or meth or something of which we don't approve. The essence of the Christian message was responding to human needs, usually of prostitutes, tax collectors, and county board members -- in other words, the dregs of society. The Salvation Army seemed to bear the burden but it couldn't do it all --it is too small to be able to support all its aspirations with volunteers. The church is built on volunteerism -- that is its strength -- so when a program exists to provide meals or give-aways of foods or domestic goods, it doesn't have to show a profit to be able to sustain itself.
I am convinced that the good people of First Lutheran, Zion Lutheran, Mission Covenant, St. Thomas, St. Paul's, the Baptists, the Episcopalians, the multitude of churches listed in the DJ would be willing and excited to participate if a leader -- probably a lay person -- would come forward with an idea. Perhaps bring in someone from Churches United in Bemidji to serve as an unpaid consultant. I get excited thinking about it as I write it -- in St. Paul.
If not, the churches of International Falls will become increasingly irrelevant. And they are a terrible resource to waste.

shway21 must be "from the

curious curt — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 06:10:44 -0500

shway21 must be "from the Falls" - the negatively towards a new idea rings loud and clear. I also agree with TLJ - if the church were not such a social gathering, the need for a soup kitchen wouldn't be there.

I am thinking of a way to do

kay — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 22:07:46 -0500

I am thinking of a way to do just that. We will see.

I have been a bell ringer

shway21 — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:16:47 -0500

I have been a bell ringer and I have donated my fair share I havent gone above and beyond my call of duty but I dont claim to be a saint either.

Having a place where these household items could picked up at a cheap price would be a nice thing to have again, Maybe someone with enough ambition could get this started.?.