I know it's off topic (sorry), but where are these homeless coming from? I remember when IBM was here, Kingston had exactly one homeless guy who lived behind Grand Union. I STILL remember the WTZA-62 report on him. Kingston, Ulster and Port Ewen are not nearly as populated as people assume (compare it to Albany or Poughkeepsie for reference) but the homeless keep coming. These can't possibly be locals.

They are the same people who pan handle on Chandler drive.. I heard they have a tent on Chandler where they live... I have no idea where all of the homeless are coming from.. Maybe Newburgh or surrounding areas?? There are a few on Broadway who live by the Sunoco in Mid-town.. With all of the services that Ulster offers there is no reason for them to be homeless, it seems like a choice..All i know is the men on Chandler drive have a sign saying they are Vietnam Veterans from the late 80's.. We were not in war then? I saw the sign and got suspicious,, They need to get there dates correct to get help from many of us in Ulster...

this guy whos across from wendys for the past week is local. and, yes, he's part of the 'tent' crew off of chandler drive. he's been 'homeless' for the past 25+ years (as far as i can remember). and, any, there is a reason for him to be homeless: because HE wants to be! the only thing he doesn't like about being homeless is the fact he has no money for alcohol and / or drugs. next time you guys see him, ask him to seal your driveway for you. he's been involved in that scam as well. and, finally , he is NOT a veteran of any war.

you can only help those that really want to be help. and, in order to fix a problem, you need to learn all aspects of that problem. as with the threads that are similar in this topic, the overall 'fix' for this problem is not an easy one.

good luck with this thread, gang. play on, boys!

When I see a homeless person asking for money, I give them food. This prevents my generosity from being used for alcohol and drugs.

It is unfortunate that school kids are now homeless.Information should be rendered how we can help these kids.

there are more than adequate facilities for food and shelter in Kingston... nobody has been turned away... it is a bit of an entrepreneurial spirit, to seek contributions on the street, to see what might come their way...
Begging should be refused... unless, perhaps, this is a neighborhood figure, someone who has adopted your neighborhood and you want to support that person.. it is a comment saying I don't like what I was offered, I'd rather do this. Maybe a tad ungracious, a tad blaming their problems on you...
In another setting, you might decide these are people on drugs, johns for the hookers, sex offenders, chronic alcoholic... homelessness is a byproduct, a consequences of the choices they make, an alienation from friends and family.
Then there are a lot of people, just as unfortunate, who are managing, not begging... how might we thank them for their efforts?

There are many programs in Kingston however they have nothing to offer. When I worked at the diner a couple of kids had no where to go. There was also a man in his 70's who came in off a bus. I called everywhere and was told they could not help these people. They either had no funds or no beds.
My cousin was homeless,they put her in a shelter. She finally got assistance and found an apartment for 550 dollars a month. I had to agree to pay 75 dollars of that so they would help her. When she started to go to school they cut her off and she is now living with me.
There is no help in Kingston and the nut job out by Wendy's is crazy. He needs mental help much like most of the people in Kingston call up mental health and tell them you want to kill yourself they will tell you there is a three months wait for an intake,Where is the help

Welcome to the great depression of 2010. Its different than the one in the early 20th century in that there is a big difference between the poor and the rich. As you drive your giant SUV's past the begging masses please be careful not to get too close as the stains on their clothing may scratch your car. Along with poverty comes mental illness and the majority of these "crazies" are mentally ill. Send them up to Golden Hill where believe it or not they will be seen, intaked, billed to Medicaid, sent to an over-worked and burnt out social worker who will make goals and objectives for them, send them on their way and then the process starts again. I don't have an answer for this problem but it seems that blaming the victims (yes victims) of this econonmic disaster takes the focus away from the real problems: Greed and the need to shop at the mall. If you don't like the homeless, stay away from the malls.

