wow that is God fearing church people for you. Let God come down and stand before you and tell Him you do not want to take the homeless in off the street during the cold winter weather. Maybe He will tell you He cannot take you into His home because you mat be a sinner!

you think this may not happen to you but god forbid you get so sick that the bills take everything you have and own and then you would wish you had a place like this...it happens to good people too..

Carolyn, I absolutely agree with your take on this position. Let's see how the Dundalk Renasissance Committee uses this as an incentive to get young/new people to move to Dundalk! How does one promote a homeless shelter, lots of section 8, and a soup kitchen? Isn't that why you'd buy here? I've lived here for over 50 years and what has happened in the last ten - fifteen years is deplorable. This is what resulted from "Move to opportunity." One cannot even go to the post office without being harrassed. There's not even a grocery store anymore. It was such a great place to gorw up, such a shame. I hope there's a follow up and we'll see if Johnny O shows up. I would be very surprised if he did.....

I was so close about 11 years ago to living in my car. I was absolutely terrified. My mistake in life....married the wrong person and when trying to rebuild got shafted by immoral people in a standard business deal...buying a house. I thank God that many people didn't pre-judge me, thinking I did something wrong to end up in such a situation. You can do everything correctly, and if someone has made a decision to decieve you they will. Its sad, but I don't trust anyone completely anymore.

My goodness! Where did all these stuck-up people come from?

Let's see if God says heaven is move to opportunity or may say I don't have move to opportunityup here so I don't know where you will go but you are not good enough for my father's house

You said it! Kathleen :-)

Carolyn, you could have stopped at "I don't care." You didn't need to add "what they say about screening." You sound like those who move to Harford County to escape from reality, only to find that it's the same reality, except with a lot longer drive. They get there and they say, "I'm here now, close the gates." Then they complain when more people come. While people generally have every right to be concerned about problematic people in their neighborhoods, the truth is you are talking about a whopping 16 human beings who have no home and need shelter from the brutal winter seasons we have. They will all be in one location, not spread out like the tiny percent of problematic Section 8 clients. Most of the time people just assume that a bad resident, someone who doesn't take care of their yard or their own appearance, is somehow related to Section 8. Most often, they're just people who are renting who have no concern about others or who just don't know any better. You are clearly angry at the world, but your anger needs to be properly directed. Call to file complaints about problematic individuals, but don't lump them all into one category or another with gobs of other people. Deal with them individually, and do it by taking clear and correct action, not just by sounding like someone who is not compassionate whatsoever. You probably do care about people, but you see things that upset you. Be the best person you can. Then you can help legitimately improve our neighborhoods.

I am really ashamed to say i live in dundalk right now with the way people are acting bc of a church giving ppl a chance to be safe from the freezing cold and frigid winter weather this is ridiculous and Im sure everyone that is complaining have a nice warm home to go to with 3 meals. Some of us are not that fortunate and not all people are in the situation they are in because of drugs I take this very personal bc since june 27th my family has been homeless and living place to place with my husband and my 3 children and are situation has nothing to do with us doing something wrong my husband was laid off from his job and unemploymnent dont even come close to covering our bills so Im all for this church offering a safe haven for these men to go to and as long as they are screening to make sure its all legit men coming there I dont see why anyone should have negative feelings about this. For those who do walk one day in our shoes and then tell me you still feel the same way.

i have lived here for 40 yrs. now i have had to install a burglar alarm system and security lighting. three flags have been stolen, the wooden fench knocked down, burglar alarm sign stolen, a storage box broken into on a sunday at 3pm and last week my garage broken into at 8:30pm. each morning there is a pick-up trash assignment. i use to know my neighbors. today and every day there are people i've never seen before walking in the street blocking traffic and mocking you. people are walking around all day and night and if i water the grass at night i carry pepper spray. there is no village shopping center you can go to any longer. the caliber of people around here think the dollar store is uptown. everyday i lose value in my home and have to be fearful for my well being. a person in the know - told me this area is in the grip of a servere abuse of the social services system.

People need to take personal responsibility for their lives. These people have chosen not to take the responsibility so why does the community have to feel the effect of seeing these transients roam through their neighborhoods? Dundalk has as many as 5 soup kitchens a week with people getting off buses to be feed which again not taking personal responsibility for their lives. I have no problem with people down on their luck getting temporary help due to being laid off, drug addiction or medical but don’t make a lifelong career of being a bum. The other part people are talking about is the section 8 and the scum that comes with it. You are correct there are few that need this assistance but the majority don’t they are just living off the system generation after generation. People’s property values and their quality of life is brining affected with all this liberal Obama/Democratic BS.

I do believe that most people are good people whether they are homeless or not. However, I also know that there are a few really bad people too. And having a child day care with a whole bunch of 2 year olds in the same building as the 16 homeless men just doesn't sound like a good idea to me. Maybe 15 out of the 16 people are great people, but it only takes 1. The safety of the children is probably more important here.

