Re: IFC’s Community House
Over the past 10 years, the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service, the Town of Chapel Hill and numerous community organizations have been planning and searching for a new site for a transitional housing facility for homeless men. One of the specific needs identified during this process was access to public transportation.
The mobility of the homeless is often constrained by certain social and geographical factors, including the location of public services and lack of access to reliable, affordable and easy transportation options. Mobility is crucial to the ability of homeless people to move between stigmatized and nonstigmatized places, such as employment. Public transportation services offer a critical outlet for homeless individuals with limited resources who must use public transit to access services, shelter, affordable housing, education and employment.
The proximity of 1315 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., the proposed Community House location, to a major transportation artery satisfies the critical public transportation need identified above. Locating the Community House at this site makes sense because it means future residents will be able to conveniently take a bus to work, to a class at Durham Tech’s Orange County Campus or UNC, and to conveniently access common household necessities.
I support the IFC’s Community House proposal and I hope that the advisory boards and the town council approve it.
Carlo Robustelli
Chapel Hill
Re: For Pete’s sake
Thanksgiving Day 2010, we (friends, family, community, humanity) lost a good brother (In Memoriam: Peter Eichenberger, Dec. 1, 2010). Someone who lived a full-tilt but simple life in the midst of this quagmire of corruption we call civilization. He was more informed than most about what is really going on behind this ruse of democracy, and he spent much of his time trying to awaken others from our dumbed-down, distracted and delusional state of existence. Throughout this daunting task that could easily bring on serious depression, he used his wit and a smile in his heart to stay on task.
On one occasion, we slipped out of Raleigh in an ice storm, which had many of the roads unnavigable, at 3 a.m. to protest the inauguration of the fraudulently elected King George II. Upon arrival in D.C., we had to wade through the mindless masses of fur coat- and cowboy hat-adorned zombies to get to the living. Road worn and sleep deprived, Peter lightheartedly heralded to the misguided masses, “George Bush will eat your babies.” Now we can see how true that statement was as the Bush Wars roll on and the death toll rises.
Peter Eichenberger spoke out loud for peace, justice, freedom and accountability! We should all give thanks for that. He will be remembered.
Elliott Nicholson
Blue Ridge Mountains, N.C.