Has anyone noticed that the man on the corner was smoking a cigarette,so where did that money come from, that $10. 00 could have been used for a meal.
and i agree that there is no help for the homeless out there unless you are unable to work physically.then DSS would step in and help....... the king's inn would be a perfect place for such needed help. but i see the city would rather throw them to the wolves and say that is not my problem ,kingston where is your compassion.????

some of the "homeless" in ulster are from kingston
every time the building department closes a building
the people who live there have to be out then and there
if have been saying for years the "landlord registration law" needs to have some teeth to it
when a building is closed due to the owners negligence the owner needs to pick up the cost of temporary housing for the tenants
this law has cost the county over 1 million a year
its part of the "safety net program"

I agree that this is a safety hazard. The guy hangs his sign and arm into traffic and on more than one occasion has forced me to swerve into the other lane almost causing an accident.

The police has been put on notice of this issue numerous times. They need to do thier job and protect the safety of drivers and the panhandler (who obviously can not protect himself or chooses not to).

The town of ulster police is so under staffed that this is a low priority for them
for example on a typical saturday night there is only 3 to 4 officers on duty

Part of the answer to this is do not increase the Ulster County tourist's budget of 148 thousand, and other frivolous items, and put it into the Ulster County Mental Health, as many of the homeless are mentally ill.
This is why nobody wants to rent to them. They cannot afford their medicines to control their emotions, which are sometimes intolerable.
Perhaps we should all carry sandwiches and fruit in a cooler when we go to the mall and feed these hungry people, and Thank God for our blessings.
Also, flyers should be handed to them about soup kitchens etc. Many of them may not know about this.
How unfortunate, one of these poor souls may get hit by a car, because they are hungry, and also being unfortunate for the innocent driver that accidentally hits him or her.
I was also informed by a half a pack a day smoker, that when you are hungry, your need for nicotine increases. If you are a smoker, go without food for 36 hours and tell me if this is true, as I do not smoke. Has anyone who has done these posts gone with out food for two days, including beverages other than water?
Thankyou and God bless.

i work at one of the food pantrys
and i can tell you that these panhandlers know that they can get services
most of them make 150 to 200 a day at the end of 587
so you can bet they make a lot more at the mall
just check them out later that night they all meet at a place they call the log under the elmendorf st bridge

It makes kingston look dirty and trashy when people are on the corner holding up cardboard signs asking for money and people to feel sorry for them..ha have they ever heard of a thing called a job! Instead of standing there maybe they should be applying at jobs!!!!!

200 a day? I may start tommorow!

Just go to the Kingston hospital ER and say that you want to hurt yourself or hearing voices, You will be whisked off to the Benedictine psych ward. Once there feel free to take advantage of 3 meals a day plus snacks, free medication and lay in bed all day. There is no need to be homeless, you can go there as often as you want.

Shame on those homeless people who became so mentally ill, they can even take care of themselves, no less work. Shame on those people making $7.25 minimum wage, who can't find housing making $290 a week but they are working 40 hours a week. Shame on those working families who give birth to a child with a disability and can't afford to pay for medical treatment and provide a roof over their head and God forbid, food. Shame on those people who party with their friends, become one of the unfortunate ones who get hooked and then no one wants to pal with them any more. The next time you have one too many, think...it might be you next. Seriously, shame on those who father children, abandon them. Shame on the wife for making a bad choice when she was...may 20 when she chose that loser. And, shame on their kids...maybe they should not eat so they can have shelter. Grow up boys and girls. There is a recession, mental illness, physical illness, abandonment and just down right bad luck. Just hope it not you. And, find some kindness in your hearts to hand some food out the door while you are complaining because you can't stand to look at tragedy. EVERY community has homeless. And, most mental illness is adult onset...so just hope you don't get one in a year or two. What goes around comes around so don't forget you need to fess up to your cold heartedness when you get to the pearly gates.

I am pleasantly surprised that so many people realize that the people begging need help. This gives me hope for humanity. Great comment by Get Real and others.

