Post by Okwes on Apr 18, 2007 14:15:17 GMT -5
Death highlights need for shelter
FARGO (AP) - The death of a Moorhead, Minn., man whose body was found at
a park here, has stepped up efforts to open a local emergency shelter
for homeless people impaired by alcohol or drugs.
Oliver Eagleman, 55, was homeless and intoxicated, according to
preliminary toxicology results. His body was found on Jan. 9 at Island
Park.
Eagleman's family and friends said he had been turned away in the past
from local homeless shelters when he showed up with alcohol on his
breath.
Fargo city officials say an emergency shelter is close to becoming a
reality.
"We'll open the door the minute we can," said Linda Coates, a Fargo city
commissioner and emergency shelter advocate. "We're getting very close"
to reaching an agreement on a suitable property.
She declined to give the address until an agreement is reached, but said
it would be near a detox center.
For safety reasons, local homeless shelters won't allow guests who are
under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
That prohibition has fallen especially hard on American Indians in
Fargo-Moorhead, said Sandi Berlin, who runs the Ray of Hope drop-in
center and serves on Fargo's Native American Commission.
"In the past, we've had many people from the Native American community
who've been turned away from shelters because of drinking," she said.
"It's not the first time," she said. "I've known people who have been
lost. People just close their eyes to it."
Health statistics from North Dakota and Minnesota show that American
Indians die from exposure at higher rates than the general population.
In North Dakota, death records indicate 18 American Indians died of
exposure from 1980 to 2005, the most recent figures available. They
comprised 9 percent of exposure deaths, nearly double their share of the
population, 4.9 percent.
In Minnesota, American Indians accounted for 7 percent of exposure
deaths since 1980 and 1.1 percent of the general population.
Capt. Tod Dahle of the Fargo Police Department said officers find a safe
place for intoxicated homeless people when weather is a threat whenever
they are aware of the problem.
"When it's critical, if it's a matter of survival, we're going to find a
place for them," he said.
Still, some homeless people who are chronic alcoholics shun shelters or
detox, where rules and restrictions apply, Dahle added. And in those
cases, when police aren't made aware of the person's plight, tragedy can
result.
"Frankly, with our climate, it's surprising it doesn't happen more
often," Dahle said. "Obviously, it's a constant struggle for us."
FARGO (AP) - The death of a Moorhead, Minn., man whose body was found at
a park here, has stepped up efforts to open a local emergency shelter
for homeless people impaired by alcohol or drugs.
Oliver Eagleman, 55, was homeless and intoxicated, according to
preliminary toxicology results. His body was found on Jan. 9 at Island
Park.
Eagleman's family and friends said he had been turned away in the past
from local homeless shelters when he showed up with alcohol on his
breath.
Fargo city officials say an emergency shelter is close to becoming a
reality.
"We'll open the door the minute we can," said Linda Coates, a Fargo city
commissioner and emergency shelter advocate. "We're getting very close"
to reaching an agreement on a suitable property.
She declined to give the address until an agreement is reached, but said
it would be near a detox center.
For safety reasons, local homeless shelters won't allow guests who are
under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
That prohibition has fallen especially hard on American Indians in
Fargo-Moorhead, said Sandi Berlin, who runs the Ray of Hope drop-in
center and serves on Fargo's Native American Commission.
"In the past, we've had many people from the Native American community
who've been turned away from shelters because of drinking," she said.
"It's not the first time," she said. "I've known people who have been
lost. People just close their eyes to it."
Health statistics from North Dakota and Minnesota show that American
Indians die from exposure at higher rates than the general population.
In North Dakota, death records indicate 18 American Indians died of
exposure from 1980 to 2005, the most recent figures available. They
comprised 9 percent of exposure deaths, nearly double their share of the
population, 4.9 percent.
In Minnesota, American Indians accounted for 7 percent of exposure
deaths since 1980 and 1.1 percent of the general population.
Capt. Tod Dahle of the Fargo Police Department said officers find a safe
place for intoxicated homeless people when weather is a threat whenever
they are aware of the problem.
"When it's critical, if it's a matter of survival, we're going to find a
place for them," he said.
Still, some homeless people who are chronic alcoholics shun shelters or
detox, where rules and restrictions apply, Dahle added. And in those
cases, when police aren't made aware of the person's plight, tragedy can
result.
"Frankly, with our climate, it's surprising it doesn't happen more
often," Dahle said. "Obviously, it's a constant struggle for us."