HOMELESS SHELTER w/ GATED ACCESS: In a separate section.....gated and control access from the courts and criminals, would be a homeless shelter. This homeless shelter should significantly reduce bad influences, e.g. drug dealers, easy access to "stop-and-go" traffic to panhandle, ill-informed church groups who give free food to the homeless, thus circumventing the rules of the homeless shelter. Basically, these church groups feeding the homeless only feed the addiction, likewise the homeless have free food and free shelter so why should the listen or change their lifestyle? Also the homeless will not be easily VISIBLE to any passer-bys or drug dealers who will attempt to sell drugs. The remote location will have cameras and can easily see who approaches the area.     ADAPTING TO THE DIFFERENT STAGES OF HOMELESSNESS VIA TEU's: Modular TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) shipping container units can be converted into most anything in regards to an office, sleeping space, refrigeration space, bathrooms, kitchen, etc. http://tinyurl.com/kctn2f3 At shipping ports, as well as many other local companies, there are shipping containers to be found all over the place. By using TEU's and if designed and managed to "remain" modular as opposed to connecting all of them, it can address the various stages of homelessness while providing the critical need for separation. Additionally, the TEU can withstand the rigors of stormy sea travel and also good for hurricanes. The front doors to the TEO can be kept open and a semi-transparent doorway can be attached so it can be more see-through. If needed, windows and door openings can be cut on the sides. TEU's can also be stacked but remain modular as well. Having all the front entrances facing toward one direction, or central area, can make it easy to monitor from a central location. By keeping the TEU modular, it can be moved around to different locations within the compound by standard truck. Thus, since it appears to be difficult to determine the percentages in each homeless stage in the New Orleans locality, the TEU's can be moved to reduce or expand to the needs of each homeless stage. The early stage homeless could be trained to retrofit, and prepare TEU's to become an office, sleeping space, etc.... Getting the homeless to do the work would be of significant benefit to themselves and other homeless people.     TWO-TIER SECURITY: The exit should lead to a guarded compound where, IMO, it would be similar to the airport or even city hall, the Superdome where cars can park and then pedestrians, upon entering the compound gates could be searched for drugs or contraband before entering. (Very much like a football game at the Superdome. Don't want guns, drugs, contraband anywhere near defendants, judges, bail bondsmen, lawyers, public defenders, etc, where harm can be done. Yes, they will have to walk a little bit.) What will make it different than the Superdome is that It will be a dual checkpoint with two sets of gates, one outer and one inner 1- First for cars and a guard, if suspicious, can search the car before the car is allowed into the parking lot. 2- Second, pedestrians, will have to pass through a metal detector and security scan like the airport. No ice chests, bags, drugs, etc...very much like the NFL game day at Superdome. Drug-sniffing dogs will be present. Apart from that, there would be another area, a small temporary holding area, as opposed to the new jail being already built. This temporary holding area for defendants/criminals is where a different shuttle would drop off and pickup from the main new jail. Somewhere in the same exit and/or the same compound would be space for bail bondsmen to set up their office and desk. I don't want to mention this yet, BUT perhaps in another section of the compound there could be rehab offices and maybe if secured correctly to check for drugs, a place for homeless to sober up and stay a few nights/weeks and hopefully eliminate the bad influences of being close to a gas station, bar, club, or any place that sells alcohol. Having everyone enter and exit through a single 1st checkpoint guarded gate and a single 2nd checkpoint airport-like security scan and pat down would be necessary if there are homeless shelters within the compound. Plus, communicating and educating the homeless who don't have drugs in their system is a lot easier than with drugs in their system, or easy access to drugs nearby via panhandling. No one can park or leave their car in the area immediately outside the compound as there will be no parking signs, very similar to like the airport. There will also be no loitering, sleeping or camping outside the gates. If laws are broken, they will be sent to jail. The new highway exit should be around 1000 feet from the I-10 (similar in length to the other exits) with the compound to the south of the interstate. Security Cameras should be set up to monitor any boats, swamp boats who attempt to get near the compound.     