They are now also hanging out in a corner of the daily freeman parking lot. Three guys, a pile of stuff and three dogs. With safety in mind, they are a tough looking bunch.

Seriously for the people who feel bad for these homeless people in Kingston...did u see the them talking on their cell phones and smoking a cigs ha thats a joke...they know people are stupid enough to give them money. There is no excuse not to have a job even if it has to be a fast restaurant its still a job!!! If you have a job you can at least afford a studio apartment so people need to stop feeding into thses homeless people!!! The only exception is if there are homeless TEENAGERS who really have noone and cant support themselves!! Not 40 year old MEN who is lazy...ugh it makes me sick!!!

We are not saying that some of them are not scammers but by your statements, its obivious you have never known anyone who was mentally ill.

cmon dudey

Is this the same crew that parks their Pontiac Grand Am across the street at the bank?

WHERE ARE THE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES?

All is MOOT without a municipality COMMITMENT to have healthy environments and a non-pesticide chemical toxic workforce.

Everyone is concerned about MONEY but no one cares to do something about the LACK OF MONEY!
WEIRD, to say the least down-here where huemanity waits in heaven where no physical body can go!

um hello one of my cousins is DOWN SYNDROME and he has his own apartment...gets no help works full time... mental illness is no excuse!!! how bout we help single mothers and abused and starved animals who really need the help instead of crackhead disgusting homeless people who spend money on beer cigs and drugs!!! your blind if you think they actually do something productive with the money they are begging for!!! Anyone can claim they are mentally ill and beg for money aww poor baby seriously suck it up and get a JOB!!!

and are you kidding there are lots of jobs in kingston mcdonalds wendys walmart burger king always hiring so dont say that bull "oh theres no jobs"

I agree with the person above. I am a single mother and I have epilepsy. It took 4 1/2 years to get my disability and 4 years to have Rupco assistance. All of that time I worked full time jobs with only 25 dollars a month child support. I have lived in Kingston for many years and always had an apartment. My epilepsy has been so debilitating at times and yet i still held down a job and I have been in college for 2 years.. I am one of the disadvantaged and I never asked any one for help, always paid my way and my debts. I see these ( homeless) people who take advantage of the systems, ask for money and it makes me sick. I have worked with crime victims in Kingston, volunteered at the local soup kitchens and I know what they do with there money. They laugh at you and all of your generosity. They buy drugs, smokes, pot and have cell phones. I do not have the cell phones they have. Mine is prepaid and many years old.. Please stop handing these people money, put it in savings or use it on your kids.. They are like this by choice, if you do not think so go to Elizabeth manor and see how they laugh at you.. I lived there for a year and I saw there take home money and how they bragged that people are fools and suckers..

Seems there's not very much compassion in many of these posts. With that said, it *is* a safety issue to have people close to moving vehicles. The UPD should be advised and they should move these people along (threaten to ticket them for obstructing traffic might be sufficient, maybe?)

While McDonalds, Burger King and other fast food places are hiring...they also TURN AWAY people asking for jobs, you are either overqualified or do not have enough experience, I have seen a homeless man go into one of these places and was turned away at the door. The sad part of this is that it is hard to tell a homeless man from a drug addict.

this past saturday there was a person holding a sign "will work for food" when he left for the day he went to hannafords and purchased a 18 pack of beer no food just beer

The same guy who panhandles at the bottom of the mall entrance is the same guy who also asks for money at the traffic circle. I am not sure if it is the same one you saw Frank, but they brag at the Clinton Ave church about how stupid people are to give them money. They collect Social Sec. and they also get some welfare benefits, but panhandling offers them the opportunity to get the beer and cigs they need for the month when there money is gone. I am so surprised that people are giving them money.. If you are on of them PLEASE STOP. You are being taken advantage of. Donate your money to a charity in Ulster County or to a local Church that is also a soup kitchen. They need the help more than the men who are taking it and buying the wrong things with it..

Are they still there? or can we close this?

No response in two weeks, feel free to re-open this if the issue shows up again.