How many of the homeless here in affluent State College will be dead by midnight Christmas Day?

I took this photograph less than an hour ago. A homeless man is bundled over a cup of coffee as the wind chill factor is 27 degrees F and scattered flakes of snow are beginning to fall. Four blocks away a brand new multi-story Hyatt has gone up where on premium football weekends a single room costs $450 a night. As the Manhattanization of Downtown State College progresses with abandon, it is no surprise that this month—just in time for Christmas—less than three blocks away one of this community’s homeless shelters shut down. The temperature is dropping rapidly. Will this man be dead by midnight when Santa Claus begins his rounds determining who has been naughty or nice?

Come back soon, hear, I have just begun this screed

PA Sec. Reynolds is in charge of Penn Dot, an agency that administers the street where I live and its sidewalks (where disability ramps providing access to public accomodations are verbotin). Penn Dot is the most immediate threat to the safety and welfare of the 89 low-income elderly and disabled residents of Addison Court, a nursing home in Downtown State College.

This photograph should tell you all you need to know. All the rest is merely commentary.

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Homeless in Downtown State College the residential community for rich as Croesus Penn State

I took this photograph less than an hour ago. A homeless man is bundled over a cup of coffee as the wind chill factor is 27  degrees F and  scattered flakes of snow are beginning to fall. Four blocks away a brand new multi-story Hyatt has gone up where on premium football weekends a single room costs $450 a night.

As the Manhattanization of Downtown State College progresses with abandon, it is no surprise that this month—just in time for Christmas—less than three blocks away one of this community’s homeless shelters shut down. The temperature is dropping rapidly. Will this man be dead by midnight when Santa Claus begins his rounds determining who has been naughty or nice?

Come back soon, hear, I have just begun this screed

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Footnotes

1. Wikipedia: “In Greek and Persian cultures the name of Croesus became a synonym for a wealthy man. Croesus’ wealth remained proverbial beyond classical antiquity: in English, expressions such as “rich as Croesus” or “richer than Croesus” are used to indicate great wealth to this day. “

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