Homeless shelter moving from Cass Corridor to Mack & Gratiot.

[brizee]

http://www.freep.com/story/news/loca...site/97439642/

Can't say I'm sad to see it go.

It was a ugly mess when I went to old Cass Tech.

Hopefully the new neighborhood is vigilant about making sure NSO are good neighbors.

The current state of the area immediately around that facility is unacceptable.

[Danny]

From the old Skid Row from Third St. and King to a new Skid Row on Mack and Gratiot. What a great ideal to sweep the po-folks to the slums of the lower east side [[Their new Reservation ) At least the homeless shelter will have plenty of new rooms and programs to get them on their feet.

As for right now when millennials are taking over Midtown, first them they want to see is all the po-folks long gone.

[313WX]

The best part about this [[assuming it's the final product) is that building design.

I was expecting something "suburban," but instead they not only create a street wall but even went a bit vertical.

[Wesley Mouch]

From the old Skid Row from Third St. and King to a new Skid Row on Mack and Gratiot. What a great ideal to sweep the po-folks to the slums of the lower east side [[Their new Reservation ) At least the homeless shelter will have plenty of new rooms and programs to get them on their feet.

As for right now when millennials are taking over Midtown, first them they want to see is all the po-folks long gone.

If I recall correctly, the Case Corridor was the 'new skid row' once upon a time. The 'old skid row' was along Michigan Ave around Bagley -- until slum clearance forced a move. I suppose you could say that the Cass Corridor was ripe for a economic downturn. When poorer citizens are displaced by government programs, they have to move somewhere -- and the Cass Corridor with older apartment buildings and close to downtown was probably getting long in the tooth as Detroit's fancy area.

My knowledge on this is second-hand, and maybe wrong. Does anyone else know the history of Detroit's 'skid rows'? I'm curious when this slide happened. The Masonic and Kresge buildings suggest that in the teens and twenties the Cass Corridor was still considered a good place to be.

Long live the Cass Corridor. Down with Midtown.

Things change.

[kathy2trips]

At the risk of sounding insensitive, politically incorrect or at the very least, like a Pingree-style Republican:

Can we take the $20 million from that soulless architectural monstrosity and teach employable skills to these people and help them become working, contributing citizens? How about creating some jobs, small business training, entrepreneurship? Goodwill Industries has been doing this successfully for years. However, many homeless are, sadly, mentally ill but facilities won't take them if they're not ill enough. This $20 million dollar facility will probably be way more habitable than the 100 year old homes of the working poor in the neighborhood.

Ideally, there wouldn't be any homeless at all, especially with all the vacant homes in Detroit. Yet, here they are: the ones in transition, the chronically unemployable, the alcoholics, the ones who have been on welfare for literally generations, the drug addicts, and the mentally ill.

Ugh! My poor east side. We just can't catch a break.

So, would you want this in your neighborhood? All volunteers seriously considered.

[Honky Tonk]

At the risk of sounding insensitive, politically incorrect or at the very least, like a Pingree-style Republican:

Can we take the $20 million from that soulless architectural monstrosity and teach employable skills to these people and help them become working, contributing citizens? How about creating some jobs, small business training, entrepreneurship? Goodwill Industries has been doing this successfully for years. However, many homeless are, sadly, mentally ill but facilities won't take them if they're not ill enough. This $20 million dollar facility will probably be way more habitable than the 100 year old homes of the working poor in the neighborhood.

Ideally, there wouldn't be any homeless at all, especially with all the vacant homes in Detroit. Yet, here they are: the ones in transition, the chronically unemployable, the alcoholics, the ones who have been on welfare for literally generations, the drug addicts, and the mentally ill.

Ugh! My poor east side. We just can't catch a break.

So, would you want this in your neighborhood? All volunteers seriously considered.

Good post and agreed. Invest in Focus Hope, buy a cheap bus, and send people to training. It's too bad home-town hero Ilitch didn't want a homeless shelter around his coliseum. That Eastside neighborhood was just starting to turn around. I'm sure this will help.

