No one says there is not a need for homeless people in Janesville.I do not believe Mike Tearman is capable of running a shelter. He may want to run one but being capable of running one is two different stories. It became quite clear at the meeting Monday night that he could not answer a direct question that the council asked him. He kept saying I don't like to brag about what I've done and then he would go on to brag about what he'd done ! I also heard one of his men make a rude statement while one of the speakers was talking. Luckily there was an officer sitting close to him who put a hand on his shoulder to quiet him down.

The doors lock at 9 pm. Lets keeps a tally of arrests and 911 calls to the fourth ward after 10 p.m. Give me a break! Im 32 years old and wasnt allowed to hang out in the fourth ward as a child and would never reccomend my children going down there now either! Does that offend you people int he fourth ward? Do you like being generalizeed? The same as some of the men at the shelter who are not committing any offences and just seeking shelter and you generalize them with convicts and thiefs. Go to familywwatchdog.us and take a look at who your neighbors are!

So all of you who have a issue with this facility, Go to Mike and offer him a better location that will fill the needs of these people. If you don't help then don't complain. One man can only do so much but with the help of all of you these homeless people will appreciate what you are doing for them. Each of the neighbors need to place 1 foot forward and keep moving forward until Janesville has a place for these people to stay who are shut out by circumstances. This does not need to be just the people in 4th ward, people from all parts of the city, please step forward and give this man some help. Helping others is the greatest reward we can all have.

Here is a rundown of the organizations that operate without problems in the Fourth Ward neighborhood:
Red Road House - Alcohol and drug recovery housing.
Half-Way House - Alcohol and drug recovery treatment housing.
House of Mercy - Homeless Shelter.
YWCA - Low-Income temporary housing.
Echo - Food bank and service provider.
Section 8 Housing - Low-income housing long term.

Sarah/ No, Echo does not have housing but I used it as an example of a successfully run facility because it draws many of the homeless and low-income residents into the same neighborhood as the shelter. We see it run well with rules and structure in place, proving we are not a NIMN group of people and welcome those organizations that are run correctly.

Mike Tearman may have a heart for helping homeless men but he doesn't have the skills to run a facility. He has turned down advice and help from those who have successfully run this type of venture. This is not a case of 'Not in my Backyard.' It's a case of 'Run It Correctly In My Backyard.' House of Mercy, Echo, and YWCA housing is here in the Fourth Ward and they are welcomed because they are run with rules and structure. At the meeting last night he indicated he doesn't care about rules and structure and he will run it his way. This is why the request for an overnight facility failed. As for where do the homeless men go? Gifts opens on the 15th. This is a successful overnight shelter program, nobody is going to be turned out into the cold.

I have met the guy. I don't like him.

It is, unfortunately, Tearman's own approach that has led to a lack of trust. First the building was a church, then (overnight, seemingly) it was a day shelter, then (again without warning) it was a 24/7 operation. This guerrilla approach to helping the homeless does not inspire confidence, nor does any of Tearman's earnest claims that he has "accountability" to "a local pastor and a local businessman". As to what sorts of programming he will have to get his clients back on their feet, vagueness on all angles suggests that despite his assertion of vast experience he is essentially winging it.
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Having a public board and accountability through formal partnerships is, apparently, not his style.
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It was really quite telling who was NOT at the meeting. We were left wondering who Tearman was referring to, or if he named people, why they were not speaking for him (instead we had someone say that many people "would tell you" of what a great guy he is). We're sure he's a nice guy who wears his heart on his sleeve. That's not our concern.
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If Tearman had the respect of major institutions in town who already deal with issues of homelessness, they would certainly have been there backing up his plans (and would have helped him draft something that would emphasize professionalism). But there were only people directly connected to the shelter operation. He's out there on his own, and you sort of wonder why that is.
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This is not the end of the shelter, either. The daytime "assembly" activity is covered under the current O-1 zoning. I had strong doubts, though, that even with approval they would be capable of raising the considerable funds necessary to make the building code-compliant, and then after all that effort they would have a maximum of 10 beds. Sure, it's something, but it would only begin to address the problem.

Are you people REALLY that clueless? PLease reread the article. There will be a test for comprehension afterwards.

The people of Janesville DO NOT have anything against the homeless, or a shelter.

What they DO have trouble with is people making apparently false statements about the nature and source of support for this enterprise.

Do things by the book. Work with others to get support first. Provide the appropriate level of supervision so that peoples concerns are laid to rest.

Keep it up, City of Janesville. You've got a historic building gone with all the valuable old woodwork in the landfill, a sand and gravel mine that is pretty much worthless property, and now a vacant building likely to go into foreclosure rather than housing the homeless. Pretty soon, you'll have screwed enough citizens that you have a real class-action suit on your hands (at taxpayer expense) rather than just a handful of people who wish they had enough money to sue you.

Even with the conditional use permit this shelter can only house 10 people at a time. Why not look for a larger building that is not in a residential neighborhood ? Besides the 4th ward already has a homeless shelter less than 2 blocks away. House of Mercy. The fourth ward has stepped up how about the rest of the neighborhoods ?

What a sad day and age we live in that people could close their eyes to the homeless population in this city. Everyone seems to have the "it's okay as long as it is not in my neighborhood" logic. Moving these "Down and out" individuals will NOT make the problem go away; it merely relocates the problems. I would to think that everyone can agree a shelter is needed, and increased patrols would certainly reduce the crime that seems to go hand in hand with certain individuals. It's just so unfortunate that the city committed that money to an un-necessary ice arena. Maybe they can sleep there!????

So the city would rather have another empty building, don't we already have enough of those around town? Maybe Mr. Price wouldn't mind having some of the homeless men come and stay at his house. Winter is just around the corner and these men are going to need a place to sleep, stay warm and a place that will help them become working members of society and from what I have seen watching the video attached to this article (yes there is a video~ its the first picture above on the left column that says have a look inside the shelter) and in talking to Mike myself he is trying to do just that. Just because you have a roof over your head and are working does that make you a better person, these days that just makes you a lucky person! If you were to lose your job and your home, wouldn't you like to know that there may be a place for you to go? I think the neighbors around this building just need to maybe take the time to meet Mike and talk to him about your reservations that you may have about his shelter and work with him on problems that you may believe are in relation to the shelter, yes with him not against him. In times like this we all need to ask ourselves, what would I do if I were unemployed or worse yet homeless, because in this economy it could happen at almost any given point in time. I applaud Mr. Tearman for giving his time and effort top help and at no cost to these men, so I ask you to ask yourself when is the last time you did something for someone down on there luck and didn't expect anything in return except their gratitude? Good luck and don't give up Mike this cities homeless problem needs your help, (not just someone to go out twice a year to count the homeless). Ask What would Jesus do? I think he would do this........

Maybe they want to move it cause that darn lizard is still on the loose. LOL. JMO.

I agree. Most are already there. Moving them to another neighborhood would be inconvenient, at very least. This is a silly idea, IMO. What- the homeless are going to walk across town to sleep and then back across for the next day services? Where else would it be?

Sounds like every neighborhood has the NIMBY thought process. Don't most homeless people "live" in the 4th Ward/Look West neighborhoods because their services are downtown? I'd hate to state the obvious, but... JMO

Put the homeless shelter over on the east side. The 4th ward is trying to improve not get worse.