Might get in to trouble for this as it's not really news yet (that I know of), but being that my tracker shows hardly anyone reading this blog - ehh - I'll take the risk.
I have it from a reliable source that the City of Toledo just informed all nonprofit users (i.e. NGO's) that they will longer be getting support from the city to pay their electric bills in the buildings they rent from the city (usually for $1 a year) to use.
Many of those NGO's provide services to the homeless and marginalized in Toledo.
I personally know that one of those NGO's is going to have to find a way now to come with $25K per year just keep the lights. And that at a time when it's getting harder and harder to get grants and also when the U.S. Government keeps trying to find creative ways to cut as many as it can from H.U.D funding. (Note: this now being done by demanding more and more picayune data on the poor from NGO staffers who are already too few, too overworked and over stretched forcing them to choose: take care of the people or do the paperwork).
Yes, "There's trouble in River City." but it ain't got nuthin' to do with playin' pool.
The cause: the cost of energy production which is directly related to what's happening with the price of oil and the fallout from the bottom dropping out of the housing market.
But local head honcho, Carelton S. Finbeiner, will probably not admit it and will come up with some excuse as to why the city is subtly beginning to dump out of helping the homeless who will be most affected since many of the shelters which rent from Toledo depend on that utility support to keep their doors open.
It looks like staffing cuts and reductions in beds and services to those folks is probably on the board in the near future.
And take that into account with the 'restructuring' (aka staff cuts) of the Police Department only announced by Chief Navarre yesterday.
These are both signs of the time folks. Ever so slowly things are coming unglued.
To put it metaphorically: the body is very sick and is beginning to pull the blood supply away from the extremities so it can focus on the vital organs that keep it alive.
I have it from a reliable source that the City of Toledo just informed all nonprofit users (i.e. NGO's) that they will longer be getting support from the city to pay their electric bills in the buildings they rent from the city (usually for $1 a year) to use.
Many of those NGO's provide services to the homeless and marginalized in Toledo.
I personally know that one of those NGO's is going to have to find a way now to come with $25K per year just keep the lights. And that at a time when it's getting harder and harder to get grants and also when the U.S. Government keeps trying to find creative ways to cut as many as it can from H.U.D funding. (Note: this now being done by demanding more and more picayune data on the poor from NGO staffers who are already too few, too overworked and over stretched forcing them to choose: take care of the people or do the paperwork).
Yes, "There's trouble in River City." but it ain't got nuthin' to do with playin' pool.
The cause: the cost of energy production which is directly related to what's happening with the price of oil and the fallout from the bottom dropping out of the housing market.
But local head honcho, Carelton S. Finbeiner, will probably not admit it and will come up with some excuse as to why the city is subtly beginning to dump out of helping the homeless who will be most affected since many of the shelters which rent from Toledo depend on that utility support to keep their doors open.
It looks like staffing cuts and reductions in beds and services to those folks is probably on the board in the near future.
And take that into account with the 'restructuring' (aka staff cuts) of the Police Department only announced by Chief Navarre yesterday.
These are both signs of the time folks. Ever so slowly things are coming unglued.
To put it metaphorically: the body is very sick and is beginning to pull the blood supply away from the extremities so it can focus on the vital organs that keep it alive.
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