Members of the public shared their thoughts on the issue of homelessness to city officials Tuesday.
At the Kewanee City Council meeting, the council approved an ordinance that takes a more humane approach to local people facing homelessness. In response to the ordinance, several residents and one woman who has experienced homelessness spoke out about their experiences and what kind of approach they would like to see.
Kewanee resident Gayle Gerard voiced her concerns about the issue. She said the local homeless population is much larger than what people know or can even see, saying they’re like “stray cats”, in the sense that they are just everywhere. She said she personally knows of people sleeping in their cars, basements or sleeping on a friend’s couch.
“I don’t believe people should just turn their backs to the homeless,” Gerard said, adding that no one really knows how to handle this situation.
Mayor Gary Moore said that it is a very unfortunate situation, but the city is limited to the resources that it can offer, and many of the resources people are requesting would be expensive, he said.
Gerard and Moore though, both agreed that unhoused people are people and that they have rights, too. Gerard extended her plea for help to the public, saying “anyone out there, come up with a solution.”
Gerard also noted that homeless people come from all walks of life, and a vast majority of people are a lot closer to homelessness than they may realize.
A woman who has faced homelessness and then found housing, is now facing homelessness once again after being a Washington Apartments resident for 13 years. Yoninah Yisrael said she was denied all the help she requested and will likely end up moving back to Chicago since there are no shelters here. Although going to a shelter in Chicago is not an ideal situation for her, she said, noting that her experience with shelters has been traumatizing.
She also said she worried for her future because in her experience, homeless people are treated as a problem.
“We are not a problem; we are people who have problems.” Adding that homeless people need problem solvers, like city officials, to help solve those problems.
The council members responded to the comments by reassuring the public that they plan to do their best to help with the resources they have available.
