The Golden Egg Opportunity

Investigative Journalist reveals ways to cut mismanaged funds to make their investments in the city of Loveland a strong hedge.

When we think about the age old saying the golden rule; you have to think weather you would like a golden egg warm breakfast or see your enjoyments end because you forsake the habitat. I am talking about everything in perspective from down town success of the new Founders of Loveland's Market Place, to the lingering concerns many have thought of and many have forgotten - which is how to deal with the poverty of downtown. The golden rule is, what an investor does unto the poor it will be done unto them. There is no escape from this rule. It is said: what you do to others is illustrating what you want others to do to you. Today we are going to take an inside investigative study from within the City of Loveland's Resource Center that illustrates what Loveland is saying about how they want to be treated: starting with the good, the bad, and the ugly things most do not know while commuting to work or enjoying the downtown.

To start off with the good tone, one has to know what it's like to live in the tent community from a first hand witness of a volunteer who has toured the community and spent over 30 days in the compound. I have spent a night in sub zero weather in the tent shelter structure near the fair grounds and thought to myself if this were the founding days of pioneering, then the homeless have been served well - with insulated tents with thermostats that keep the 5 residents, per tent, at a 72 degree temperature. With that in mind, it is not necessary to split wood and keep a local fire going, nor to have thick bear skin blankets or buffalo. There is no need to go to a cold outhouse as I did when I grew up as a boy in Cherokee Park. So with a little native upbringing I think this aspect is very encouraging.

Another aspect that is very top notch is that the staff and community that builds into the redemptive work for those who use the shelter are sensitive to suggestions and changes that are needed. It is obvious these suggestion have led to the advocacy: when it comes to each meal, the amount of community support from morning breakfast items, to the Front Porch outreach that serves lunch, and Community Kitchen that gives evening meals and supplies, is very well done. It is the human touch beyond micro management; like the young 7 to 10 year-olds that serve the evening meal, to the volunteers that show up out side the tent parking lot and serve warm meals - these gestures quench the pain that many feel from having to lug all their belongings on your back between every stop.

The bad news is that roughly 1.5 hours a day and on Saturday's, whether rain, snow or shine, the community shelter pushes everyone out to the elements whether prepared or not. I have seen elderly women pushed out with there walkers into blizzard conditions with no gloves, because of policies in place about staff changing, cleaning, and or no funding for those hours. Talking with some of the elderly, they battle going to the ER at tax payers expense for shelter or battle onsets of pneumonia. Then there are the numerous mention of bans from the shelter because of rules that change that lead some people to face the streets for a duration of time without warning nor reconciliatory conversation; this is the problem with many management levels as policy above relationship.

Now the ugly. When hunting and pecking for habitat, one could be chicken to speak up for fear of retaliation or serve a good breakfast of eggs as a habitat builder. You see if you know where to peck you don't disturb the habitat. You see there are few who are brooding over ideas to cut the costs. So you don't want to disrupt that; but if these are your chicklings, you most definitely want to hear where the draft is causing habitat problems. Many of the tent shelters have broken zippers on the tents that are not noticed by staff; where all night heat blows right out into the cold night as the bill climbs and climbs. Even one Saturday morning during a cold snap, in the early morning I was pecking for answers as to how the city could afford a Saturday staff. There was a technician who had the back door wide open for about 20 minutes, while the heat was blowing in the community hall and out the back door. I thought they must be carrying things in. Yet this wasn't the case. I asked why it was open, the person stated "It was too hot inside", yet the thermostat was not the way he cut the heat. Then in the next ten minutes we were cast out into the storm.

The pain these ugly moments create are hard on everyone; yet you cannot just focus on the wet soggy feet, the coughing from cold weather sickness; you have to see Loveland has done well. Although one has to look at the things that are overlooked so we can fine tune the budget and not exploit chicken eggs for the wealthy but put the added savings to maintaining the project in place and serving in the critical areas of leaks in the structure. Having done well is a moment to be praised. Having lost site of where things are at is a moment to ask if you are enduring?