My Black Hole
This was my first ever blog post on June 21st 2008. I just added some hyperlinks on August 8th, 2014. Judging by the contents of this post, I'd say some things never change (or not by much anyway).
ORIGINAL POST with hyperlinks added:
On Thursday, June 12th, I attended the ICH meeting at the CCNV Shelter. During the first of 2 comment periods, I described the lack of effective communication between the homeless and DC Government. A colleague of mine asked me to type my words so that they can be published. I've obliged.My explanation went something like this:
I attended the December 17th ICH hearing at the MLK Library. During that hearing, a man named Chris raised the idea of the homeless and DC Gov. sitting across the table from each other and having complete and comprehensive conversations. He mentioned how that the homeless come to meetings like this one or to the ICH hearings and voice their concerns. However they never get any answers to their questions or responses to their comments. He was right. Many of us have come out and told our story a thousand times and no action has been taken on what we said. Neither have we gotten verbal responses to what we've said. It's as if our comments just go into a black hole.
I was one of the facilitators at a meeting held at One Judiciary Square on December 9th, 2006, during Fenty's transition. The homeless were invited to come out and voice their concerns to the new administration.
More than 80 homeless people showed up. I have a 45 page document in my e-mail account which contains the statements made by 200 homeless people during the 4 inaugural hearings of the ICH in 2006 as well as those made by the homeless at the ICH hearing on December 17th of 2007.
Is it possible for the homeless and DC Government to sit across the table from each other and have a full-length, decent conversation in which we talk back and forth and get answers to our questions, as opposed to just speaking into a mic and having what we said go into this black hole? "
ORIGINAL POST with hyperlinks added:
On Thursday, June 12th, I attended the ICH meeting at the CCNV Shelter. During the first of 2 comment periods, I described the lack of effective communication between the homeless and DC Government. A colleague of mine asked me to type my words so that they can be published. I've obliged.My explanation went something like this:
I attended the December 17th ICH hearing at the MLK Library. During that hearing, a man named Chris raised the idea of the homeless and DC Gov. sitting across the table from each other and having complete and comprehensive conversations. He mentioned how that the homeless come to meetings like this one or to the ICH hearings and voice their concerns. However they never get any answers to their questions or responses to their comments. He was right. Many of us have come out and told our story a thousand times and no action has been taken on what we said. Neither have we gotten verbal responses to what we've said. It's as if our comments just go into a black hole.
I was one of the facilitators at a meeting held at One Judiciary Square on December 9th, 2006, during Fenty's transition. The homeless were invited to come out and voice their concerns to the new administration.
More than 80 homeless people showed up. I have a 45 page document in my e-mail account which contains the statements made by 200 homeless people during the 4 inaugural hearings of the ICH in 2006 as well as those made by the homeless at the ICH hearing on December 17th of 2007.
Is it possible for the homeless and DC Government to sit across the table from each other and have a full-length, decent conversation in which we talk back and forth and get answers to our questions, as opposed to just speaking into a mic and having what we said go into this black hole? "
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