Tolkkinen: Lakes country homeless have shelter again, little thanks to Brainerd City Council

This is a story of the every day heroes, the bureaucrats and Brainerd residents who saw a way they could help people less fortunate than themselves.

You might remember that the Brainerd City Council, except for one member, kicked homeless people out of their shelter last spring while simultaneously passing penalties for anyone caught camping outdoors. Never mind that the shelter was ready, willing and able to stay open during the summer at no cost to the city.

Now that the shelter has reopened for the fall and winter, I checked to see how the summer went for Brainerd’s residents who lack homes.

The answer? Surprisingly well.

Brainerd police said there were no arrests under the public camping ban. Nobody spent time in jail or paid fines. Police issued only six warnings.

The reason is largely due to the good-hearted people of Brainerd and officials of Crow Wing County, shelter manager Bill Wear told me.

For starters, county funds paid for 10 people to stay in hotels. That meant they had a safe, private place to sleep every night. They had bathtubs, sinks and commodes right at their fingertips. They had a door that locked and they could come and go as they pleased. By the end of summer, six of the 10 moved into permanent, low-income housing.

“Crow Wing County has been a very good partner to us and they support the work that we do,” he said.

Good thing that someone in God’s Country is looking after these folks. Brainerd City Council members weren’t.

City leaders had their reasons. They feared that Brainerd was becoming a destination for people without homes simply because Brainerd had the only shelter in the area. The city that prides itself on drawing tourists to its summer playground didn’t want that kind of visitor. It wanted to provide help, just not so much help that they’d have to support people from all over the region.

And, I mean, they have a point. Help attracts people who need help. It would be nice if other communities would erect shelters of their own. It doesn’t have to be fancy. The Bridge on 7th shelter isn’t fancy. It’s got a few rows of beds and a bathroom and some storage and that’s about it.

It’s also a low-barrier shelter, which means they’ll let you stay even if you’ve been using drugs or alcohol. (You can’t use while at the shelter.) That offends those who believe homeless people should have to kick their habits before getting shelter. If only it were that easy. No more meth? No more alcohol? OK, poof! Done! Anybody who struggles with any kind of addiction, be it food or gambling or porn, knows better.

For those unable to stay in hotels, other Brainerd residents stepped up. Wear said that some people camped inside the city limits despite the ban simply because it was closer to the soup kitchen and other services they rely on. Instead of reporting them to the police, residents generally left them alone, he said. A few even gave them food, water and clothing.

Can’t you just feel St. Peter beaming down from the pearly gates?

There are those who love to hate on the homeless. In the 1980s and 1990s, radio megamouth Rush Limbaugh used to mock them and the communities that tried to help. The attacks have only intensified as homelessness has increased in America. Earlier this month on Fox & Friends, co-host Brian Kilmeade advocated killing homeless people. He apologized, but he still has a job, which boggles my mind.

I’m hoping for a change of heart from the Brainerd City Council. I’ve been hard on them in this column because even though they govern a city of only 14,400, they still have power to inflict misery on people for whom hardship is already a daily companion.

Those who champion Brainerd’s homeless population will give council members more opportunities to rectify their mistake. Jana Shogren, executive director of Bridges of Hope, which operates the shelter as well as other programs, said that this fall they will once again ask that their program stay open year round.