Tele-Talk: What do you think of the idea of converting the old nursing home into a homeless shelter?
Published Date
This week's Tele-Talk question was: What do you think of the idea of converting the old nursing home into a homeless shelter?Before you even consider a project of this size and dynamic, you should spend some time in a shelter to actually learn how it is run. Would this be like most shelters where the individual must leave during the day and come back at a designated time? Will it support families? If so where on earth would they go during the day and how would they get there? Consider the infrastructure cost to the taxpayer in a county like Carroll. Fire, police, medical, social, food and a multitude of other costs. Do you even know the pitfalls of a project of this magnitude? One of you is a builder — are you looking at your own interest here? Rehabbing would only be the tip of the iceberg. Am I being heartless regarding the homeless? Absolutely not. It is a real need in this economy. But be realistic as to location in Carroll County. I am not a NIMBY, just using common sense: proximity to new jobs, permanent housing, medical care, mental health care, children, schools and a host of other things I am probably missing. What is meant by community response, just Ossipee or the community of Carroll County? All of the infrastructure needs would fall on one town. I don't see that any other town, mine included, would send police, ambulance, etc., unless there was a call for mutual aid.
Last week it was a panhandler problem. This week it's a homeless problem. What happened to Obama's "Hope and Change"?
A Dorothy Solomon dream come true! This is exactly what she and other denizens of devious deception had up their sleeves from day one. First they deceived the gullible and lapped up $20 million from the tax trough under deceitful chicanery, claiming the old nursing home was beyond repair. Now, all of a sudden it's all better. It just needs a little paint and TLC, for an introductory low-ball hit of $1.3 million — all to be raised by "donations." Donations by whom? If you believe that, you are truly pathetic. And what a perfect place to stick the state's vagrants, all sponsored by and at the pleasure of Carroll County taxpayers! When are you people gonna wake up?
The building needs to be torn down ASAP. The fact there has been so many lame (if not loony) ideas around how to use it is evidence enough that it should be torn down. Moreover, the idea that my county taxes (no matter how small) would go to expense a homeless shelter is both lame and loony. Tear it down and resolve the issue once and for all. In fact, I believe that was the plan from the outset. Just do it! Disgusted in North Conway
I think it would be a great idea to convert the old nursing home in to a homeless shelter. This is a large problem in this area where we live. I know it wouldn't solve all of our problems but this is a need that most of us are shielded from on a daily basis. The community needs to decide if this is a problem we want to address: homelessness. Mr. Ayers and Mr. Mitchell want to do it. In the end we must ask: What is our obligation? Does God help those who help themselves, or is it our duty to help the poor, as the Bible says. We should build this shelter without hesitation.
Yes, I'm just calling to say that it will be a wonderful thing to have the old nursing home become a homeless shelter. I agree with that.
When you guys build this nursing home now that's going to be for homeless people, what this town doesn't need is 58 more people who do nothing for a living and are a burden. Build it in the cities — Manchester and Concord. We don't need it in the middle of tourist land.
I think that's a great idea converting the old nursing home into a homeless shelter. Along with that, I would suggest making it the major hub for the Blue Loon transport company. That way, if the homeless need a ride in and out of the shelter, all they have to do is take the Blue Loon.
I think it's an excellent idea, it can be used, but don't just use it as a handout. Make sure the people who move in there take care of it, help maintain it, and feel responsible like it's their own home — not just give them a handout.
I believe it would be an excellent idea to use the old county nursing home as a homeless shelter. I think a lot of the communities in the Mount Washington Valley will come together around this as well as a lot of professionals who will donate their time in caring for people in the community. I believe an exploratory committee should be formed of different folks who have worked at homeless shelters in the past and people are interested, and I think it's something that could bring a lot of different aspects of our community together in an effort to help those who really need a place like this. And there is more of a problem in Mount Washington Valley than most people have any idea, and this would at least give us a way to help people.
No, we should not be building any facilities in the old nursing home for veterans or anybody else. This is a veterans' affairs issue. The U.S. Veterans Affairs Department spends over $110 billion on benefits for veterans. Eleven million men and women served in World World II, and only 3 percent claimed any kind of disability, less than 1 percent for psychological problems. From the Vietnam War to Iraq and Afghanistan, the so-called disabled now approaches 50 percent. The veteran culture has become a welfare cult. You have a huge number of deadbeat dad veterans who are merely looking to collect a check for mysterious injuries. No to the Tele-Talk question.
As a veteran living in the community, I think this is a great idea for the homeless as well as the veterans to help get them off the street. It's a good move forward, hopefully get some jobs for the community, and go from there.
I totally agree with creating the homeless shelter down in Ossipee out of the nursing home. I think it's a great idea.
The homeless shelter is a wonderful idea. I think every effort should be made to accomplish this wonderful, wonderful place for our homeless people to go, and if possible, it should be expanded to more than 58 people because under the present Barry Obama administration, those of us who are prosperous now will eventually become homeless and will become very, very thankful that we have a place to go in Ossipee.
I fully support the idea of converting the nursing home into a homeless shelter. Being a very active member of Post 46 in Conway, I have had the opportunity to interact and try to help two homeless vets rights here in Conway, and, in all honesty, there is nothing here for the homeless. We have several thousands coming home from overseas within the next year, and I'm sure the number of homeless vets will grow. I think all taxpayers should encourage all towns in Carroll County to join in and support a much needed shelter.