Wow, my take is that everyone has a right to their opinion no matter what it is. I feel that Peace and Love needs to leave Carolyn alone, for she has a right to speak her mind. Just because she does not agree with the Homeless Shelter does not mean she does not care about people.
I also know what it is like to be alone in the world and wondering where your next meal is going to come from and my heart goes out to Angela, and if there is anything I can do I would love to help in some way.
As for the homeless shelter, I would rather have a church helping people in need then having a drug clinic in the area, sometimes we need to step back and look at all of the information before we turn our backs on people in need. Another thing that upsets me is there is more people responding to a homeless shelter going in our area then the trash being dumped in our neighborhoods.

i agree with angela i am in a situation similiar, i had been out of work for a number of years and now i have gainfully been employed for a few months, but i have been trying to get my mortgage company to do a modification and they keep dragging this out! I dont know if I will loose my home or not but i dont have a vehicle because mine died on me and it is very hard to get a vehicle financed because of my credit going to crap because of being unemployed! I understand fully about hard times and also about ppl concern about the homeless shelter it is true there is a day care there i am sure they could find better location for the shelter, where the day care isnt located.

I am confused. Having moved to Dundalk in 1980 I don't see anything different today than at that time. What has happened is things are just being brought more to light than in the past. The same people I see hanging around the shopping center are just older. Some of these people choose to live this life and yes there are abusers of the system. I think it great that the church is stepping up to the plate and trying to provide some assistance. God knows the DRC and its leadership only give lip service and no action. The church that was assisting the people in the park on Wednesdays was doing a great job and because the "loving people" at the Dundalk Eagle, the DRC and a few others who probably never came buy to check them out should hang their heads in shame. As for the shelter, I would rather have everyone off the streets and gathered at one location than sleeping in doorways. Just because you are homeless, no matter what the cause does not make you a common criminal. You always read and hear about how loving and outgoing our community is. Where is the love of your fellow man now? Do unto others and you would have done to you.

How many of the posters on here lived in Dundalk when it was a safe community the 60’s 70’s and early 80’s? It was a community full of pride and neighbors helping neighbors, very little crime and nights when you could leave your doors and windows unlocked. Fast forward to today neighbors not talking, crime on the raise, neighborhood declining, bums pissing and sleeping in the streets and having to lock your home up like Fort Knox. Property values declining just as fast as the dollar is dropping. Now you tree hugging liberals want to save the world and feed and house the freeloaders which will bring more crime, drugs and scum to the community. Keep it up and Dundalk will look like the projects of Baltimore City.

Peace and Love said"...Move to Opportunity didn't really affect Dundalk." That is shocking news to me, because - for a long time - I've heard people saying that Move To Opportunity (MTO) brought a lot of problematic people to Dundalk, and I believed them. It appears I was wrong to believe that.

But it certainly does not surprise me that we hear wrong info about MTO, because we also hear similar about Section 8. And an article in the Dundalk Eagle said the Baltimore County Housing Office, where Section 8 is administered, receives many telephone complaints about Section 8 homes lived in by bad neighbors. But 90% of those complaints are about homes that are not Section 8 subsidized. People often blame Section 8 for bringing bad neighbors into those peoples' neighborhoods, when the bad neighbors do not receive Section 8.

We can't effectively alleviate community problems when MTO and Section 8 are constantly being blamed for problems not caused by MTO or Section 8 recipients.

Section 8 subsidizes regular, long time local residents who are retired and not receiving a livable income from pension and Social Security payments. Section 8 subsidizes regular, long time local residents who are under 65 but disabilities prevent them from earning enough money to support a stable home life. Then come Section 8 subsidized people from other places who do sometimes cause problems. But not all of those new neighbors cause problems, and that's a fact.

I have lived here for most of my life. I have plenty of yard ornaments that have been in place for over ten years and remain untouched. I don't always lock my doors. I have NA meeting two doors down that bring addicts to my neighborhood two times a week. Neither my neighbors nor I have ever been bothered. Maybe some of these people have bad Karma. Bring the Homeless Shelter to the other side of Dunmanway. Won't bother us!!

I would rather have an addict around me in rehab etc. then an active drug user. people need to open their hearts and minds instead of being so close minded. If you give a homeless person a place to stay, they can then shower, eat, then look for work and maybe not be homeless anymore. When you are at the bottom, most people given a chance will rise up.

I almost forgot to say, before I could form an oppinion or come to any solid conclutions about the Methodist Church having a shelter for homelless men, I would have to attend, or read a good report on, the upcoming community meeting about it at the Dundalk-Patapsco Neck Historical Society.

I can't be there. But I must say, if the meeting is as well attended by people on all sides of the issue, and the people there are allowed to express themselves about that issue, as well as people on all sides of it have written out some of what they have to say about it on here, then I should be able to trust the outcome of the meeting. I may not agree with the outcome, but I shall feel satisfied that it was arrived at through honest, heart-felt, expressions of soulful community input.

