What part of "homeless" don't you get? I am sorry you find homeless people unsightly, but New Haven is open to ALL people. And you admitted the Green is a "public space." Do you live in the suburbs and come to New Haven to work? If so, maybe you can take some of the homeless people back with you to enjoy the parks in your area, instead of just the Green. . And is throwing trash around just a trait of the homeless?
I think the NHPD has more important things to do than rounding up homeless people. Let's work on ending homelessness instead of wishing they stay out of sight.

Beatrice, my last point was that the space isn't open to all people when police send everyone away from the green at 10pm *but* the homeless. I live downtown, I walk my dog every morning on the green, and every morning I see people encamped on benches and under trees.

Of course throwing trash around is a problem for all sorts of people, but when you see someone crashed out on a park bench all day, and the area surrounding *their* bench littered with butts, trash, and little vodka bottles, it isn't unfair to associate the two.

There definitely seems to be an increase in people sleeping on the green with this weather. I'm not saying anyone should be "rounded up." And I agree ending homelessness is a good priority--but how do you want to do that? If the green is an easy place to lazy away a day, score drugs, and recreate, people will congregate there.

Unhappy, I did mentoring at a homeless shelter recently, so I got to know the people very well, and perhaps I see them in a different light. Believe me, the majority of them want to work and get a place of their own. Until then, the shelters boot them out and they really have no other place to go. But i have to reflect on the late 60's and early 70's, when I ,and others, hung out on the Green, much to the dismay of the solid citizens of New Haven, who also thought we shouldn't be there. Deja vu!

Since when was the Green "closed" at 10pm and since when do the Police determine when to clear a "Public Space" ?????

Sometimes,or anytime you see an empty bench only means they left for the liquor store and will be back to their hangout shortly. i'm very surprised that they didn't rob your picnic basket. Don't be an enabler to their drug / booze problem..Those crimes , although smiled upon by the local "cop" Are fillers for the drug dealers as they wait for big mommas day , bikes,GPS systems from local cars, actually anything is sold then smoked.

Update (this is the OP):
I called NHPD's non-emergency number to ask about the 10pm curfew on the green and was told to contact the downtown substation. Their voicemail system is wonky/broken, but I happened to see Lt Sweeney (who is in charge) sitting in her cruiser at the corner of Chapel and Church.

I asked about the issue of being asked to leave the green and she said that the green is private property, not a public park. She said that the cops come through at the request of the owners, and the owners are who sets the times. Then she asked if I had posted something about this early today on the internet. I was surprised by the quickly collapsing divide between cyberspace and the real world and said "no." But hey, I'm glad she was reading (or someone was). Thanks for that!

She said that the homeless are in shelters overnight and come back at 5am, when they take over the benches again. I'm not so sure about that, but according to her, being on the green at night is illegal. Anyone know more about that? I can think of numerous times I've walked home late at night (trespassing?) and seen people asleep on benches and under trees.

Every summer I see an influx of homeless people and listen to people say.. the poor homeless, victims of a cruel society. Well that is not the case, Last week I had walked into a men's room and as soon as I closed the door and some one began banging on the door demanding that I get out. I opened the door to tell him to wait and I was going to ask him if he was raised in a barn when I saw it was a homeless person. When I asked him if he realized what he was doing he gave me this vacant stare. I truly believe homeless issues and the like are the result of of mental illness. Some folks will not lift a finger to help themselves and most don't know why.m Commuter

The problem isn't homeless people, the problem is lack of oversight and enforcement. No person should litter the green, no person should intimidate passersby with foul language and behavior, no person should monopolize the very few benches which should be shared by all. If the police were asked by the Green proprietors to apply existing laws, everybody would be able to share the green and there would be no problem. Although the the Green is technically privately held by the proprietors, it was intended by our city founders to be a city commons.
Perhaps rather than focussing on the homeless, maybe there should be more focus on the proprietors.

Commuter,
Some people become homeless because they are insane, others because of drug or alcohol addiction, some were born into poverty, some are undereducated and some unintelligent, some are just plain unlucky and their best try and intentions just went wrong. Regardless, this thread really isn’t about someone’s social status, it’s about anyone’s behavior on the New Haven Green. If some perceptible slice of the current homeless population has slipped into bad behavior on the green (as have other groups in the past; notably rambunctious teenagers) its easily repairable by stepped up oversight.

