Thanks so much to all that were able to contribute vital supplies to our friends at Jos House. I know some of you have made deliveries on your own. Some of you dropped supplies off here at Terra. Daniel Williams and I made a delivery this morning that was deeply appreciated.

We didn’t have all our facts straight when we passed on the Jos House crisis announcement Sunday. Many of you have emailed questions, so to set the record straight… The City of Troy condemned The Cook Arms, a local boarding house not connected with Joseph’s House and Shelter. By all accounts The Cook Arms was not a great place and the safety and sanitary concerns were merited. However in condemning the building, no provision was made for the 28 residents most of whom are disabled. The burden of housing and feeding these newly homeless men fell on the county’s only shelter, Joseph’s House. This creates several problems. The shelter is already full and space has to be made for more than 20 new men. The shelter needs a code variance to add the beds for that many more and the city, after displacing the people, has been unresponsive to Jos House’s request for a variance. In addition, having that many more people in the shelter puts a strain on all the shelter’s already maxed systems, hence the need for linens, toiletries, and extra food. The issue has been in the news. Here are some links …

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=680254

http://www.troyrecord.com:80/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/BigDaily?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_article&r21.content=%2FMAIN_REP%2FArticle%2F2008%2F04%2F12%2F1886339

We contacted our friends at Metroland with the story and there may be some coverage this week so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Jos House is still in need of the supplies. If you can make a donation, drop by the shelter. You can also drop supplies here at the church and we will do the delivery for you. Contact me if you have any questions about their needs.

The City of Troy is holding up Joseph’s House plans to convert an abandoned building in the little Italy section of Troy into low income apartments. If you are interested in working for justice by being an advocate for the poor and promoting affordable housing in Troy visit …

www.itshouldbezero.org