Teen drop in the hood...

A few weeks ago, my dear friend forwarded me the announcement of "Anchor House" turning a corner building right in our neighborhood into a teen drop for kids in trouble. When I first read it, I thought "what a nice thing to do...".
And then I started thinking. I take the bus to work, which departs right across the street from the future "safe haven", and it ain't pretty. Isn't there a reason why recovery centers, rehabs and other "get-people-out-of-trouble"- institutions are usually located in a safe and quiet part of the world? Let's see what the responsible people are trying to achieve here, and let me point out why it is going to fail miserably:

"It will be a one-stop shop for the various things teens need," said Aleah Hosszu, Anchor House's director

No kidding. Dealers are selling their drugs on one corner, prostitutes (male and female) are working it diagonally across, and directly opposite is Hub's liquor store. Could troubled teens possibly need anything else? Is it me, or is it normal to house drunks and addicts right next to drinks and drugs? Call me old fashioned... but it just sounds a little odd.

"They need to stay occupied with something. A place like the Anchorage keeps you from thinking about doing a lot of bad things."

Yep... I am sure that hooking, shooting up and stealing for their next fix will most certainly keep them pretty occupied... there won't be much time to think about doing bad stuff; it'll just come naturally!!!

"Youths and young adults will be able to watch television, get something to eat, and use computers to research schools and jobs. Anchor House will hold discussions at the center on topics such as violence prevention and AIDS awareness. Teens will be able to use a shower and a bathroom and receive hygiene supplies."

In reality it will be as follows: They hang out watching "Saw 1, 2, 3 (is there a forth one? I mean... how many limbs can one cut off???), download porn online, get food - along with rolling papers - at the corner store, eat and drink on the stoop and "discuss" violence and AIDS by harassing people walking by (with their little shih-tzus...).
Am I against helping kids in need? Absolutely not. But any idiot can see that the proposed plan is not going to work - not in this part of town. They are targeting young people - age 16 to 20, and are hoping that eventually this place will run 24 hours a day. As a resident in the area I can assure anybody that those kids will learn all the bad stuff they might have missed so far simply by walking out that front door.
The truth is that I am not only concerned with the kids and the influences they will have to face on South Broad Street while "recovering" from their troubles. (Although the thought alone makes me laugh... WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?). I AM also selfishly concerned about the neighborhood, and eventually about MY well being. How many more messed up people do we really need within a two block radius? We are dealing with burglaries, break ins, car theft, occasional shootings, drugs, noise, gangs and violence on a daily basis here. What if the neighborhood just doesn't need a pack of bored teenagers to add to the list?
As an individual I strongly believe in helping others. I believe that people deserve chances and that it is the duty of the ones who CAN give, to give to the ones in need. We hear TV hosts, Movie Stars and celebrities talk about it all the time... "I used to have nothing... so, once I made it, I felt that I needed to give back". Key words: ONCE I MADE IT.
This neighborhood is so far from "made it", that at this point all this messed up corner can give to troubled teens is a contact list of every dealer, crack addict and criminal in the South Ward. I just don't understand who the hell thought of this! It's like sending your daughter to a whore house, expecting she will come out a nun! Come on, people... THINK!