I find this entire discussion to be extremely discriminatory. If we replaced the word of "homeless" for "black" or "latino" - the thread would have been closed. Ive been homeless, Ive had to live in my car, Ive had to sleep in the park. I would rather see people sleeping on a bench in a park then sleeping in a doorway, in an open car, or elsewhere. Unfortunately, they have no where else to go - shelters are for nights only on a first come first serve basis or in extreme weather conditions. Unless you want to financially help them out of the situation, move on and concentrate on the real issue - the trash. Ive lived in CT for 4 years now and MOST people litter. It is NOT a homeless issue, its a Connecticut issue. People are nasty, in general, here. They throw things on the ground feet from the garbage because they are too lazy. People throw crap out their car because they don't want to keep the trash in their nice or hooptie cars. The mindset here in Connecticut is to throw crap on the ground where ever one is done with their trash. Lets concentrate on that issue and leave the homeless alone unless you personally want to get involved in helping their situation. Many are NOT alcoholics or addicted to drugs - and many don't get addicted until they BECOME homeless from other reasons.

So again, find a solution for the trash, help the homeless or move along.

I live in the Taft, and the New Haven Green, therefore, is my front yard, my only immediate green space. (Talik about greening our roofs -- the Taft is vast, untapped green roof potential)

At first I didn't really get uptight about the homeless hanging out on the Green all day, but over time I realized there are some major problems.

I don't mind people sleeping at night on the benches because the shelters are dangerous you know -- I don't know if people realize that most decent homeless people stay away from the shelters because they are robbed there.

So, I don't mind homeless sleeping in the park or being in the park but here are things I DO mind, BIG time:

1.) A darn substantial proportion of them have been evicted from dirt cheap subsidized apartments because they habitually spent their rent money on drugs -- they are addicts.

2.) some of them are uncivilized, loud, unreformable, permanently damaged obnoxious jerks who begrudge the squirrels a decent nights sleep.

3.) Many, many many men are using the Green, especially the College St. end, as a urinal. In fact, the upper Green is just a giant urinal and you can sit Nowhere without a thick blanket unless you want the odor to penetrate into your clothing.

At first glance it seems like such a pretty place, but it isn't.

I decided to sit on the lawn and read a newspaper, leaning up against a tree.
As I sat there reading, the feint scent of urine became perceptible and in fact, was in the soil and the tree. My jeans smelled of it and my shirt. I had to get inside and get out of those clothes immediately.

I started noticing that this was the case all over the green. There probably isn't a square inch of the place that isn't urine soaked, which really ticks me off and grosses me out. I feel like all the trees have to be hosed down and the entire lawn roto-tilled or something. It REALLY ticks me off and I REALLY dislike the men doing it. And I have been wondering if excessive levals of urine in soil has enough of any chemical substance to allow the state to declare it some sort of contaminated site.

This week I noticed portable toilets put out. It was probably for the concert but I hope they stay. It won't stop some of these guys from peeing wherever they please, but it has to help some. Thank you to whichever organization did it.

As to stereotyping, you can't really. there are homeless who are civilized, decent people who behave and care.

there are homeless people on the Green who are mentally ill and dual diagnosis, mentally ill, drug addicted.

There are homeless on the Green who are drug addicted and also degenerate criminals too who get zero sympathy from me. I do NOT feel sorry for people who insist on having criminal minds, like some people do.

there are homeless on the green who are just plain addicts

there are homeless who are just plain criminal.

there are all kinds.

Personally, I am tired of panhandling, not because I am opposed to someone poor asking me for money, but because I am tired of being asked for money five or six times a day and sometimes aggressively.

I had one guy who wouldn't take no for an answer and really came close to mugging me.

I do not feel sorry for any of these homeless people except for the decent ones who are doing the best they can.

Poverty doesn't make poor character somehow OK. I dislike poor jerks as much as rich ones.

So, yes I want to help the homeless find homes. I am, however, sick of trying ten, 20, 50 times to "Help" the ones who are homeless because they can't give up living like a pig, doing drugs, getting in fights, behaving badly all the time. Some of these guys hanging out downtown are that. Just remember, don't treat ALL of them as if they are, because not ALL of them are.

I have walked early in the mornings along the green and seen man after man get up from their sleeping benches and pee right there, barely bothering with any attempts at modest discretion.

I gave up the entire mistaken visions of a quiet morning stroll in a pretty setting - it was fantasy, not real, not on this green or this downtown.

I don't think the focus should be the "homeless" I think the focus should be on behaviors.

A homeless person sleeping on a bench, not littering, using the portable toilets instead of the ground in front of him etc -- what is his crime?

