Slog - Comments on Ballard Group Wants to Build Showers on Wheels For Homeless Camps http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on A group of Ballard activists are working with neighborhood churches to provide shower and car-camping facilities for the homeless. Sustainable Ballard volunteer Mary-Lee Mahar says her group —along with the Ballard Homes For All Coalition—has almost finished building their first portable shower—a 8x10 trailer on wheels—and is now looking for churches to open up their parking lots to car campers. In the last few years, there's been an increase in the number of homeless people living out of cars and camper vans in Ballard. Some campers had been parking in pay lots around the neighborhood, but nearby businesses complained about... Copyright 2008 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:27:42 -0800 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 22:22:59 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Andrew Good, I hate smelling nasty-assed homeless people who can't/won't shower!!

]]> Andrew http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150576 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150576 City Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:48:26 -0800 Comment by Non Ballard has a LOT of homeless people...it's rather puzzling

]]> Non http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150590 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150590 City Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:59:44 -0800 Comment by Sad Comment These car campers creep me out. Plus there is one that comes and goes near my house and he always leaves piles of empty of single shot vodka bottles in his wake.

]]> Sad Comment http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150593 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150593 City Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:02:32 -0800 Comment by Chris To be the devil's advocate, do we really want to encourage this behavior? I know the spread of disease is a pretty bad thing but shouldn't this be a little extra motivation, "Wow I fucking smell horrible, maybe I should find a way to earn a little money"

]]> Chris http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150598 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150598 City Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:09:53 -0800 Comment by jrrrl #4: i just told the same thing to you 2 years in the future. why are you so stinky and lazy then!!! the 2010 economy is no excuse!!

]]> jrrrl http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150610 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150610 City Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:25:15 -0800 Comment by Fulvio Casali I don't see how this is encouraging this behavior. A lot of them think "wow, I smell fucking horrible, nobody is going to hire me smelling like this, and there is no place where I can clean up".

Watch this video on CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/05/19/homeless.mom/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

]]> Fulvio Casali http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150621 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150621 City Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:34:34 -0800 Comment by keshmeshi Descending deeper and deeper into stank and bad hygiene hardly seems like a recipe for good self-esteem.

]]> keshmeshi http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150644 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150644 City Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:49:18 -0800 Comment by Bellevue Ave If the only thing preventing homeless people from showering is access to a free shower, i'm all for it. If the problem is that the homeless people who don't shower don't do so because they are mentally ill and can't function enough to care about showering or distrust social services, this just seems like an initiative to pat ourselves on the back for being so compassionate.

]]> Bellevue Ave http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150664 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150664 City Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:01:28 -0800 Comment by Tiktok "Ballard has a LOT of homeless people...it's rather puzzling"



Ballard has a lot of people who appear to be smelly alcoholics.


We call them "old-timers".

]]> Tiktok http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150696 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150696 City Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:25:39 -0800 Comment by mean ave @8, what if the problem is that homeless people don't have a place to shower? how about being nice so people are happier instead of only doing things if they increase our holy nation's gross domestic product?

]]> mean ave http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150773 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150773 City Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:34:29 -0800 Comment by El Groucho @9 - I thought we call them "Matador patrons"...

]]> El Groucho http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150796 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150796 City Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:03:41 -0800 Comment by Y.F. Dear Mary-Lee Mahar,

Letting the homeless, the destitute, and the down-and-out shower and sleep on Church would be an act of Christian charity. We, the good Christians can't possibly be expected to take time out of our busy schedule of harrassing LGBT to bother with those in need or to waste precious $$$ on the necessitous. How would we fund the hatred and vitriol-sprewing Prop 8 ads in California?

Well, ta-ta, I'm off to save some souls.

]]> Y.F. http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150841 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150841 City Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:52:04 -0800 Comment by nwcitizen Seems to me that being able to stay clean would be essential to holding down a job.

I would ask that folks give this idea a chance to work before passing judgement.

]]> nwcitizen http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150949 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/ballard_group_wants_to_build_showers_on#c1150949 City Thu, 25 Sep 2008 22:22:59 -0800