[PugMom]

in case you didn't know, there is an area on 301 past Coleman & Bushnell. this community is VERY, VERY poor, & i imagine, desperate. the new churches in our area help everyone, so is it possible these transient non-village folk are on their way to visit a church or outreach center? if so, do we then tell churches they must restrict their congregations, or accept only approved villagers as members? tough question to consider.

[vitacr]

Write a "Letter to the Editor" on the Daily Sun - They do NOT like negativity - it might stir up some corrective activity.

[manaboutown]

Originally Posted by PugMom

in case you didn't know, there is an area on 301 past Coleman & Bushnell. this community is VERY, VERY poor, & i imagine, desperate. the new churches in our area help everyone, so is it possible these transient non-village folk are on their way to visit a church or outreach center? if so, do we then tell churches they must restrict their congregations, or accept only approved villagers as members? tough question to consider.

Well, I can't speak for churches but several years ago the state of NM built a welfare office a couple blocks down the street from my business. Of course I had to pay for a two block long sidewalk so the deadbeats could walk past my business on their way from the bus stop to the welfare office. The day the welfare office opened the problems started. Now druggie, alcoholic, criminal worthless bums are crawling all over the neighborhood. If one parks in the neighborhood Walmart lot across the street from my business one gets aggressively panhandled by a plethora of bums while going from their vehicle into the store and back. Off duty police are stationed in the lot to walk vulnerable people to and from their cars but purses still get snatched and worse.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by shut the front door

Gather them up and have them congregate near Villages open houses. I bet that would motivate the developer to do something!

GREAT suggestion.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by vintageogauge

There are plenty of homeless people living in the norther villages. Just recently a group was removed form a village home that is in foreclosure, they have camps off of Rolling Acres Road and I have also seen them camped along the road east of 301 across from where the new Dairy Queen was built. They usually stay on the fringes to avoid being hassled but are getting a little more brazen going into vacant homes or sleeping on lanais. There will be more now as cold weather sends them south.

Oh my. I had driven countless times on Rolling Acres Road and have never seen any sign of a homeless camp.

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by coffeebean

GREAT suggestion.

You want the developer to become an arm of law enforcement?

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I hate to be blunt, but I don't care where they go. I want the police to enforce the law and make them leave. If they don't, I will move somewhere else. I can live anywhere, but I won't live in an area where there are homeless people hanging around creating an uncomfortable situation.

I'm with you. I don't give a ****** where they go. Just not here in The Villages. Get them out of there!!!!!!

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by JMintzer

You want the developer to become an arm of law enforcement?

No but they need to do what ever it takes for the proper enforcement to be done. The developer knows people in high places. They can get it done if they want to.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by manaboutown

The problem is as it now stands they are allowed to leech off society with impunity. For years I have had problems with them hanging around a couple of my businesses in another state - now literally a couple hundred of them camp nearby my business. It feels like a plague of locusts has landed there. They have ruined the neighborhood and negatively impacted my business. The useless powers that be have been ineffective. Homeless druggies have taken over parks so decent folk cannot enjoy them. Parents have to comb ball game venues for needles so their kids can play little league or whatever. It now almost feels like I am in a third world country when I go there.

More homeless encampments pop up after Coronado Park closure

New Mexico Little League park plagued by hypodermic needles

A block from my business: Police find makeshift meth lab in a shopping cart – KRQE NEWS 13 – Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos

Do we want them here? I don't!

I don't either. But you haven't proposed an answer to the one and only question I'm asking. Seems many of you agree with me - we don't want homeless people in our neighborhoods. That's great!! We agree! Amazing.

Now for the question - again.

When the police kick them out, where will they GO? On foot - without money to pay for bus fair or an uber.

Come up with a solution. Everyone already knows the problem.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I hate to be blunt, but I don't care where they go. I want the police to enforce the law and make them leave. If they don't, I will move somewhere else. I can live anywhere, but I won't live in an area where there are homeless people hanging around creating an uncomfortable situation.

If you don't care where they go, then I'll suggest to them that there's a lovely lanai they can sleep on, at your house.

What's that? You don't want them at your house? Okay - the next door neighbor. Or across the street. Or at the other end of your neighborhood. Or behind your rec center. As long as it's not "wherever they are at the moment" you don't care. So I'll not care either. As long as YOU don't live in MY neighborhood, the homeless can go ahead and live in YOUR neighborhood. There. Problem solved.

They have to go somewhere, and they don't have cars.

[Rainger99]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Until you have a place for them to GO, they will continue to go wherever it's convenient for them to go.

Looks like they could go to NYC.

I was watching the news this morning and saw the shelter that New York City is building for illegal immigrants. Looked pretty nice - three meals a day, a fancy popcorn machine, big screen tvs, free telephones, and the city gives them “Fluff & Fold” laundry service. I would think once word gets out that illegals can get these benefits, we may get a lot of people coming across the southern border.

[ScottGo]

Pinellas county sheriffs would drive them to Pasco county and let them know they were not welcome. Back in 2013.

[Rainger99]

The problem is that we have shelters for the homeless but many of them don’t want to go the shelters. And apparently, the government can’t force them to go to shelters because the homeless have rights.

If we had hungry people and they refused to go to food banks, what else can society do to feed them?

So I don’t know how to solve the problem. Maybe someone here has an idea.

[manaboutown]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

I don't either. But you haven't proposed an answer to the one and only question I'm asking. Seems many of you agree with me - we don't want homeless people in our neighborhoods. That's great!! We agree! Amazing.

Now for the question - again.

When the police kick them out, where will they GO? On foot - without money to pay for bus fair or an uber.

Come up with a solution. Everyone already knows the problem.

answer: away.

[LAFwUs]

1st, the powers that be here, must realize this is a massively growing problem, not just here, but literally everywhere.
"The bubble" is not and will not be immune.
I can, (as others here probably can as well) tell you from my 1st hand experience living near Seattle and as a former LEO, just how badly this problem can explode when decisive, corrective & preventative action is not taken. The passive approach will not work. It never has.

This apparent lack of a preemptive plan &/or preventative action, leaves us - as a community - very ill prepared. This is not good.

I can say this much, (again):
There is clearly a breech/means of access on the far south end of the villages.
The perimeter fence that borders the turnpike and the many sections of golf courses in this area, is a complete joke and stops no one.
I am personally seeing too many transient types on foot, directly coming from that area - for it to just be random.
If they set root here, and word gets out among them (& it will) their numbers will grow substantially, so will random crime, a reduce feeling of safety and a whole host of other related unpleasantries.
It will take much more effort to correct it then...
This needs to get nipped in the bud ASAP.