[clubboss]

At the risk of sounding insensitive, politically incorrect or at the very least, like a Pingree-style Republican:

Can we take the $20 million from that soulless architectural monstrosity and teach employable skills to these people and help them become working, contributing citizens? How about creating some jobs, small business training, entrepreneurship? Goodwill Industries has been doing this successfully for years. However, many homeless are, sadly, mentally ill but facilities won't take them if they're not ill enough. This $20 million dollar facility will probably be way more habitable than the 100 year old homes of the working poor in the neighborhood.

Ideally, there wouldn't be any homeless at all, especially with all the vacant homes in Detroit. Yet, here they are: the ones in transition, the chronically unemployable, the alcoholics, the ones who have been on welfare for literally generations, the drug addicts, and the mentally ill.

Ugh! My poor east side. We just can't catch a break.

So, would you want this in your neighborhood? All volunteers seriously considered.

There will always be homelessness. The vast majority of those individuals that hang-out in front of the NSO, are not consumers of the NSO. The NSO is where the action is. Most of the homeless at the NSO that want housing, and have the mental and physical wherewithal to maintain an apartment, are given an apartment. However, most of the consumers at the NSO are not in one of the programs to obtain housing. Some are simply kicking it at the NSO, watching tv, and telling war stories. Others are in the group I call lost souls. They are incapable of living on their own, innumerable untreated mental issues abound, they come in every now and then, just to sit down, and get out of the elements. You are correct – they are not ill enough to warrant assistance. Drug addicts abound, mostly heroin, followed by alcohol, and no matter how broke and destitute as person is, they always have money for those Goddamn cancer sticks.
Early every morning several vans pull up in front of the NSO, they are looking for day laborer’s. Typically, they already have the regular guys they take with them, however, occasionally they will come into the NSO to inquire if anyone wants to work for the day – they are met with silence. I believe it pays $25.00 cash for 4 or 5 hours – handing out flyers. That cash feeds their daily habits. Not to worry; 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, there is a small group of men that hang out down by the liquor store [[Peterboro and Third) those are the drug dealers – best spot in all Detroit. They have nothing to do with NSO – they just add to the ambiance of the menagerie that the NSO attracts. The NSO does all it can with the joke of a budget that it’s been handed. Homelessness is a lifestyle for many of these people, they are not looking to change that.

[313WX]

Good post and agreed. Invest in Focus Hope, buy a cheap bus, and send people to training. It's too bad home-town hero Ilitch didn't want a homeless shelter around his coliseum. That Eastside neighborhood was just starting to turn around. I'm sure this will help.

It was?

You must have got a memo the rest of us didn't.

[IrishSpartan]

The old Michigan Avenue skid row was basically from Michigan Avenue & Cass to the Lodge Freeway. Bagley around Detroit Edison was kind of the northern boundary. Not sure if the south Howard was considered the boundary. Although their were places north of there with a skid row feel. Most of skid row was demolished in the 1962-1963 period. I think the move farther north to the Cass corridor was inevitable within the context of the era. The old Lindell Bar, before it moved to Michigan & Cass in 1963 was within a flophouse hotel.

People forget downtown had some mini skid row areas. For instance, Brush between Congress & Larned. The current Sweetwater Tavern was the old 400 Bar and it was a total dive. I don't mean in the modern context, which some people have substituted with the term hole-in-wall. These bars were places where if you were willing to walk in there drinking anything other than bottled beer was not advised. The no star Akron Hotel was adjacent to the 400 Bar.

If I recall correctly, the Case Corridor was the 'new skid row' once upon a time. The 'old skid row' was along Michigan Ave around Bagley -- until slum clearance forced a move. I suppose you could say that the Cass Corridor was ripe for a economic downturn. When poorer citizens are displaced by government programs, they have to move somewhere -- and the Cass Corridor with older apartment buildings and close to downtown was probably getting long in the tooth as Detroit's fancy area.

My knowledge on this is second-hand, and maybe wrong. Does anyone else know the history of Detroit's 'skid rows'? I'm curious when this slide happened. The Masonic and Kresge buildings suggest that in the teens and twenties the Cass Corridor was still considered a good place to be.

Long live the Cass Corridor. Down with Midtown.

Things change.