Good intentions poorly executed.

Maine. Take care of your own problems within your own borders. If you want to pay Manch resident’s taxes then I’m sure they will be open for discussion.

You beat me to it. I was just going to post this article. This is absolutely outrageous! It's grossly inhumane; they are people for crying out loud. Sanford is skirting their own responsibilities while the people of Manchester have to pick up the tab, even if we don't have the resources to support them. I wish the article outlined what happened to the woman. There were no beds at the shelter, so where did she end up?

Did they get lost on the way to MA?

Negligence bordering on malice.

ACAB

I’m pretty sure there is more to this story that’s not being told. Sanford is close to Rochester and both are struggling with a HUGE drug problem. The question is, how did Manchester get brought up in conversation? I’ve talked to Uber drivers who have taken rides from Rochester to Lawrence for innocent rides, but after realized they were probably running fentanyl.

[deleted]

If the king of the jackasses of Florida can fly people from Texas to Martha's Vineyard why can't Sanford PD drop one person in Manchester?

Besides Manchester taxpayers are used to funding stuff for other people, but it's usually for people of wealthier towns, not poorer. Go ahead and ask

Any word on the woman? Is she ok?

I don’t know what they’re talking about. It looks like there’s room for another tent on the sidewalk. I just wish the homeless would stop throwing their needles in the daycare playground.

💩🕳️🇺🇲

Aside from this being appalling, I wonder if their townspeople know tax dollars were being wasted paying police to do this type of work.

https://manchesterinklink.com/maine-police-deliver-homeless-woman-to-manchester-manchester-sends-her-back/?fbclid=IwAR04tshtSGBoH0AzdhNWbB3DwzzXhu_rWvtbj_3wrYRaWW_ZuHtfgRL-LNQ

The overwhelmingly majority of actual homeless people don’t use drugs or shoot up. Drink , maybe. Some , but not all. Almost every single one of them have untreated mental illnesses. To make a blanket statement like that is part of the problem.

Read the inklink article it is more detailed. Woman was dropped by Sanford police who thought shelter took walk-ins. The shelter didn't have room. The lady wandered into the mayor's office...frostbitten. Mayor's people found her shelter space in Portland...back in Maine. We only know about this case because she walked into the Mayor's office. How many other towns drop their homeless here and we never hear about it?

Despicable.

In 2011 I was drunk camping in New Hampshire and a cop saw my fire. He was super nice but told me I had to walk about a mile to have an open fire. I politely told him no problem and packed my shit and setup another campsite... at which point I figured out I was in Maine.

This is not the case of the ones currently piled up around 199 Manchester St. Denying this is part of the problem.

[deleted]

How many of the people in that location have you talked to , assessed their history , checked with them to see if they know what recourses tare available, and determined wether or not if they’re long term homeless or chronic ? How many are vets ?I’m going to safely assume you don’t know the answer to any of that or have thought about it. You sound like the type of person who thinks the people you’re talking about should just go get a job or head to rehab. And that’s ok. A lot of people are like that. But you can stop , take some time , educate yourself on the issue , then have something worthwhile to contribute to this conversation. It’s an important topic.

Horrible act and horribly edited article. The mayor's quote is attributed to the cop.

I wondered if that question was coming. I spent six years working EMS in Manchester and at the Elliot ED, I’ve had my actual hands on many of these people as patients and know many of them by name. Hell, I could still tell you the DOB for a couple of the most frequent patients.

“I’m going to safely assume” you don’t even live in the city.

I don't think it merely borders on malice. The cops admitted they didn't bother to check if the shelter in Manchester even had a space for her. Given they not only took her over state lines but dropped her off nearly an hour and a half away, it feels like they had the same intentions as people who live trap rodents do when emptying traps: drive them far enough away that it's too hard for them to find their way back.

That wasn't the question.

Edit: Actually was, read that wrong.

