Re: Hauppauge & Commack People please read

Hauppauge & Commack People please read

I rarely post on here but this is outrageous! Complaining about that type of facility? Where would you like them to go? You think these people enjoy even being labeled as transient homeless??

I have taught many homeless kids over the years and by far they are the nicest kids. They are just looking for continuity, a place to feel safe in, and a place to belong. None of them ever got me sick, attacked me, or made me bring home bed bugs. These kids deserve the best the town can offer. OP, maybe you're right - your town isn't the right place for them if the residents are like you.

Re: Hauppauge & Commack People please read

Re: Hauppauge & Commack People please read

Re: Hauppauge & Commack People please read

Re: Hauppauge & Commack People please read

Damn I never realized hauppauge was so swanky! maybe I belong in a different lowly town with the homeless because I could care less! These poor kids need some stability!!!!

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Hauppauge & Commack People please read

I think the real issue that should be asked by the parents within the district is the plan on how to acclimate these children into the typical school day. Will they be put all in one class per grade, is it only one school per district. Will they have extra staff to help these children with the classroom work to get them on track with the rest of the class and not only rely on the teacher who still needs to teach the children already in class. Will they have extra social workers or behaviorists to deal with issues that arise.

The assumption that the children will bring lice and bedbugs is just absurd and everyone in the district should be looking for ways to help these families feel welcome not making them feel like outcasts. Every district has homeless children and yes this may bring in more than most districts but it really shouldn't matter as long as the district is prepared and honestly if they are prepared then the parents within the district should really mind their own business.

Re: Hauppauge & Commack People please read

Ok, I went to the website and I read the letter. It clearly says that in your ENTIRE district, there are 24 homeless students. That's it. It's not even putting you over your class size limit. I'm not sure what you're getting upset about. I teach in one of the wealthiest districts on the island and guess what? We have children that come from homeless shelters too. You, and others that are expressing such outrage, should be ashamed of yourselves. I have taught a homeless child from my district and his self-esteem was awful because of the way he was treated from other children who are parented by people like you. He didn't have LICE and he didn't have BEDBUGS. He was a wonderful boy that simply wanted a home to call his own. I'm actually sick to my stomach thinking about how those kids are being treated in your district.

Re: Hauppauge & Commack People please read

This situation seriously makes me want to cry. I can't imagine what it's been like for these families going through such hard times, and I'm disgusted by the community who should be welcoming them, but instead is all but throwing stones at them. I would be proud to hear that my community was doing something like this. It's so very sad, but thank god someone is trying to help them.

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Posted by Goobster

Posted by MrsDamonSalv7319

I think that instead of all the NIMBY arguments vs the you should be ashamed arguments, we should try to turn this thread into an idea thread for a way to help these families feel welcomed into your neighborhood and district. If you had no choice but to live in a shelter, wouldn't you want it to be in a decent neighborhood and wouldn't you want to know your children were going to go to a safe school district. Of course the kids are going to act out if they are forced to go to a school where they don't feel welcomed! Why not try welcoming them and see how they respond. I'm not saying their wont be problems, but don't pre judge the situation.

The kids won't be showing up at school after spending the night in a dumpster, im sure there will be some type of showers in the shelter and the children will be clean.

Maybe your community, schools, or churches should start a collection for things they think the families could need or want to feel more comfortable. Coats, blankets, toys, school supplies, clean clothes. Turn this into a learning opportunity. Encourage your children to be good role models and to help the less fortunate. Show these families that you are willing to share your community and give them a reason to want to respect it.

Everyone panics when something like this pops up, but I think a shelter for families is not something to fear. Just try to put yourself in their shoes. Nobody chooses to be homeless, especially not innocent children.

The best post.

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I think this is one of the most disgusting posts I have ever read. 24 children across 13 grades???? I teach in a transient population, is it optimal? No, but ALL kids deserve to learn, regardless of age, creed, gender, disability, socioeconomic status, etc. And maybe your child would learn compassion, because he/she is certainly not learning it from you at home!

Re: Hauppauge & Commack People please read

Also as a social worker who has dealt with housing issues for YEARS, finding affordable places for people of vulnerable populations and backgrounds is often next to impossible.


Throw in issues, like they need a wheel chair accommodation............many people can be totally screwed.

Also how many times does someone post on here about their financial struggles and wanting to get off LI for those reasons and 50 other posters are venting right a long with them?

Or a female poster is struggling with a DV situation and has no where else to go and a 10 page thread opens up encouraging her and her kids to go to a shelter?

