WPCNR THE SUNDAY BAILEY. News & Comment By John F. Bailey. July 29, 2007: I was hanging around the television studio after Friday’s White Plains Week, when in jest it was suggested that, with the 85 Court Street Drop In Shelter closing August 6, why not house them at the City Dump?

Then another studio observer of the show, said why not get some spare FEMA Trailers to give each homeless person their own space, so to speak.

Typical FEMA Trailer.  Could house two to three White Plains Drop In Homeless after August 5. Ten would house the remnant homeless who will be given the County boot August 5 out of the 85 Court Street Drop In Shelter. What better place to house these unfortunates than the spiffed up dormant City Dump (below), under watchful eye of the White Plains Police?   Photo, RV Exchange.

It is not so far-fetched. After all, the Department of Environmental Conservation has forced the city to remove all the excess compost pile. The dump is not being used for dumping – all that may be left are the TCE’s that have been there for years – and, as far as anyone knows – those TCE’s haven’t killed anyone that we know of.

In the 30s, the hobos, the down-on-their-lucks, the drifters camped out near city dumps and railroad yards in shanty towns called Hoovervilles.

However, given the new sensibilities of 2007, rather than simply turn the thirty or so homeless who have not yet accepted the county’s generous offer of enroll in the Department of Social Services homeless program, turn over your disability checks and attend programs or else that takes effect August 6, the solution lies right under our noses – or specifically between Gedney Way and Ridgeway.

You’ve got acres of land fenced in – the City Dump. You can call up FEMA and grab some trailers – it should only take a month to get them here, or have some car dealership send some RVs.

The fact that the dump is fenced gives you built in security. You could have the Department of Public Works even hire the homeless to spruce up the dump – and make it attractive for a future subdivision.

I did not attend the Thursday evening Common Council Work Session where heated words were exchanged over the county’s failure to find an alternative site to house the homeless, and the Rita Malmud failure to persuade the county to find some place else.

But wait. As the peerless leader, Mayor Joseph Delfino often says, “There’s nothing we can’t accomplish if we work together.”

The Mayor has had numerous opportunities to take the high ground on the 85 Court Street Drop In Shelter closing. Now he can step in and take the useless dump – useless until a decision by the DEC comes down – and house the homeless in a more secure and friendly place using trailers.

The Mayor can even show the County how to run a shelter for the homeless: arrange jobs, activities during the day, issue identification cards, feed them breakfast, lunch, dinner with the assistance perhaps of some of the local churches – where’s Meals on Wheels when you need them?

Interior of typical FEMA Trailer. A little retrofitting, and it could house three cots. Hook up a flat screen TV, wire it for FIOS, and the homeless not only would have something to do at night other than roaming the streets, but the county could move the trailers to other town sites around the county -- as Mayor Delfino suggests -- cities sharing the burden. Photo, RV Exchange.

The new Drop In Shelter location could be the city dump – in trailers, which would at least contain showers, decent beds and a room of your own for the homeless individuals whose daily humiliation continues every day of their lives. You could expand the hours…add Verizon FIOS – some television sets in the trailors to let the homeless have something to do evenings instead of roam the White Plains streets.

Housing: FEMA Trailers. Or anybody's Trailers, It’s a no-brainer

After all, one thing White Plains needs is a good trailer park, don’t you think?

Not only that, but the dump could be transformed into a revenue producer – after the homeless solution permanently has been found. It could be developed into a camping ground or – better yet – instant affordable housing. Anyone willing to settle in the dump could be granted a homestead – sort of like a replay of the Oklahoma Land Rush – and the city could provide trailers.

And another thing -- the county could use this idea to solve the problem of the homeless all night invasion August 6. They could take some of the hundreds of acres the County Executive has purchased and put in trailers there to house the homeless -- a lot cheaper than the county building in huge building complexes of brick and mortar -- but alas, not enough patronage and government jobs doing that is there? They could even call the new trailer park for the homeless "Spanoville."

However, Council President Malmud should seriously suggest this. Then she would be showing she has that ability to be a creative Mayor and problem-solver -- a fitting successor to "America's Favorite Mayor." The temporary Malmud solution -- trailers for the homeless in the City Dump could be called "RitaCity" or "Malmudville." And, by this, I mean no disrespect.

But we need to get this done now.

The humiliation of the homeless will begin anew August 6 when the county and the city simply will allow them to roam wherever they choose to roam in White Plains.

Trailer shelters at the dump might be the solution. If they are good enough for New Orleans, they should work here for the 30 everyone has forgotten -- except this reporter.

Enough kicking the homeless around like soccer balls between our do-nothing, finger-pointing, baiting political hacks.

Do something positive. Instead of Pompous Piloting.

What would Jesus do?