Nah. You made a blanket statement and it shows your ignorance on the issue. Just because you worked as a EMS(which I highly doubt or maybe you were a gung ho volunteer fire department member at most, Which is cool and we appreciate you guys), but your words and attitude show how uneducated you are on the subject. You have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. It’s really obvious.

I’ll just leave it at that. No point in wasting time on you. You’re a dime a dozen.

Feel free to leave the last comment , im sure you’re the type to have to have the last word in. Carry on.

"How many have you talked to?"

"Most of them."

"You're a doo-doo head!"

The kids in the daycare next door can no longer go outside due to needles be thrown in their playground from the homeless! I just saw this on news 9

Reading the article, I find it quite remarkable that they will send people away into the cold because they are full, rather than setting up emergency cots in the hallway or common areas so they are inside. I am not a homeless shelter worker, but it just seems idiotic to have people outside when you can squeeze people in to get warm. Can anyone explain this to me

As someone who stayed in that shelter, it must have been terrifying for her to realize they had no room and be stuck outside by herself like that. The whole area around the shelter is incredibly sketchy, nearly got mugged just trying to walk to the building. They’re lucky she wasn’t seriously injured or froze to death

Perhaps there is a shelter database that will show where the nearest available shelter is located and Manchester came up. I too find it odd that they drove from Sanford ME to Manchester NH for emergency shelter.

The other issue I have with this is the ME police did not seem to look into whether she got in OK. It seems they just dropped her off, and considered their job done.

They have an emergency max number that they cannot go beyond - firecodes and whatnot. They've been near max for most of the summer.

I’m not denying anything like that happening. I’m just stating a statistical fact about people assuming anyone homeless is shooting dope. I just felt it was a blanket statement and just adds to more of the stigma of homeless people. It’s a sad reality. I’m sure eventually the police will do a swoop of the place , they’ll be gone. But then another homeless encampment will show up in a matter of days. Maybe at least it won’t be by a park. They’re not going to arrest them and put them in jail. Maybe a few , but they can’t take them all to jail and it’s not a solution anyways minus certain individuals who should be jailed. But the average homeless person shouldn’t be jailed and won’t.

Also, there are overnight warming shelters - no cots, but chairs, warmth, and the ability to flex numbers that she also could have been brought to.

I'm grateful she had the balls to walk into the Mayor's office. We need to know this stuff is going on. We also need a coordinated statewide response so those working on the issue aren't inundated by individuals from towns who are not working on solving the issue.

The Manchester Inklink article someone posted here includes many more details.

One thing I’m confused about is how the shelter is full? I’m just speaking of my time there, but even if they were full they’d send people to the other shelters in town, and they never turned women away. Things have clearly changed but I wonder why? It’s essentially a giant room where people sleep on mats, there’s bunks upstairs but that’s first come first serve. and if someone came in like that they may not have a bunk but there was always a mat for them. Honestly if I were her I’d have called the police for help at that point, clearly things have only gotten worse there

Maybe they had some OT to earn and tax free shopping to do.

Is this information from your personal experience of polling every homeless person?

How many of the people in that location have you talked to , assessed their history , checked with them to see if they know what recourses tare available, and determined wether or not if they’re long term homeless or chronic ? How many are vets ?I’m going to safely assume you don’t know the answer to any of that.

Substance abuse as a whole accounts for the majority of homelessness.

https://americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-guide/homeless

You’re stating your opinion

Every ? No. Working with and on a coalition committee? Yes.

In all seriousness, Do you have suggestions what should be done with the homeless in this scenario in Manchester?

In all seriousness, What do you suggest happens in this current scenario with the homeless in that location?

It’s definitely a huge culprit. But a lot have or had untreated mental illness along with it. And , besides , substance abuse and alcoholism is a disease and just another form of mental illness where one’s brain is effected. Which came first ? The mental illness or the addiction? Did they coincide? There’s not an easy solution no matter what side of the fence you’re on.

Well your blatant lies about drug use ain't helping either...

