Well, how I feel about this may make me persona non grata on PDD.  And Mr. Emmadogs just reminded me how much I enjoy reading and participating with my fellow PDDrs, and maybe I should just save this website for friendly interactions.

Oh well, here goes.  I am ALL FOR banks working with mortgage holders to let them stay in their homes.  But I am totally opposed to using these empty homes for homeless lodging.  The results could/likely would, in my opinion,  lower surrounding property values, decrease pleasure in neighborhood living, and harm each respective neighborhood.

yes I know that not every homeless person commits crimes.  And I know that not every homeless person abuses drugs/alcohol.  And I know that not every homeless person is mentally ill or unstable.  But many are, and if that's bad to say, it is also true.  I work with indigent people and I see this in my job.

Mr Emmadogs and I owned a house in Woodland.  Our next door neighbor sold his house to a local organization that helps otherwise indigent people buy homes.  At the time, I thought this was great.  I was wrong.  The organization did not do a very good job of vetting this single mother and her children.  The mother had a past criminal record, and Mr Emmadogs and I watched as her teenage son sold drugs from the house, had friends bringing guns into the house, and so on.  In a short period of time, every neighbor on the block was complaining to our liason community police officer, to no avail.  My last straw finally came after their pitbull pack, one of whom had charged my dog Emma and me twice, and one of whom had charged a little girl across the street from my house,, started roaming the neighborhood freely.  We sold our much loved house.  I believe that every neighbor on our block save one has since also sold their house.

This doesn't mean that I think homeless people should fend on their own.  But please let's think this through before we just start endorsing a feel-good proposal that has, at least once, detrimentally impacted on a middle class neighborhood in Duluth.