I have lived in Dundalk for 65 years. Two of my children have chosen to remain in Dundalk to raise their children. Stop by Rita's Supper Table any Monday and you will see your neighbor, your school mate, families and working poor. For over 30 years we have served a hot meal every Monday with little problems. Very few of the guests are true homeless. Most are long time Dundalk residents. We have continued to have enough food every Monday with no budget. God provides for us so I believe we are doing His work.

I attended the meeting last n ight, and boy what a joke. I don't think any rep for the church or homeless program had any clue or answers to this situation. Examples were what is done with the drunks or high addicts when they are supposedly turned away from the shelter, how 16 men are to realistically share 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom, an answer to the zoning violation of the proposal, as well as why was the community was informed SO late?

The pastor showed up late and told residents the church had "planned" to tell the community; so the church was never going to get the community opinions and they were just going to do what they wanted to regardless of feedback. Even more sickening was the portrayal by MANY on the staff that you are either for this shelter or you are heartless. Lastly, if the program is SO great, why do the 10 day rotations and just house them permanantly in other churchs that are in the middle of a residential neighborhood?

While I, personally, do not live in the area of this Church, I do feel that what the church is trying to do is exactly what we are ALL commanded to do by Jesus. Also, for those that are worried about having 16 men living in the shelter...check this out: they are already living in your community (way more than 16) on the ground, park benches, cardboard boxes, etc. And, perhaps, there are some that are breaking laws...but just think, 16 of them can have a chance to better themselves and their lives and, potentially, get off the streets for good and live productive lives!

The 2011 winner of "America's Got Talent", Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. was once homeless, at the age of 19. NOW LOOK AT HIM --HE'S A MILLIONAIRE! God can turn things around! PRAISE THE LORD! Amen.

There are a lot of successful people who were once homeless. Tell those men there's hope for them too.

The reason these men are only housed here for 10 days out of the month is because there are a number of churchs who are part of this program. They are rotating the man between the churches because no one church alone can afford to house them all the time. This church is the only one giving the organization a hard time. Have any of you gone onto watchdog and put in your address? There are 50 sex offenders who live/work within a one mile radius of this church. Maybe you should go worry about them and what they may do to your children. Do you even realize that there will be someone with these men at all time? Someone that if anything bad happens they can call the police. Two of the men who are volunteering their time to do this are retired police officers!!! You should feel even safer sleeping in your bed at night with them across the street!!! Your neighborhood is no better than anywhere else...in fact it's littered with sex offenders. All these people are trying to do is make sure these men survive through the winter without freezing to death. Shame on you for thinking you are better than those people. Any one of us could become homeless at any point in time and I think you would like for someone to help you if that ever happened to you.

Onnce again it's either you are in favor of this and it's location or you are an un caring non-Christian who wants to see the homeless freeze to death!!! Amazing.

you know what I am not a religiousfanatic, but I swear this reminds me of the good people standing raising their fist saying crucify Him, crucufy Him, or spitting on Him, or, OR mocking Him thinking nthey are so righteous It will be harder for a richman to get into heaven then for a camel to go through an eye of a needle. Can you imagine what Our Lord is thinking when He is watching all if this if you deny the least of my breatheran you deny me

So for all the bible thumpers who don't care about laws other then the bible, why do you not get organized and welcome these men in your own homes? if 3 bedrooms and 1 bath is fine for 16, surely you could make a spare bedroom up and house at least 5 right? Accept unconditionally or be berated!! Love it!!! Who cares about neighbors or community or safety of 16 residents jammed into a box. According to the only caring people, you must submit and accept.

Here is a question: has anyone called zoning, the Fire Marshalls office of the Baltimore County Fire department, Environmental Health Services for serving food to ensure they have meet all regulations and codes and have the proper licenses of the County and State to have shelter at this location?

I'm in favor of the mens shelter in dundalk but where do the homeless women go? Sometimes they do not have the money to travel to the shelter at Franklin square and also if you are a woman trying to stay there you might as well stay out because they make you leave extremely early when it is still so bitter cold

No crash pad for the homeless. This is one small victory for the community around the church and for Dundalk.

really are you that blind look around you crash pads are all over the place in dundalk and they are unsupervised, all in the woods, in every hole a person feels like laying down in

All I have to say is all these bleeding hearts is what is killing this country! Wake up America!

THIS COUNTRY IS ALREADY DEAD AND BLEEDING HEARTS HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IF ANYTHING GREEDY HEARTS DID

Great news...now lets work on getting the soup kitchen closed!!

And let’s not stop there. Clear all tent cities in all wooded areas, clear out the drunks and bums in the parks, limit the number of MTA buses coming through our community and finally limit the number of section 8 or any other home assistance programs in Dundalk. Then and only then will things change for Dundalk.

Could not agee with you more Freddy...it's time to pull together and clean up Dundalk for the hard working families that live here and rise their kids here. The parks and the shopping areas should be for us to enjoy and not the bums and drunks to use as a hang out. Dundalk use to pride itself on being a community of honest, hard working people...now look at what we have become. If Baltimore Co. will not enforce the laws/codes maybe the community members (in a legal way) should help them.