Tent City to close in Camden, NJ

Really interesting article from www.philly.com

In a notoriously dangerous, drug-ridden city, Tent City in Camden, New Jersey provides respite for a group of sixty or so individuals that are making the best of their otherwise dire situations. This article confronts many conflicting ideologies of what the responsibility is, if any, of the state, the city, social service agencies, and us as humans in improving the lives of these people. There is a group of predominantly men who, for a variety of reasons, are living in Tent City. Whether they are choosing to so they can spend their money on things other than rent and utilities, or are forced into living their due to the lack of income and affordable housing, this organized and well-provided-for group claim they have everything they need.
For six years Tent City has been home for many homeless people, but in a week, they are facing eviction and the city is compromising by offering job search support, housing assistance, and in-patient rehabilitation programs. Their refusal of services is sparking controversy among many individuals who attribute their situations to their poor choices and that it is now up to those individuals, who are facing more extreme circumstances when forced out of Tent City, to remedy their own lives.
Working with the population we do here at St. Francis Inn Ministries, it is really hard to pinpoint a particular sentiment towards this type of situation. On the one hand, we surely would like to see them all recover and to be “productive members of society.” There is nothing we’d like more than to be out of jobs. But our main ministry is to be a ministry of presence, to be with people where they are and to help them to find grace and peace amidst their otherwise unstable and chaotic lives.
So often our egocentrism clouds our ability to really see what is needed and inhibits our ability to help. We allow ourselves to believe that we know what is best for others rather than listening to their needs as told by them. I’m not sure what the solution is here, but I don’t think closing down the one place these individuals call home and throwing services at them is the best way to achieve self-sustainability and reform.