The truth about the homeless and why they are found in the CBD:

• The homeless go where services and food are available.

• The more food and shelter provided for the homeless in the CBD; the more homeless come to the CBD.
• Each year, the Ozanam Inn closes for almost a week at Mardi Gras time. When they are closed, the homeless are absent from the Camp and Julia Streets area.
• Why? The homeless have no reason to be in this neighborhood. They hang out where the free food, free shelter, and drugs are located.
• It's really simple: when OZ closes, they leave; when OZ opens, they return.

Don't believe it? Come see for yourself. When the Ozanam Inn closes, the so-called homeless leave the area.

Now, consider the the great homelessness myth established by "Homelessness Advocates and Shelter Experts." It states that:
"If there are no shelters or soup kitchens in the CBD, there will be more homeless persons in the CBD."
As usual, the truth is just the opposite of the "Great Homelessness Myth"!

Components of the "Great Homelessness Myth":

• Postulate Number One: The homeless will always be with us.

• Postulate Number Two: The homeless will always locate themselves in the Central Business District of any city.

• Postulate Number Three: Generally, there are a limited number of homeless persons in the New Orleans Area.

• Postulate Number Four: If food and shelter is provided for these New Orleans homeless persons in the CBD, fewer homeless persons will be seen on the streets of the CBD.

• Postulate Number Five: If CBD shelters are closed or moved outside of the CBD, homeless persons will become more abundant and visible in the CBD, causing more problems for government and business.

• Conclusion Number One: the "Sophisticated and enlightened" self interests of government and business dictate that each financially assist in maintaining CBD shelters, to avoid any worsening of the "Homeless Problem."

• Conclusion Number Two: CBD neighbors and small business persons are neither sophisticated nor enlightened. These citizens complain because they lack an understanding of the "real dimensions" of the homeless problems. Their complaints about food and shelter provided for these New Orleans homeless persons and the problems caused by such activities must be ignored. Any attempt to relocate CBD shelters or "Soup Kitchens" out of the CBD will cause a worsening of the "Homeless Problem."

• Conclusion Number Three: Sophisticated and enlightened "Professional Homeless Advocates" and CBD "Service Providers" have the answers to the homelessness problems. Their plans and recommendations must be adopted by business community and by government.

• Fact Number One: The homeless are downtown because the Ozanam Inn and the Brantley House offer cheap or free rooms for vagrants (in the CBD), and because there are "Soup Kitchens" in the CBD.

• Fact Number Two: The homeless go where services and food are available.

• Fact Number Three: If these institutions moved out of the CBD (as the Brantly House plans to do), the homeless would follow the institutions to their new locations.

• Fact Number Four: The actual self interests of government and business dictate that each financially assist in moving shelters out of the CBD, to lessen the homeless problem.

• Fact Number Five: The supply of "homeless persons" is unlimited. (See what's happening in San Francisco). More homeless will arrive from outside New Orleans and across the Nation to take advantage of our facilities that provide food and shelter in the CBD.

I have lived across the street from the Ozanam Inn for about eight (8) years, at 842 Camp Street. During that time, I have learned a lot about their emergency shelter and soup kitchen clients. Through observation, interaction, conversation, research, and after having hired and worked with about forty (40) of these men over the last eight (8) years, I learned a lot about who they are and how they behave or misbehave.

Lee Madere 12/13/03