pot stirring - halfway houses

[Pro1728]

What's the deal with all the pot stirring? Do you just like dropping mental Mentos and seeing which Pepsi bottles explode?

[ayin jade]

What's the deal with all the pot stirring? Do you just like dropping mental Mentos and seeing which Pepsi bottles explode?

 

The forums were a bit slow. So I opted to post topics that addressed aspects of Christian life, to get things going on the forums. Altho the ones on worship were important to me personally, as its something that has been big in my life recently.

[Guest shiloh357]

I think someone somewhere ought to have the good sense not to place a halfway house in a neighborhood.   I don't think anyone wants to mistreat those who are trying to get their lives back on track, but there are simply better places to put those kinds of places than in a neighborhood with kids.  Why not have the foresight to consider a better location?  

[ncn]

I hope when my dad gets out of jail people aint mean to him and give him a chance to do right

 

I do too Drew and you can pray for him everyday that he accepts Jesus into his heart. 

 

I know I will be praying for him. 

[Guest]

I hope when my dad gets out of jail people aint mean to him and give him a chance to do right

 

I've spent some time in a halfway house putting my life back together and its not easy whether someone has been to prison or not. I haven't been to jail or prison, but I could have easily enough. Halfway houses have to go somewhere, and in my area most are not a problem to the neighborhoods they are in. The majority are well kept and don't cause problems for those nearby. In one case what started as a halfway house (for homeless veterans) grew to the point that now they own the whole block, and have improved what was once a pretty scuzzy run down neighborhood.

[other one]

I hope when my dad gets out of jail people aint mean to him and give him a chance to do right

 

I think that is a whole different thing Drew...    having him move in as a neighbor would not be the same as the halfway house where all kinds of people cycle through...    I know a lot of felons who are good trustworthy people...

[Guest LadyC]

my reaction? prayer and witnessing.

[Guest LadyC]

I think someone somewhere ought to have the good sense not to place a halfway house in a neighborhood.   I don't think anyone wants to mistreat those who are trying to get their lives back on track, but there are simply better places to put those kinds of places than in a neighborhood with kids.  Why not have the foresight to consider a better location?  

 

where might that be? a lone house in the middle of the country miles from nowhere? while that might be nice, it's not going to help the person (a) find work (b) learn to re-integrate into society © do their community service, and (d) get to parole and probation appointments. those are the purposes of halfway houses.

 

we had several halfway houses in the nearby vicinity when i lived in vegas. one was overseen by my church there. another was halfway between my house and the church (which was only a mile distant) and another was less than a mile the other direction. in all my years of living there, none of those residents ever caused any problems in the community to my knowledge. they didn't all stay clean, many of them circulated back into jail or prison, but they weren't molesting children or stalking neighbors or robbing the convenience stores. 

 

but many of them really did learn to clean up their act. because we ran a food pantry from our church, a lot of these guys did their community service with us... and then would stay on as volunteers long after they'd done their required hours because they'd found a place where they were able to contribute and feel good about themselves while being ministered to, spiritually. some of them would begin attending sunday services. others began attending bible studies hosted by church members.

 

this subject always kinda amuses me... nobody wants a halfway house around. but  everybody has criminals in their neighborhood, and most of them aren't living structured lives overseen by people who are there to make sure they stay out of trouble. it reminds me of a "what you don't see can't hurt you" mentality. but the biggest threat comes not from what is visible, but from what isn't.

[alphaparticle]

Yes I'm not quite sure what danger residents of a halfway house are supposed to pose to our children that random neighbor x doesn't. These sorts of knee jerk reactions are unfortunate.

[Guest shiloh357]

it's not so much that they pose a danger, but the truth is that if people coming into a new community are looking for a home to buy, they will likely steer clear of a neighborhood with a halfway house.  Property values plummet.   if a person living near a halfway house is required by their employer to relocate, they have to sell their house and the likelihood of getting a buyer is very low.

 

Like it or not, that's just the way things are. 

 

There is a small church in my community that has a registered sex offender/child molester as a member.   But the church is required by their insurance company to let visitors know he is there.   He is very, very old and completely harmless, as he is suffering from bone cancer and could not harm a flea.  He never went to prison because the girl he molested would not press charges for some reason.

 

Please note, this is a small church.  It has been a small church for a long time.  They can't grow because when visitors, especially those with kids, find out about him, they don't come back.   He is no threat, no danger to anyone, but he is a liability to that church.

 

The same is true for those halfway houses.  The people living there are probably getting cleaned up and they have changed, but their presence is a liability.  That's just the nature of the beast.