FINANCING FOR SECLUDED HOMELESS SHELTER What may be surprising is the amount of time, energy, and money spent by some volunteers and donators to feed the homeless. The food is plentiful and many times is either home cooked or restaurant oversupply. Secondly, during the holiday season, like Christmas, there appears to be a lot of gift giving. Hence, the food and the gifts are quite a bit of money and giving is also done on a very regular basis.     RE-DIRECTED GIVING: Instead of giving food or gifts underneath the bridge, the food donations and gifts could be sold for cash and used to finance the construction and operation of a homeless, detox and rehab shelter in a remote location Left-Over or Over-Supply of Food from events or restaurants could be delivered to a location where *paying* customers could purchase these donations for a fee that would be used to finance the relocation and operation of a secluded homeless shelter in New Orleans East. This way, the donations could be used more wisely (via the isolated shelter to reduce panhandling and drug usage) as opposed to the panhandlers and homeless using these donations for barter to purchase drugs and alcohol. Once the secluded homeless shelter is in operation, cooked food could then be delivered directly to the secluded site so it can be freshly served. How much money this method could generate, I don't know. But it seems it could help with the daily operating costs. I think this is similar to how Goodwill and Salvation Army Stores work.     CALL-IN SHUTTLE SERVICE or CAB SERVICE. This is very similar to how some public transit works now. They call it in, handicapped, and a shuttle picks them up where ever they are and brings them to where they need to go. Same for those who are too drunk to drive. The City, as well as everyone else, should not make it easy for the homeless/panhandlers to get back into the city without a shuttle, or someone they can call to pick them up, as they should have a reserved/planned shelter ahead of time....this as opposed to wandering around and NOT wanting to help from social services like it is now. The homeless/panhandlers should most definitely be isolated so they would be more willing to be "worked with" and "change their ways". It's a lot harder to get them to listen and change their self-destructive ways if they can easily panhandle for money to purchase beer and drugs. Once, the majority of the homeless are isolated, there will be a lot less need for shuttles and cab rides. These transportation resources can then be used to bring them back to the reserved shelter with jobs.     HOMELESS LOCATIONS ARE KNOWN It could be said taht 99% of these Homeless go to the standard places, i.e. under the bridge, that are well known to the public.     HOMELESS HAVE BEEN OFFERED HELP....REPEATEDLY Likewise, homeless advocacy groups, e.g., the Unity for the Homeless, without a doubt, know exactly where the vast majority of the homeless sleep/live and have approached them on a "regular and repeated basis" with offers of (1) shelter, (2) food and (3) work. If you call a local Homeless Advocacy organization, you will hear that most of their volunteers are always on the field, trying to get the homeless off the streets on a daily and regular basis via in person-to-person contact.     ID and PAPERS: If you actually talk to Homeless Advocacy organizations, you will be told that, ALL homeless can easily get an ID without any papers, whatsoever. This is contrary to what some homeless and panhandlers will tell you. That is, they will tell you they need papers to get an ID, and likewise an ID to get into a homeless shelter. Most homeless have been in many arguments/disagreements in the past that have led to their current dire situation. So don't be surprised there is a lot more to the sad story (or can't get an ID story) the homeless or panhandler like to tell, as there are always two sides to an argument.     EVERYBODY (OR MOST GROUPS & PEOPLE) ON BOARD WITH THE PLAN, OR ELSE HOMELESS SHOPAHOLICS WILL PERSIST In order for this plan to work, you cannot just have one (1) food bank relocate to a far away location. Or just one (1) restaurant or grocery participate. If only a few participate, then a "WHACK-A-MOLE", Homeless Shopaholic problem will still persist. Moreover, you cannot have, for example, 35% of the people, groups & restaurants participate with this plan and then turn around have the others who do not participate in the plance give away 35% more food. Yet, You need like 40% of all those how help and feed the Homeless participate in this plan as a 40% total citywide reduction (in anything) can dramatically affect behavior.   Last Updated Wednesday, March 20, 2019 8:39 PM Copyright © Operation BreadCrumb