11-14-05 Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETINGNOVEMBER 14, 2005 residents and siding with the lower income residents is divisive and will lead to a weaker neighborhood. Well-educated Catholic Workers with financial resources denouncing others for their middle-income status and concern for the neighborhood stability is not helpful. Many of the individuals being accused of lack of support for homeless persons have been community leaders in social services, community development and work with homeless individuals for many years. Catering to the lowest income members of the community and casting aspersions on those who have helped t make the neighborhood stable and diverse is no way to improve neighborhoods. The unfortunate thing is that the Catholic Workers and the West Washington Neighborhood residents probably have many shared goals. However, neighborhood residents are understandably aggravated by open defiance of the zoning laws and being accused of racism, Not in My Back Yard’ism and lack of support for homeless persons. The Catholic Workers are intent on providing services to the homeless and perhaps did not understand the neighborhood and those who live there and why the zoning is important. Everyone has stated his or her position and now the issue needs to be resolved. The Catholic Workers have filed a request for a change in the zoning, which will be acted on by the South Bend Common Council. Now, the group can discuss their proposal with the neighborhood association, hopefully, in a respectful and truthful manner. Neighborhood leaders can listen to the Catholic Workers and state their opinion on the zoning based on the interests of the neighborhood. The Common Council will vote on the zoning change and then the City Administration needs to enforce the decision that is made. The zoning process is how decisions are made on how real estate is used in any given area.Everyone involved needs to state their opinion, respect the democratic process and then live by the decisions that are made. It is unfortunate that the situation has reached such an impasse. Now everyone involved needs to put their best foot forward, resolve the issue one way or another and try to work together for the best interest of the neighborhood. Ms. Catherine Hostetler, 125 S. Lafayette, South Bend, Indiana advised that she is the Director of the St. Joseph County Historic Preservation Commission. Ms. Hostetler stated that at the regularly scheduled meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission on Monday, October 17, the members of the Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously to support Mr. Jeff Gibney’s and Ms. Charlotte Pfeifer’s opposition to the location of the Catholic Workers’ Houses on West Washington Street. This area has undergone decades of revitalization through the efforts of South Bend Heritage, Southhold, Historic Preservation Commission, Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, the City of South Bend and the perseverance of its citizen homeowners to reclaim this neighborhood. Ms. Connie Tooley, 514 W. LaSalle Avenue, South Bend, Indiana, advised that her issues are with individuals, agencies and organizations that seem to say “We can do anything we want... we don’t have to follow rules”. In addition, for her its even more upsetting when added to that is the veil of religiosity, using God as their excuse to tread on anyone who does not agree with them, using him as an excuse to flaunt the rules everyone has to abide by? It is the kind of behavior my way or else that has caused every war known to man! This Catholic Worker group new exactly what they were doing when they moved in and began illegal operation of a soup kitchen/transient house in our neighborhood. Why they have been allowed to operate this long and even expand to more houses is beyond my understanding. I as a homeowner could not get away with it. She as a landlord cannot turn her single-family houses into rooming houses. Why can they? However, what is even more disturbing is the total lack of any professional, licensed training by anyone there. The total lack of supervision of their “residents”, leaves not only the people staying there, but all who live in the neighborhood, vulnerable to the actions of people who may be acting under the influence of alcoholism or drug additions, or may be mentally ill, leaving all of us in harm’s way. A facility such as Catholic Workers is trying to create – managed by people untrained to care for the bodies and minds of those “in their care”; managed by people who, as their actions have shown, don’t care about or respect anyone’s beliefs but their own does not belong in the heart of a family oriented neighborhood. Moreover, to cloak their enterprise under religious charity is even more offensive to me. True charity does not begin with deceit, with knowingly breaking the law. True charity acts with love and respect for everyone. 16