To the Editor:
It is great that the community is extending a hand and an open heart during these hard economic times we are all facing. However, the proposed facility leaves a number of unanswered questions as to the safety, health, and welfare of the children exposed to living in a dorm-style facility.
The current floor plan does not have sufficient windows and escape routes in the bedroom areas. The bathrooms are so far from the bedrooms that a small child could not get to the toilet alone at night.
Then there is the issue of the traffic and crime rate on Park Ave and exposing children to that. I mean the plan has a minimal play area outside, no sidewalks in the community and no safety concerns for children at heart.
Shouldn’t the Federation be able to build a location in a safer neighborhood with a 2 Million Dollar Grant! If a 2 Million Dollar grant is being given to such a cause, then shouldn’t children be afforded a private bedroom with their families instead of living in a dorm style facility?
The Federation needs to be more upfront the about community about the location, the design, and the utilization of the building. How are health issues going to be addressed? How are the bathrooms going to be cleaned after each family uses them? How is the community going to be made aware of any epidemics that occur? Children should not be in a building that runs a soup kitchen!
The Federation has not revealed any plans that answer how women and children will be protected, since this is not a safe house. This means that men/fathers/boyfriends and non-family members can walk in at any time along with the transients from the soup kitchen.
There are many unanswered questions and concerns being ignored and it is time that community is brought on board. This type of facility should be located in a neighborhood conducive to the needs of children, not the operators of the facility.
Maria Flynn
Monticello
* Editor’s note – This letter is in response to Homeless in the Land of Plenty: Part VII published by the Chronicle on January 13, 2010.
The Catskill Chronicle 
During these economic times the housing market has become unavailable to the working poor and those who are living with disabilities. Even those of us who make a decent wage are finding it difficult to afford what we used to. Sullivan County has more than ample space to house and provide services to those in need.
I do believe that as in other counties they have really missed the purpose of housing the homeless. For example, Orange County has a shelter where no one is provided with proper services to live independently. Look at the shelters stats! Constant returns!
Aside from this, they do not have any professional staff ( LMSW, LCSW) to work with recurring issues. I am not talking about substance abuse here but generations of abuse and homelessness. I have not been homeless nor can I imagine how terrible it might be. I do know that we can help.
Can you remember the last time you needed a family member or friend that was there for you when you really needed them? Imagine them saying ” you are a not worth my time”. How would that feel? Maybe it’s time we all started to believe in not just ourselves but others as well. Let someone know they are important!
I understand your concern on children being in a Soup Kitchen but is that really logical? If a mother & child are hungry they go there to eat and pick up food so they are there anyway… is it better for the homeless women and children to be housed in a motel with child molesters, drug dealers and users? Well that is what happens now and I think it is a great idea to have it in an area where a person can walk to get housing and shelter. Obviously you haven’t been in such a position or you wouldn’t be speaking this way. I am sure there are procedures for bathroom cleaning especially when this isn’t the first shelter ever built.. I agree the design should be addressed however the way the homeless women and children are living now is worse..