San Antonio Homeless Agency CEO Visits PATH Mall
I had the pleasure to meet with Bob Martindale and his wife this past Saturday at the PATH Mall, here in Los Angeles.
Bob is the CEO of SAM Ministries, the leading homeless service provider in San Antonio, Texas. He also sits on the Texas Interagency Council for the Homeless (TICH) and the Texas Homeless Network (THN).
Their programs are very similar to PATH’s, with a full continuum of care. Here is a link to their website.
It is reported that San Antonio, Texas has over 25,000 homeless people. 38% are homeless families.
SAM Ministries is interested in joining with PATH and numerous other groups around the country to develop “The Mall Network,” a network of groups who operate or support the concept of “one-stop” service centers.
posted by LA's Homeless Blog at
8:52 AM
6 Comments:
Hi,
I was searching for information on homeless assistance programs in San Antonio and came across your Blog. I think it's great that people are working to raise awareness of the problem of homelessness, but from a practical stand point there's too much talk and too little action.
Governments at all levels have a history of making plans but never funding them, or using ear-marked funding for other purposes.
It's no different here in San Antonio. The only people getting helped are those who manage to get a job with one of the agencies, who then go on to decide that the task of solving the homeless problem is impossible, while milking scarce resources from those the funding is supposed to be helping.
I am about to fall through the cracks again. Because of budget cuts in all areas my SSDI benefits went unpaid for two months. Asking the SSA to repay me only causes more problems. As much help as they have been, even the staff at my congressman's office agree it's best that I don't ask them to repay me as it will only result in further mistakes.
The housing authority has closed the waiting list. They are being sued for malfeasance on a monthly basis for violating people's rights. They spend ten times the amount of money settling these cases out of court than if they'd just done what they are supposed to do to begin with.
Like all the other cities who want those federal dollars, San Antonio has it's 10-year plan to eradicate chronic homelessnes.
But that is all it has. Nothing has changed in three years. I feel like Ray Nagin, the mayor of New Orleans who said, "Quit holding goddamned news conferences and do something!"
Oh well, I'll just do what I've always done; pick up my bedroll and look for a safe place to sleep while trying to save enough money for another apartment.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Great article! Thanks.
Nice Blog!
Thanks for interesting article.
Thank You! Very interesting article. Do you can write anything else about it?
Very interesting site. Blog is very good. I am happy that I think the same!
Post a Comment
<< Home