Prediction #4

As many of our loyal readers know, the WayneWho Un-News source has become an excellent prognosticator of governmental directions. At the beginning of 2008 we made several predictions of what this new year would hold and so far, we are doing fairly well.

Our fourth prediction for the new year was that the homeless, or the "shelter challenged" as we prefer to call them, would become a major issue again and that the Homeless Bathing Station (fountain) being built in the City of Kissimmee would take center stage. As of yesterday, we came one step closer to having our prediction fulfilled.

A draft report by the Regional Commission on Homelessness has been presented to the Seminole County Commission with the ambitious goal of ending the plight of the perpetually-out-of-doors within ten years. Their plan calls for 24 hour drop-in shelters in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties and includes one in the city of Orlando. These shelters, also know as "Taxpayer Subsidized Hotels" not only offer shelter and cable TV, but job and financial counseling as well.

The commission acknowledged that the cost for all of these new programs would be 'significant' but that the amount of money was 'doable'. The commission then went on to explain their model for financing the new programs would be based on as much tax payer money as they could get along with the revenues from multiple community homeless bathing shelters that would be built in the community. The commission explained that most people mistake homeless bathing stations as pretty fountains which causes them to throw small amounts of money into them. The commission further noted that a local blogger (That's Us) suggested a system of coinfishing to defray the cost to the taxpayers. They acknowledged that this would only offset the larger cost of the programs to the taxpayers, but that if it was needed, local communities could adopt some type of Fountain Viewing Fee. This fee would be 'revenue neutral' to the local governments because it is well known that they spend anything they take in.

The WayneWho Staff supports these measures and we are glad to see that Kissimmee is the leader in matters related to the undwelled.