Do the Homeless ‘Keep Coming Back’?

Last week, we posted a photograph that showed a homeless man sleeping at the entrance of a property on Eagle Rock Boulevard that houses both a church and a Montessori school.

The post generated passionate—even angry—responses from a couple of readers. Clearly, homelessness in Eagle Rock is an issue that seems to polarize the community—and we feel that this is something more Eagle Rockers need to chime in on. (For the record, we've featured several stories in the past that highlight some of the constructive efforts that have been made in the neighborhood to help the homeless.)

We now wish to draw readers’ attention to a home adjacent to the same property, where the Occidental United Presbyterian Church is located. As the photograph above shows, some homeless people have occupied the porch of this house, which was sold a few weeks ago, according to Sam Ferrell, a real estate agent for Coldwell Banker, who handled the sale.

According to Ferrell, the home's new owner is aware of the presence of the homeless people on his front porch, and “he keeps trying to do something about it.” Added Ferrell: “He has shooed them away a couple of times, but they keep coming back.”

We’d like to ask our readers how Eagle Rock should deal with the issue of homelessness. Suggestions?