Submitted by threwthelookinggrass t3_126x2x2 in pittsburgh
threwthelookinggrass OP t1_jebbkzn wrote
> Dominic Reale has seen firsthand the decline and deterioration of Smithfield Street. From the window of Villa Reale, his Downtown pizzeria, he has witnessed the street being overrun by homeless people.
> Reale, 51, of Green Tree, said he has preliminary discussions with Allegheny County redevelopment officials about converting the pizzeria into a shelter and resource center for the homeless. He said conversations with those officials, who could not immediately be reached for comment by Patch, have been positive. > Reale said he believes his building would have the capacity for about 100 beds on the second and third floors. He envisions the first floor, which currently houses the pizzeria, would be an intake facility.
> Homeless people "could come in and register, get a physical and medical evaluation. There would be job training and wellness programs offered. We'd have a clothing department so they don’t walk around with urine and feces all over themselves."
> Reale envisions that he and the county could partner on the project and perhaps get funding to convert the building to the shelter from health care operators such as UPMC, corporations such as PNC that are known for their charitable giving and local foundations.
> "I'd like to volunteer there as much as my time would permit," he said. "But this isn't about me at all.
> "I don't want to see Downtown die. I want to see it thrive."
toxicshock999 t1_jebhh9p wrote
Very cool. But was anyone else hoping that they "could come in and register and get a free slice"?
PublicCommenter t1_jebkr1m wrote
I was thinking something similar... The pizza place stays, they work for minimum wage, get some free pizza, and it remains open to the public... Workforce development and a shelter in one.
NandoDeColonoscopy t1_jeeyqcw wrote
Yeah man, minimum wage and unhealthy food will really help the destitute 🙄
Vegetable-Swimming73 t1_jecb8r8 wrote
Homeless people need something different than a minimum wage job and free pizza . A lot of folks are homeless because they cannot work, and programs that require you to work before getting you situated back into society are rough even for folks who can work but have pressing NEEDS.
I cannot stress enough how harmful it is for housed and able bodied people to make assumptions on what is needed by vulnerable populations.
Just because you like pizza doesn't mean it would solve the problems this excellent person is seeking to solve.
PublicCommenter t1_jecg4bb wrote
You're right. I do like pizza. But also, not all shelters also need wraparound services. If there's a great need for an all-inclusive solution, there's little need for it to be located downtown, which increases costs and places a greater burden on the broader neighborhood.
Winter-Relief4661 t1_jeckdvt wrote
“Homeless people need something different than a minimum wage job and free pizza“
“I cannot stress enough how harmful it is for housed and able bodied people to make assumptions on what is needed.”
Another banger from the enlightened social justice crowd
imouttahereta t1_jecvwqe wrote
"Iron law of woke projection" as they call it.
Vegetable-Swimming73 t1_jecz32h wrote
Was it too many big words for you?
username-1787 t1_jeeicc5 wrote
Not the big words, more the fact that you claimed it is harmful for people to assume what they need, while simultaneously assuming what they need.
[deleted] t1_jeeybi5 wrote
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NandoDeColonoscopy t1_jeez2ic wrote
We know what works: a no-strings-attached housing-first policy. This isn't a mystery, it's just politically unpopular. But every city that has implemented this has seen great results.
[deleted] t1_jef0i9m wrote
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NandoDeColonoscopy t1_jef7s5h wrote
>what would you do with the few that abuse the no-strings attached policy?
Who gives a shit?
And honestly, if you were sincere in your concern, im not sure why you'd be asking me, rather than looking into how these edge cases were handled in the places that already implemented these policies.
[deleted] t1_jef89ti wrote
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NandoDeColonoscopy t1_jef8vis wrote
You asked "hypothetically what would work". There is no need for hypotheticals, since we already know what works. That debate ended years ago, and you seemed unaware of this fact, so I was letting you know.
If you have questions on how specific situations are handled, you now know that other cities are doing this already and can go learn about how they did it. If you're still asking random ppl on reddit, I'm going to assume you aren't really that interested and are just killing time at work or something.
[deleted] t1_jefal8o wrote
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KentuckYSnow t1_jecy0du wrote
Their business is shit because of COVID and the building was falling in on itself before the pandemic. Hea hoping to get more money out of it than he otherwise would get and get the buyer to pay for all the repairs. If a homeless shelter goes in there that block is permanently fucked forever. There's a reason that other shelter got built at the margin.
threwthelookinggrass OP t1_jeddiyj wrote
Ok?
No one is forcing the city/county whoever to buy it. If a deal is brokered for them to buy it though, it’d serve the community better as a homeless shelter than as you suggest, a failing pizza place.
If a low barrier homeless shelter is not built wouldn’t there still be homeless people on smithfield street? It’s not like not building it will make them go away.
69FunnyNumberGuy420 t1_jeeq7gk wrote
The people posting in these non-stop threads about the homeless "threat" don't want the homeless to be helped, they just want them gone by any means necessary.
Zenith2017 t1_jeer4wu wrote
Making them go away without any inconvenience to himself is exactly what Kentucky here wants. He doesn't want to deal with them.
69FunnyNumberGuy420 t1_jeeq964 wrote
> If a homeless shelter goes in there that block is permanently fucked forever.
So what's your solution to the homeless question? Bus tickets to California?
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