Put them to work. There's plenty of roads that need fixing in Manchester. Make a program where anyone who works full time gets a place to stay for 1/3 of their income. Remove zoning laws that allow for wasted space in suburban areas. Require special permits to build any type of luxury housing. Make contractors build 10 affordable housing units to get a permit for one luxury unit. As for those who are too mentally ill to work... put them in an insane asylum. They worked great before Regan closed them. We have plenty of mill space around here that could be repurposed.

That’s quite the list you’ve got. Just throw them in an insane asylum? Wow

If you're too mentally ill to contribute to society, the most ethical thing society can do is put you in an insane asylum. It's better than letting them die in the snow or hurt other people.

In all seriousness do you have any better ideas?

Who determines if someone is too mentally ill for society and they just pick them up off of the street and put them in an asylum without their consent ? Who’s paying for the asylum?

That’s why I asked the question. We don’t have all the answers right now so the subject is up for debate and will be for a while.

A psychiatrist. We can take money from the police budget to fund it. We wouldn't need as many officers patrolling if there were asylums again.

You haven't suggested anything...

I’m part of a committee that approaches the community with the recourses available. Every steering commiteee in the nation are taking suggestions.

Maybe , but doesn’t seem practical that the cost would be covered. Long term hospital stays are expensive. By chance do you know the budget for the police department for your city ?

What about the drug addicts and alcoholics ? Drug addiction and alcoholism are both a disease and a form of mental health disorder.

We already have rehabs, don't we? If that fails, there's always prison. I don't have much sympathy for addicts. I've been one. It's a choice. In Manchester NH the police budget was 50 million this year. I bet the police would do just fine with 40 million. They have a 'use it or lose it' attitude that creates wasteful spending.

What has your committee achieved since it was created?

We already have drug rehabs. Who’s going to pay for that ?

So in your scenario youde take most of the police budget. 40,000,000 out of 50,000,000. Now , let’s be very conservative and use 100 homeless people who you think should be in an asylum for long term care. That’s 400,000 per person. On the lower scale based on some random statistics and averages , you’re looking at around 6,000 a month. But let’s go lower and say 3,000 a month for fun. Now ? Do you see where that’s going for even one person ? Not very far. And that’s only using 100 people. Not many.

Yes , you’re right. We do have drug rehabs. Most are full or a waiting list but you definitely can get in with the right money or insurance and some state funded recourses, which are scarce. But let’s pretend that wasn’t the case. How much do you think the average stay for a 28 day program is ? I’ll let you research that since you seem to know about drug rehabs. Now the problem is ; who’s going to fund it ? We’ve already discussed the money from your police budget. So that won’t work. What other divisions in your city should have their budget cut so as to fund the drug rehabs? Keep in mind you’re only talking about a single city. What about the smaller cities in our state ?

Have you ever volunteered for your city’s homeless coalition or outreach programs? What about a soup kitchen or a cold weather emergency housing ? What about food pantry’s ? Dental care service ?medical care service ? Do any of these programs sound like something you would volunteer your time to ? Are you comfortable washing homeless peoples cloths and folding them up and handing them back to them , and then the next day wash their bedding ? There’s more. Are you interested in volunteering for any of these ?

Interesting math, but I'm talking about 10 million, not 40 million. Why on earth would it cost 400,000 per year per person? Thats a very luxurious number. How about 30k per person per year. Now will it be as nice as the ritz? No, absolutely not. All you need is heat, lights, food, water, and psych meds. Now we can house 333 mentally ill people for 1/5 of the police budget. Don't tell me its not possible. Plenty of people in the US live on 30k or less per year. The problem is people like you are ok will calculating a massive amount of theft into the equation. Remove the theft and everything gets incredibly affordable. As for rehabs? Pass a law that requires any rehab operating in NH to take in homeless addicts for free. These are for profit buisnesses that make ludicrous amounts of money. They'll be able to take the hit.

Yes, I've volunteered at the food pantry. Now tell me what exactly your committee has done besides waste taxpayer dollars?

