An initiative to stop homeless young people from getting help in Ohio City succeeded this week, with a Cuyahoga County judge ruling in favor of scared group of locals, that would rather punt the problem on to the streets in perpetuity than tackling an actual solution (story HERE).

The excuses from the group were all items that we’ve heard many times before. The drop in center that would have helped kids 16 to 24 would have brought drugs and crime according to this heartless collective.

But the ignorance on display here will only prove what many other neighborhoods have learned the hard way. The homeless population will remain on those streets, and with no resources showing them a way out, those homeless kids will turn into homeless adults.

Of course, the real solution here stems to larger issues, such as education and family services. But this group of locals off of Franklin avenue in Ohio City would rather focus their efforts on deflecting the issue off of the court system than actually solving the problem.

Our hearts should go out to these kids. They don’t know what’s going on . But they’ll feel the effects of this cruelty, and recovering from these setbacks will be even more difficult.

We need local leaders and neighborhoods that operate from a clear perspective of problem solving and compassion. Not from a pedestal of disdain for youth that likely didn’t have the same opportunities that they did.

Recovery is possible for those we see on the street. But when groups like the residents we’re seeing off of Franklin Avenue in Ohio City kick these children when they’re already down, recovery becomes even more difficult.

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