And speaking of "difficult kids", what about the LIFer who struggles with issues in the SD to accommodate their child? They frequently find support and encouragement on here as well ;).

I seriously think some people have no idea until they are faced with the situations themselves. Then many LI people become the WORST with their sense of entitlement and what is "owed to them", yet are faced with a system with severe lack of resources, that doesn't support them ;).

To the OP and others with similar lines of thinking..........on one hand I really hope you never need help, but on the other, I hope you do so you can see how ignorant and just plain dumb and stupid you are acting.

Also with the vaccination comments.......isn't MY vaccinated kid more of a "threat" to the non-vaccinated kid? (And hey, you don't care about them anyway so who cares if something happens to them).


IF people actually turned their energy around in coming up with solutions and support for those in need, instead of finding fake reasons to try to get rid of them..........imagine how great this island would be..........

Some people simply amaze me on this site, with how wonderful and giving they are, but there are also some who stand out for reasons like this, and make my stomach turn.

Message edited 10/3/2013 5:44:34 AM.

Hauppauge & Commack People please read

You don't agree with this type of housing. I think if you asked the people they would much prefer to not be homeless but they are. Where would you like them to go? I doubt you are offering to house a family with you. Lol

Your argument about immunization a makes no sense. There are plenty of children in schools who aren't homeless who have kids in school without immunization. Families who have been advised that youvcan go online and copy a form letter and hope the district doesn't question them

Hauppauge & Commack People please read

Seriously, I had lice SO MANY TIMES as a kid! I wasn't homeless, I wasn't "dirty" - I just had long hair and sleepovers! All you need is one kid at a slumber party to have lice and then everyone has it.

As for bedbugs, you are just as likely to pick them up at a swank hotel as your are from a homeless shelter.

As for vaccinations, as someone else said, kids from lower income categories might even be *more* likely to be vaccinated because of medicaid and because they are less likely to have the time/resources do research whether or not they want their children to be vaccinated.

For some of these kids, going to a school with a caring teacher might be the best thing for them, and might be the only place they can get hot food, etc.

As someone who works solely with people who are at risk of homelessness, many of whom have been homeless in the past, the last thing ANYONE wants is to be in a shelter situation - especially anyone with kids.

You (the OP and people with the same mindset) are very lucky that you don't have to go through what they go through or even contemplate what they go through on a daily basis.

Re: Hauppauge & Commack People please read

To everyone who has made an attempt to add to this post in a positive way -thank you. For those who have decided to share their opinion about my family and I and what I must be teaching them -well, you know what they say about opinions.

Everything I have posted has been FACT -not opinion.

Based upon some of the responses, I did want to clarify a few things:

Yes, there are only 20 something kids in the district now and we had a similar amount last year. However, from what i have heard, this facility has the potential to house over 100 families -in which case you are no longer talking about 25 kids. The school board has already talked about increasing class size. I am hopeful that these things will be addressed during the meeting -again as a resident it ha been very hard to get any information.

There were many comments about the children deserving some stability -which again, I agree with. This facility is designed as a TEMPORARY place for them to stay, with a constant flux of families going in and out.

For the teachers who have commented about teaching homeless children (and I don't mean this in a snarky way -so please don't take it as such) was it one or two children who were in your class for the year or was it a constant change of kids coming in and out? If it was the latter, I would like to hear more about your experience.

And as for the lice/bedbugs -I understand not all homeless children will be bringing that to school and I understand that lice is something we deal with every year however it is easier to get it out if a household of 4/5 than of over 100. With the families staying there continually changing, there is a greater chance of reinfestation -again, these are facts not opinions. It's the same reason bedbugs pop up in hotels from time to time -the amount of people going in and out.

And to the people who have felt the need to attack me and my family because I am trying to educate people in my community as to what is going on, don't you think your energy would be better spent PMing me to find out where this is so that you and your children can go help out?

Re: Hauppauge & Commack People please read

Haven't seen many facts in what you wrote.

And also, how is what I and many others saying NOT positive, when we are advocating for the same people you attack.

Re: Hauppauge & Commack People please read

Re: Hauppauge & Commack People please read

Hauppauge & Commack People please read

I'm sorry if you took my post (which indeed was snarky) to heart. I get wanting to be informed about anything that involves your community. But this doesn't seem like a positive or embracing reaction (not just you, but what I see being disputed by town members). I grew up in a nearby town much like hauppauge. And any time things were proposed like this, the reactions have always been negative and ideas were shut down. It was a sentiment of "not here! We can't have this here! This is (insert town here)! We don't have that kind here and don't want to bring in riff raff."

