A homeless shelter in Macon County has been cited for being out of code. Father Lowell Monteith thought it would be nice to give people a warm and dry place to stay outside the elements. But state codes think it better for the good father’s ten charges to sleep among ticks and snakes than to risk sleeping in a metal building without a $25,000 fire abatement sprinkler system.
Also of interest in the article was the way the joint is operated.
“We run a program to help get these individuals to be productive members of society,” [the good father] said. “Our program isn’t designed to be easy, but it helps get these people out of whatever their addiction is, teaches them accountability, and sets them up to contribute to society.”
I’ve often found myself musing about becoming homeless, as it is the only path I’ve found toward becoming a productive member of society. I am assuming the job placement from this program is out of sight, as Father Monteith teaches his wards to “spend half their income on bills and responsibilities.”