I think it's a great idea and we should certainly follow it through, because there are a lot of people who don't have a home and it would be great to have a place for them to go.
I think it's a good idea to turn the nursing home into a homeless shelter. At the rate things are going in this area right now, I may be one of those people who need to go to the homeless shelter. I've worked my whole life, and things are getting worse and worse, and at this point, either I'll be living in my car or I'll be needing the homeless shelter.
I definitely do feel that this area does need one. I have previously worked in one, and I can see the need of it and I am definitely for it. I hope it gets passed, and maybe a little later I'll get back and see what I can do to help.
I think the idea of converting the old nursing home into a homeless shelter is a wonderful idea, and certainly something that is needed in our area. I'm all for it.
I think the idea of the homeless shelter is good, but Ossipee is so far out of the way. Will these people have vehicles? How will they be able to leave to get anywhere? How will they look for jobs and where will they find jobs? Ossipee doesn't have much.
Of course we should retrofit the old nursing home for the homeless. The veterans and other folks living outside in tents is just awful. This just increases the need to change the legislation in Concord.
I think the idea of the homeless shelter for veterans and non-veterans at the nursing home is an awesome idea, and hopefully they can follow through with it.
I think it's a great idea to convert the old nursing home into a homeless shelter. I think that's wonderful.
The answer to the question is no. If you build a shelter they will come, if you don't have one they will go.
Old nursing home into a homeless shelter? $1.3 million currently to serve 17 homeless people who cannot or will not go to work? Surely you jest.
I think it's a great idea that we can have a homeless shelter in Carroll County. It's a good idea because I might be there soon.
I think it's a great idea because all these homeless people will be close to the jailhouse, where most of them should be anyway. It really doesn't matter anyway, because when it's all said and done, Obama will take care of them just like he does all the rest of the deadbeat trust fund babies in the world.
The following Tele-Talk responses were posted on The Conway Daily Sun's Facebook page.
The old saying, if you build it they will come. I say no way!
With the homeless people I've seen in the valley this summer, I think they need a place to stay that's not in the woods behind our schools!
I think it would be a good thing to help out our homeless people.
I remember a few years ago a local church tried to run a homeless shelter in the winter, and no one came. Evidently things have changed since then, but I bet the homeless won't like being in the middle of nowhere. Or will the people running the shelter bus them up to North Conway for the day so they can panhandle?
There is always a place in the world for charitable acts. The key, in my opinion, is to keep it as a privately operated charity. Whenever government gets involved, it complicates and generally denigrates the quality of the charitable acts. Even the requirement of a building and use permit will undoubtedly increase costs and add unnecessary standards. While there might be a need, it should definitely remain private.
Well who will pay for this? Us.
So many heartless people in the MWV. It's very sad.
If we already have the building, then why not? The commander of the VFW stated that the big stumbling block in the past was permitting and the cost of building a new building. This is a way for the county to help those who have volunteered to go and fight for us. Seems like an obvious solution to me.
I guess the question would be: In what areas are the homeless people now? How will they get from Conway to Ossipee in the winter when it is cold and freezing? Will you bus them? Are they expected to get all the way down to Ossipee on their own? If you have a shelter for homeless people in Ossipee with no transportation, the homeless who don't have a vehicle or job with funds to get there will likely move to that area to be able to walk to the shelter. I have a friend who works at the homeless shelter in Portland, Maine. The purpose of a homeless shelter is to have it local to the people who are homeless so that they can walk in especially in the winter to get a warm night's sleep and won't freeze to death. The employees who work at the shelter are required to walk down the streets on a cold winter's night to make sure that any homeless people have not fallen in the snow, weak and helpless. If so they have to help them to the shelter.
Maybe you should visit Portland, Maine's shelters or other shelters before so that you can actually understand what the homeless people need before you fix it up and spend the money and then few people come because it isn't local enough for them to get to. They won't spend money to get to Ossipee during the three seasons; they will sleep in a tent behind in the woods here locally so they can still be near the town.
If it can be done with donations, fund-raisers and grants, fixing a vacant building to house the homeless is fine, but its use should come with rules. Those who take advantage of the service should be required to help keep it clean, cook meals, launder linens for beds, and use it as a stepping stone, not a permanent residence.
Is there a need for shelter for vets and other homeless individuals in this county? That is for me what is unclear at this time to render a educated answer to this Tele-Talk question. When opportunity knocks for our veterans and homeless in Carroll County, what do we do? Fold? I hope not. Are we really the only county without a homeless shelter?
Please keep in mind that this isn't intended to be a standard homeless shelter. This is for homeless veterans. As a society we owe a debt to these brave men and women who were willing to lay it all on the line for us and for our country. The numbers that I have heard are between 10-15 homeless veterans in Carroll County. These are people who could get the care they need for any outstanding mental health issues and could be provided with resources to get them back on their feet. As a veteran of Afghanistan and combat medic, I would gladly volunteer my time to continue to serve my fellow veterans and give them the hand that I know any of them would give me.
Give them a bus ticket back to where they came from.