Which always made me cringe because THOSE towns forget the awful issues they have lurking in their neighborhoods - dangerous drugs. It was like they thought they were on some pedestal of morality when they has their own demons to fight.

As far as bed bugs and lice fears - it sounds like grasping at anything. You can get bed bugs at Disney World hotels. Or from the Marriott.

It's always the same story. There's never a welcoming committee. It's always met with ignorance and negativity and "not in my backyard"

And I hate to say it and this is just my opinion. But those kids and their parents would do much better NOT in hauppauge or a nearby area. They would be more accepted and feel less left out in another town... And I say that because the overall tone of certain areas on LI are populated by snobs for lack of a better word. Not everyone. Not the entire town. But a good enough percentage. And it trickles down to the kids. But that's just my opinion and my experience and I'm not saying everyone is like that.

I wouldn't mind those kids in my town at all. Or going to school with my kids. I would be all for it.

Message edited 10/3/2013 9:36:29 AM.

Re: Hauppauge & Commack People please read

Wow

Ok here's some facts about DSS and "transient"
Housing as you call it.
When a person enters the DSS homeless situation they are places in a unit that can accommodate their family size. Yes sometimes shelters, hotels converted into shelter etc. I believe someone said I think it was the OP that DSS use to use the model of independent housing, um no wrong fact. DSS does not typically have houses they can place people in. A person in a shelter is responsible for finding their own housing, completing housing logs etc and the DSS has to inspect such housing and approve it at which time the family moves to permanent housing. (Which there is very little of on LI as landlords do not want to rent to DSS clients unfortunately).

A family with school age children have 2 options when they enter te system. They can send their child to the school district of origin (district child attended prior to being homeless) or district where they are currently residing. Most families choose to go with the district or origin. Especially with older school age children. It prevents the least disruption to the child. Sometimes these children will sit on a bus for an hour and a half each way to get to school. DSS pays for bussing. As far as if they attend your district and not the one they started in the district they started in reimburses your district

As far as vaccinations-a child am not be registered in school without proof of vaccinations which is obtained through the doctors office or last school. I've had to register many children in different districts and this is a common thing that can delay registration as sometimes it takes a few days to get.

People being transient. Most will stay in one shelter until they find permanent housing. DSS does not like to move families unless there is a problem. They also do not say 2 weeks an your out. Some people are in the same shelter for a year +

Behavioral problems- NOT all children in this situation have behavior issues. Yes some due but children from regular homes that are not homeless also have behavioral issues sometimes. Perhaps the kids that were fighting or acting out where acting out due to other things. Bullyinh, the constant feeling of disruption in their lives, etc etc. children are incredibly resilient but sometimes enough is enougj. They're kids they didn't ask to be in this situation.

Lice etc etce - a facility that houses 100'families is not more likely to have lice than somewhere else. These families all have individual units and bathrooms and are not sharing towels or brushes or anything personal hygeine related. Lice happens in all socioeconomic classes

What has been posted by OP basically sounds like ignorance. You don't understand this population or what is involved or devices they are provided and there for your angry scared whatever. Get over it. The homeless population keeps increasing on LI and doesn't show any ssigns of lessening. Years ago DSS was able to decrease th population and stopped using motels as shelters but unfortunately as the homeless population increases so does the need for more shelters

Your posts show that you appear to be more concerned about NIMBY and nothing else. You contradict yourself repeatedly. Yes it's scary to not know what to expect but give these kids a chance. Many children have risen above poverty and have gone on to do great things. And when you work in this field those are the stories you hang ok to an that is what makes it worth it. They are kids and should be treated no differently than you want yours treated just because they are in a shelter doesn't mean they or their parents are "bad". Sometimes there is no other option

Before posting things like this and saying everything is a fact which it is not, take time to educate yourself.
Call your legislature and ask questions. Call the commissioner of DSS office and ask questions. Whoever you are getting your facts from is not leading you in the right direction. The ones that know the facts are the ones that deal with this daily.

Hauppauge & Commack People please read

And someone mentioned hurricane sandy victims - some of these families could be those people. And look at how people react. It's just wrong.

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Message edited 10/3/2013 10:02:41 AM.

Re: Hauppauge & Commack People please read

Re: Hauppauge & Commack People please read