Moorhead homeless deserve support

The debate over a proposed homeless apartment complex in Moorhead has not exactly been a lesson in political courage. With the Moorhead City Council initially voting to oppose the project, despite the fact that its approval is unnecessary, it just shows even city government can sometimes be afraid of the next election no matter how far it is away.

Who speaks out, though, for the voiceless, those homeless among us growing in numbers every year, sometimes in bitter cold (some of them not making it through those harsh winters)? Who is their representative at these meetings besides the outstanding staff of Churches United For the Homeless and their supporters?

Neighborhood concerns shouldn’t be dismissed. But let’s face it, no matter where it’s built, someone will oppose it. And with conflicting messages from Fargo Police officers (some of whom should have stated they were speaking as Moorhead citizens, not as Fargo Police officers whom were later and rightly reprimanded for doing so) and the Moorhead Police Chief about the impact of the complex on alcoholism and crime when it’s built, it’s easy for there to be confusion about what is right.

But let’s face it, we all know the need is growing and the idea is not to increase alcoholism or crime from the homeless, the idea is to decrease it by providing stable service for them. And what is more humanitarian than that? Twenty-four of the 41 units would be provided for families. Helping homeless children find a home should be something we can all get behind, no matter where it is.

Any potential tenants would undergo background checks and the complex would have security cameras. Many of the 17 single-resident units would be provided to elderly veterans, who make up a huge portion of the homeless in United States. It’s, again, something that shouldn’t be controversial for a majority of us to support. The U.S. has turned its backs on veterans one too many times. The amount of homeless and jobless veterans in this country is embarrassing.

Another portion of those 17 single units would go to elderly disabled homeless citizens. It is hard to find the potential for a huge spike in crime from homeless families, veterans and the elderly.

Churches United for The Homeless is well respected throughout the region and Fargo-Moorhead. The organization does amazing work with little reward. People from a wide variety of political perspectives support its efforts to address a serious growing problem here. It will do things the right way, not irresponsibly. Just look at its track record.

The other notable fact is the support of the City Council was unnecessary for the project. It’s nothing more than a resolution that Churches United can take under advisement. So it was political posturing for the neighborhoods at best. The real key is for the group to receive a deferred loan from the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency to help fund construction. It should know more this fall about whether it will receive the loan for the project to proceed.

In the meantime, this debate will no doubt continue in Moorhead and surrounding areas. But this project seems like a no brainer should things come together to allow it to move forward. What are we here for but to help those in need? What is the role of those in power in making sure that happens? Do they bear any burden to help the homeless walking their streets or if, god forbid, something should happen to them when conditions worsen? If a quality organization can help address the growing problem responsibly and at no cost to the taxpayer, why wouldn’t we support it? Is helping homeless families and elderly veterans a bad thing? We’ve all seen what happens every winter when shelters become full and there simply isn’t enough room for all who need it.

This project won’t solve the problem completely but it’s a start. Hopefully, throughout this process, we can end the stigmas that all homeless people are criminals not worth helping and lend a hand instead of lobbing criticism. Sure it’s more politically expedient to laud the neighborhood concerns. But if you look at the big picture, it’s pretty small and petty not to support this project moving forward.