banning the dispossessed?

Two news articles relevant to my work...

Finding L.A.'s hidden homeless

Homeward Banned, on homeless individuals banned from a homeless center in Dallas, TX. I have mixed feelings on this article, but I posted it because I wanted to make us think. The author is quite biased in favor of the individuals that have been banned from the shelter, arguing that they have been "banished from life itself."

From the perspective of someone who works in a homeless access center, I understand why people are banned. If an individual has threatened a staffmember or another person in our shelter, if they have deliberately and repeatedly destroyed the apartment that they are renting through our mental health program and harrassed the landlord, or if they have done other drastic things, they may be banned. There comes a point where it's too dangerous for other people for them to be receiving services at our location, or where we have attempted to provide all of the support and services we can and they choose to reject them and create chaos. People are banned for safety purposes and if they pose a serious problem for others receiving services. In general, I think hardcore homeless folks are homeless for a reason. Usually it's probably because they have serious mental health or addiction issues that keep them from making the steps they need to take or enabling them to work with the programs and agencies in existance. If people are sane enough and really want help, things can usually get better, although it can take a looong time to get all of the resources lined up.

But...fom the perspective of a follower of Jesus, I also see that no one is beyond the reach of the love of God, and that no one should be written off or abandoned by society. That's what christianity is supposed to be about...serving the lost and the least physically, emotionally, spiritually.

I just think that maybe there should be specialized agencies created to deal with people that are way out there on the edge, instead of expecting homeless agencies to serve the whole gamut of folks that are homeless, from those who have just fallen on hard times to those who are literally another kind of crazy.