Pass a law ? That’s cute. Get started with that since you know how cut and dry that is. Put people in a medical facility(asylum as you call it , which is an antiquated word).

You really don’t get it and that’s ok. You’re not alone. A lot of people like you are really ignorant on the matter and think you just “pass a law “. And the money part for long term treatment at a medical assisted center isn’t going to be 30,000 a year. That would be awesome, but it’s not reality. Just look up the cost yourself, it’s not my doing or will that facilities charge so much. I agree , it’s insane. But as you did all we gotta do is “pass a law “. The 400,000 dollar quote wasn’t for a year. I was using your silly and juvenile take on “defunding the police “ and used a random number out of the amount you wanted to defund the police to make a point. It wasn’t supposed to be literal.

I’d really love to hear how a law gets passed to make a facility do what you say. Can you explain that ? I’ll wait.

Explain to me how tax payer dollars are wasted with homeless centers ? I’d really love to hear your expertise on the subject.

It’s not “my committee “. I don’t work there as my job. Every single thing I listed on the previous response is all volunteer and donation based for the most part but there are people in these organizations who do work at these centers around the nation. That’s what they do. The stuff I listed is just part of it. I’m not sure you’re grasping this.

Enjoy your evening. I’m checking out on this thread. I think my teenagers have a better understanding of this. Heck. I think my cat may too.

My family owns a business on market st near the shelter. We are tired of finding people hiding in the stairwells. Maybe the state should pay for a one way bus ticket to Florida where it is warm

I know if I was homeless in NH this time of year I would high tail it to somewhere down south or West coast. It’s wild. It really is. Something i heard yesterday was there is a company or something cleaning up some homeless encampments and the city is footing the bill. Cost $10,000. I got this from a reputable source(my actual boss at my real job with local Govt) and my jaw dropped.

I really don’t have an answer to the solution. I think I popped into this thread because sometimes I get really annoyed with people having a preconceived notion and stereotype of what a homeless person is. Outside of the mentally ill and addicts/alcoholics and addicts there is a fair share of people like you and me who lost everything by circumstances or poor choices and they have no place to go. Now , that being said , the majority of those people actually use the recourses provided to help them get on their feet again. Like , legit comeback stories. But there they are. You don’t see them in the stairwell and on the sidewalks in tents. Not saying they aren’t in that situation, but they typically have their mental faculties and trying to at least get into some sort of program for housing and find jobs. But the wait list is long, it takes time. Could the drug addicts help themselves? In many cases they can in some aspect if they would try. And many do. But some are so deep into addiction that it takes and act of providence to get them out of the hellhole they’re in. Then you’ve got some mentally ill(not all) who are so sick that they don’t even know what day or year it is, much less can they comprehend that there is possibly a way out.

We’ve got this one guy in town that everyone seems to know or seen around town. He’s most likely schizophrenic, but I can’t diagnose him. But he most likely is. His story makes absolutely no sense. At all. However , we do know for certain that he Used to be married , has kids, had a job , and a house. He’s even got an old Facebook profile from years ago you can look up. Obviously it’s not active. The pics of him and his family on there are heartbreaking when you know what he’s like now. Like , when and how did he descent into madness ? What was the breaking point ? There are legit recourses out there to help him. Like , this guy could get with a proper doctor and eventually into a housing program. He could. It’s right in front of him. Right there at his reach. Neil is the guy I always think of , see him most days of the week , and it’s mind blowing he doesn’t have the mental capacity to accept help because he’s so sick. And he’s been given and still will be given all the help that’s provided, but he just can’t grasp it because his illness is so severe. Wild stuff. “But for the grace of God , there goes I”. He could be anyone of us.

But for the people your family is dealing with with their business, I get it. I do. And I apologize for coming off so lightly about the situation. It’s bad. It’s really bad. I wish I knew the solution. I’m not implying you just accept the situation and i apologize if I’ve come off that way.

Peace ✌️