The guy who litters is a litterer, the guy who pees right there is violating laws, the guy who is yelling often at other guys (there is one guy who does that a lot) is creating a disturbance.

I don't think the focus should be the "homeless" I think the focus should be on behaviors.

A homeless person sleeping on a bench, not littering, using the portable toilets instead of the ground in front of him etc -- what is his crime?

The guy who litters is a litterer, the guy who pees right there is violating laws, the guy who is yelling often at other guys (there is one guy who does that a lot) is creating a disturbance.

Peeing - while I agree that it is not cool and smells - reasonably, where do you expect them to pee? The portapotties are not always there or available. They cant use the restaurants bathrooms because they get kicked out. The shelters are not necessarily handy or open. They have no home of their own. Yet, they are human and they have to pee just like the rest of us. As disgusting as it is - where do you expect them to go? Seriously - if you have an answer, a valid solution, then lets hear it and we can spread the word among the homeless at your option.

I am not saying this to be nasty or create a feud here. Im saying this because you complain but have no solution. You expect a lot of the homeless when they have no way to do it otherwise.

Just because there is someone who is homeless and happens to be a jerk, doesnt mean that hes not a jerk for a valid reason. Yes, it could very well be drugs or alcohol. But, its most often mental problems. They appear to be your basic average jerk but if you knew what was really going on deeper than what you see, you would understand why. Not saying its an excuse but it is another reason for finding VALID solutions to these issues.

A drunk and a drug abuser may not be just a drunk and drug abuser. "Quitting" is easier suggested than actually done. Just ask any cigarette smoker. Without insurance, without a place to go, without the resources, without welfare, without a job - how do you expect them to clean their act if someone WITH all these resources take many many times to kick the smoking habit.

I see a lot of expectations and complaints about the homeless and still no valid, reasonable solutions.

So back to the simple problems - trash, urinating. Oh wait, urinals are an easy "home" for the homeless, thats right. (Reflecting back to an argument awhile ago about this). They get removed and sometimes chained up to prevent overnight use. So, that means urinating on the Green again. Trash - well, as stated before, this is a universal problem. We need to start handing out littering tickets to everyone caught littering before we can even considering a real solution to the trash.

Also, about the guy that is often at the green yelling - did you know hes schizophrenic (classic symptoms)? He has no control over it without medication and treatment. How do you expect him to get it?

A hospital can only hold him for so long and the meds will run out while out on the street and no way to get more. The police can only jail him for so many hours before letting him go. Treatment centers can only hold him for several days before releasing. So again, please, solutions, not empty complaints.

One thing which would help is if people who live near the green would pick up trash as they walk through the green, and they could put the trash in the trash cans. It's something we all could do. It takes a little effort, but it's good exercise bending over to get papers. Use cloves or a plastic bag over hands to keep clean. A few people picking up would make a big difference. Also homeless people might be paid to gather trash, but that's another idea. We could do these sorts of things ourselves; the city is broke.

Two corrections to my last post: I should have written, use gloves, not "use cloves" when picking up trash. Also I didn't want to suggest that people give money to the homeless. (I was having dinner, on the sidewalk at Claire's the other night, and homeless people came up and asked for money. I didn't give any money because this would be a bad practice, and encourage begging. Beggars will drive away people who want to pay to eat at Claire's. Somebody must be giving money to beggars because they seem to expect that you'll pay them.) In my post, I was suggesting that homeless people might be employed picking up trash. A neighborhood group might organize it and pay them to do it. Also we could do it ourselves.

I think its a fabulous idea Robert. I see nothing wrong with paying the homeless to do something if thats what one wants to offer. That does not encourage bad behavior - in fact, it does the complete opposite. What they choose to do with their EARNED money is up to them and not for us to judge. The other option is giving out gift cards to Dunkin Donuts or another inexpensive restaurant where they can get something to eat and drink. Ive done this at Thanksgiving and Christmas myself.

P.S. Dees Asian Kitchen is very inexpensive but healthy food options. They are AMAZING!

Just noticed this morning the remarkable lack of homeless people on the green. Coincidence, or was there a Guiliani-esque rousing in the middle of the night?

Due to the discussion - based nature of the comments in this post, it is being moved to the Other category to allow for continued discussion.

This issue was recategorized from Uncategorized to Other.

We are trying to delineate issues that are current and need the city's attention to resolve. Any issues prior to 2013 are being closed. If your issue remains and needs to be addressed by the city, please either re-open or open as a new See Click Fix issue. Thanks.