COLUMBUS, Ohio -
Piles
and piles of trash from the Friends of the Homeless men's shelter has become a
problem for people living on the near east side. Residents spend a lot of time
picking up cups, plates and wrappings that blow out of the gated shelter and into
area yards.
PHOTO GALLERY: Images Of Trash From Shelter
"Another
week goes by and even more trash. I can understand how this may not affect the
clients of Friends of the Homeless but how can the staff permit this?"
said Mike Moore, of the Ohio/Parsons Block Watch.
Moore
said the situation shows "lack of social responsibility" by shelter staff. He
said attempts to reach Southeast, Inc., which runs the facility, have been
unsuccessful.
"We're
all neighbors here. We all take pride in our area, and we expect the same thing
from the shelter," said Moore.
NBC4
took Moore's concerns to Friends of the Homeless and spoke to operations manager
Janice Dyer, who said this was the first time she had heard about the trash
problem.
After seeing photos of the trash, Dyer replied, "Thank
you for sending me the pictures. Needless to say I am surprised to see this
occurring. Friends of the Homeless always works to present itself in a positive
light and we pride ourselves on being good neighbors. It is unfortunate that
this situation was brought to your attention prior to those concerned making an
effort to contact me personally. I will make sure this is cleaned up
immediately and will continue to monitor the facility for compliance."
Moore said Dyer is not telling the truth. He cited a March 5 email where he
cited the trash issues at the men's homeless shelter. Ironically, the trash was
gone before NBC4's cameras were rolling. Moore said he believes they cleaned up the area after he
sent photos to NBC4 on Facebook.
"It
shouldn't take talking to you, posting on Facebook. It shouldn't even take a
call to Southeastern," said Moore.
