Not In My Back Yard (says the guy who has a back yard)

[ailbhe]

There's a little debate going on around here at the moment. Some of you may remember that ages ago, someone wanted to put a halfway-house for mentally disabled people who no longer needed institutional care but were not yet ready for independent living near us. And the locals shouted it down, on the grounds that it would create a parking problem and the area is too rough and dangerous for such vulnerable people to live in. Rob and I sat at the sidelines and went Tut, tut, but other than writing to my MP (one paper copy and one emailed copy, neither of which elicited a response of any kind) we did nothing at all.

Reading Single Homeless Project want to use the same property as a temporary living space for homeless people to get back on their feet, have an address to get a bank account, a job, etc. There's a local gentleman and at least one local councillor shouting it down, because it will cause crime in this lovely peaceful area, and bring down property prices, which have been going up and up and up and up and up (we could no longer afford to buy our own house, which we've only had about 5 years).

We mostly said "Tut, tut," but then A4 posters started appearing on the lampposts around here, saying "NO say no to rshp in [streetname]" and Rob and I both suffered raised blood pressure when we walked past them, which meant every time we left our house. Then a leaflet appeared in our letterbox, with the same text on one side and an exhortation to stick it up in our front window in the other, and I saw red.

We and some friends of ours had a discussion about what would be best to do. We'd love to tear down the posters, but that makes most of us uncomfortable, bcause it seems faintly unethical for reasons that are hard to pin down. So we decided, instead, to produce our own, with YES instead of NO, and put one in our window and one on every lamppost with a NO poster.

Rob put a few out today. then we went and had tea with friends. The NO poster guy had torn several of them down by the time we finished our tea. So we've decided it's ok to tear down a NO poster where he has torn down a YES poster, but we will leave the other as they are.

It feels rather daring. The NO poster guy yelled OI at Rob just for putting up the YES ones. It will be interesting to see what happens next. The number of posters we can put up as they are torn down is only limited by the number of drawing pins we can muster.

Homelessness is one of the things that really gets my back up.

Comments

[nicolap.livejournal.com]

good for you

[livi-short.livejournal.com]

I think that what you and Rob are doing is fantastic.

[richtermom.livejournal.com]

You guys rock.

You might also want to put up posters that don't just counter the other posters, but that bring up, in plain english, why the other side is cruelly selfish:

People need homes.

Help these people get off the streets.

And you could, if you really wanted to guilt people, bring up a bunch of stuff from Jesus' sermons on whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers: you do unto me. They like citations: Matthew 25:40, I think.

I admire you guys for taking action. A couple years ago some buffoons started handing out forms to eliminate a bus route in my neighborhood because "they make our plates rattle" -- of course, this street has had busses and streetcars since BEFORE most of the houses were there. Anyway.

I didn't counter petition, I didn't even send in a protest letter. They cut service in my neighborhood. Good thing I bought our house so it's on a bus route, eh? (Oh, and they cut out the closest stop even more recently. WTF?)

[gmh.livejournal.com]

ooo!

Feel like a little volunteer help?

(If appropriate, of course...)

[ailbhe]

It would be lovely but I have no idea at all what you could do! Rob will be in London tomorrow and was going ot call you anyway re: friv, which needs a new case or something? So you could talk to him about it then.

Oh I know - could you read the website and see who we should let know at RSHP that we're doing this, in case they want to help?

[beaq.livejournal.com]

Hah!

[gmh.livejournal.com]

I found the following:


Tel: 0118 950 7656 Fax: 0118 956 0196 Email: enquiries@rshp.co.uk

Address: The Stables,1a Merchants Place, Reading, RG1 1DT

In addition, this link seems to give a full list of who's who.

[ailbhe]

I've written to the RSHP to find out what they think we should do - I'd hate for them to be thinking "Agh, stop being on our side, you make us look bad!"

I think religious messages are a lot less acceptable over here than in the States. In fact, even my Christian friends who go to church every Sunday and pray before every meal thought that even "There but for the grace of God go I" would be an inappropriate tagline.

[ailbhe]

Thanks! how do you feel about leafletting houses? I've emailed the RSHP to find out what they'd like us to do. Of course, I go to Ireland on Monday...

[barakta]

I can't believe people are so prejudiced about something like the half-way house for either group of people.

I don't know if there is anything that I can do from Sheffield, but I would like you and Rob to know I think you are doing the right thing. Non aggressive, reasoned postering is good. I don't know what else you can reasonably do other than counter the NIMBYs point by point.

My older sister has been homeless at various times, mainly because she has mental health problems and runs away a lot. She bunks about people's floors and stuff but has slept rough. She's always welcome at my parents houses, but that isn't always good for her or their mental health.

[tiggsybabes.livejournal.com]

Good for you :) I donate money to Shelter each month as homelessness is an emotional cause & my brother has lived in shelters on & off the past few years. I have their latest newsletter on my desk to involve myself in their national Give It Up Day on 1 March.

[ahruman.livejournal.com]

Five thumbs up.

[ailbhe]

Grr! The YES poster opposite our house was torn down this morning by someone in a big shiny car. And I can't tear down the NO poster because my feeble little hands are too, er, feeble. Argh.

[gmh.livejournal.com]

Obviously, logistically, I have a slight problem with leafletting; but not an impossible one; I could certainly come over in the evening at some point.

(I have a slight unease about not being recognised as a local, too; I'd not want you to be open to abuse for importing 'foreigners' to help you with a local issue; although if you're happy to risk it, I don't mind.)

You said there was a leaflet shoved through your box - what size and content was the text?

(Only I've been thinking about it, and fuming somewhat, and I'm sure I could put together a reasonably decent text for a 'Yes' leaflet.)

[k425.livejournal.com]

There's not a lot I can do from Wet Yorks, but if you need more drawing pins let me know!

[ailbhe]

The physical delivering of leaflets is probably best done in daylight by women with buggies, TBH, in case of Problems. That's me and Nicky. It was an A4 leaflet; one side was

NO
Say No to RSHP
house in
Audley St

And the other side said to put this leaflet in your front window, and write to the local councillor or someone at an address in Audley St. I would prefer to have heard back from the RSHP though, so that we don't put anything offensive or inaccurate together.

religiousness

[(Anonymous)]

hmmm, yes - only throw Chapter and Verse at people who *definitely* go to church more than twice a year, and possibly even then only if they get biblical first. It may be a useful reference list to have if you ever get into face-to-face confrontation, but definitely not on a public poster.

There's a poster in a house near us that says "1John3:10" (I think.... it doesn't come up as quite right....something like that, anyway). Now, *how* many people are going to rush off and find a bible to look it up? Only those who already read the bible anyway, and not even all of them. It's just so stupidly *pointless*...

LBs

Julie paradox
foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have their nests

[baratron.livejournal.com]

Of course, all homeless people are criminals. Even the ones who want to get bank accounts, because you just know they'll use the bank account for money laundering or benefit cheating. Even assuming they find legitimate work, they won't pay taxes and National Insurance. And then they'll be stealing jobs away from decent, hard-working folk...

...what kind of logic do these NIMBYs actually work with, anyway? Good on you for trying to make a difference.