Providing Homes for the Riverwalk's Homeless
The Riverwalk has a proud history of taking social issues and promoting them to people outside San Antonio, and we’re pleased today to raise awareness of yet another problem in Downtown. After we successfully highlighted the issues of cholera in open water supplies, promoted the need to educate Texan history in schools, and fixed the lack of public restrooms in our city, every year we now adopt a different problem of social relevance, give it a name, feed it, clothe it and send it into the world prepared.
2009′s campaign is entitled “Homes For The Homeless” and seeks to provide homes for the homeless, often called The Riverpeople on the Riverwalk. Many people, including our readers, are not aware of the multiple paths to finding your home gone, and our stories below indicate some of the ways in which you can find your life upside down, although there are many more you should be watching out for.
- Mary J lived on Hildebrand when her 2-bedroom house, built upon an ancient burial ground, was possessed by a poltergeist and just swallowed itself up one evening. The insurance refused to cover the awesome event, and now she shelters in the warmth and emptiness of the Aztec Theater’s retail area, living off an all-you-can-eat-buffet where she refuses to pay the final tab because she considers her meals “all one visit”.
- Bernard M had a successful accounting business and his bank forced him to borrow $1 million for a home that they knew would lose value, despite promising him that it would appreciate. His loan officer faked his paychecks and forced him to sign documents to borrow the money, only to have it “foreclosed” six months later. He now lives in one of his other rental properties so isn’t really so much homeless as having “fewer homes” than in 2008.
- John “Shizzle” P stored his home address in his cell phone while attending a harmless, ordinary Happy Hour at Dick’s Last Resort. When the phone was stolen, the address was lost and he couldn’t find the home. After checking all the pounds in the city, he’s finally come to terms with the fact his home is never coming back. Studies estimate that cell phone loss is the number one reason for losing a home, and officials urge people to have their homes tagged.
- Martha Q owned a green house on Pennsylvania Avenue. The landlord continued to build houses on her street, and on his two others locations on North Carolina and Pacific avenues. Thinking nothing of his endless construction, but tiring on the growing rent every time she landed on her street, it wasn’t long before her $200 salary couldn’t make the payment. He finally replaced all his properties with hotels, leaving her without a house, and finally seized her water works and electric company.
These personal stories of real San Antonians show how close all of us are to losing our homes – yet sometimes “nobody is to blame” says Social Services Director Bertrinda Nelson. “Sometimes it just doesn’t work out – the house and the owner don’t get along, and the house just packs up and leaves one day,” she explains.
Also, in this economic climate with bad credit clouds, house theft is becoming more common. Thieves simply change the number on the mailbox and front door, and take ownership of the new property, leaving the confused former owner wondering where their home went. “I could have sworn there was a number between 42 and 44,” said house theft victim and school teacher Lynn Ferry. “But one day I came back and it wasn’t there.”
City Proposes Housing Project
The City has assembled a team of architects, engineers and homeless people to address the problem of homelessness, together with the need for more hotel space in the immediate Riverwalk area. Construction has begun on a 1,500-room tower, that will allow the homeless to stay in fully-furnished and serviced condominiums for free.
The anonymous hotel chain explained the inner-working of their ambitious business plan: when homeless occupancy is low, rooms will be rented to tourists, who will be charged higher rates for phone calls and minibars to offset the cost. The city will contribute $200 a night for boarding and room service, and there is a $50 per week minibar allowance. Various locals approved of the plan, adding that they too plan to be homeless when the 4-star all-suite property is completed.
