The Mystery People Who (sometimes) Live in the Ditch on DeZavala and I-10 (San Antonio: low income, condo)

[GWhopper]

Okay, this has been bothering me for a couple of years now and I need to find out something about it:

About a year and a half ago, I was at the McDonald's on DeZavala and I-10. There were two young women in line ahead of me, both dressed normally, not like homeless people. One did have a large garbage bag that was full of clothes, maybe it was her laundry. I didn't look twice at them until I was leaving the restaurant. As I was leaving, the same two women were behind the McDonald's carrying several bags of McDonald's food. A man was walking up to them, seemingly to help them carry the food. He turned around and yelled something to another individual who was stationed about 30 to 40 feet behind him near the gas station on the corner, who in turn yelled to another individual who was standing at the edge of the ditch that runs parallel to I-10 between the gas station and alongside the Home Depot Parking lot. As I was driving by the ditch on my way to the highway, I saw a string of people strung out along the ditch leading to a larger group of people congregating around the culvert that runs under I-10 itself.

All these people were dressed rather neatly, in either jeans or khaki pants, with either polo shirts or button down short-sleeve casual shirts that are typical of most business casual environments in San Antonio. Their clothes were clean, not wrinkled in the slightest. The ethnic make-up of the group was about equal between hispanic and anglo. Both men and women appeared well-groomed, the men all clean shaven.

I don't know why they occupy the ditch during the day, and where they clean their clothes, bathe, and shave. I have seen them several times since in the same location, but they are not there every day, so I don't know if they move around to different locations or what. My wife drives right by there every weekday on her way home from work and she sees them periodically, too. I would really like to go talk to them and ask them what the deal is, but my wife thinks that might be crazy and a little dangerous. (For some reason, I seem to get that response a lot from her when I suggest going places I probably shouldn't. At least I ask ahead of time, now.....most of the time)

Anybody else notice these people? Or have any idea what the story behind them is? I'm really curious about the whole thing...

[Dreadlockd]

Troglodytes???

Morlocks???

[Newk]

I see the same short woman with oval glasses almost everyday when driving through the area, she is almost always smoking, but has a cardboard sign and is asking for money. Usually on the IH-10 west frontage road adjacent to H-E-B.

[Primo]

Originally Posted by Dreadlockd

Troglodytes???

Morlocks???

C.H.U.D.
Cannabalistic Humaniod Underground Deweller

There are mystery homeless people that live IN the HEB at I-10 & Wurzbach. They get free a/c & heat, free food from the samples and free tv...while the site in the prescription medicine waiting area. It doesnt matter when you go, they are eitehr walking around inside or sitting outside that HEB.

[SnappyBob]

Edwards Underground Aquifer Dwellers Condo Units. They have built all they can on top of aquifer. The latest trend is to build in it. It's usually pretty much empty anyway.

[Dreadlockd]

lol C.H.U.D. great 80's movie, had me scared to walk over manholes, sidewalk grates, and street sewer drains for years.

[ashbeeigh]

I was actually just thinking about this...why dont' they wander down to Huebner? It's equally as nice.

I know exactly who you're talking about GWhopper. I actually saw her reading a book and holding a sign a few weekends ago. The heavier set guy and she look to be pretty buddy/buddy...they hold the Mattress store sign on a regular basis on the weekend.

But this was on the news recently too.

Distractions Piling Up At Intersection - San Antonio & Texas News Story - KSAT San Antonio (http://www.ksat.com/news/27108978/detail.html - broken link)


Whether they are begging for money or trying to get you to buy something, the number of people populating street corners citywide seems to be growing.One of the worst intersections is at De Zavala Road and Interstate 10 on the city's northwest side.

And then the social worker in me start thinking...why isn't District 8 helping these people? I understand that there is Haven For Hope but get some outreach workers to the ditch and find out what there issues are and see if we can fix them or if it is indeed just them bumming around. I don't think we need to do what Clamp is proposing. It's so typical Northside. Can we be a little socially minded?

[Bo]

Originally Posted by ashbeeigh

And then the social worker in me start thinking...why isn't District 8 helping these people? I understand that there is Haven For Hope but get some outreach workers to the ditch and find out what there issues are and see if we can fix them or if it is indeed just them bumming around. I don't think we need to do what Clamp is proposing. It's so typical Northside. Can we be a little socially minded?

But panhandling and hanging out at businesses is a big part of what Haven for Hope was supposed to reduce!

"If you're a professional panhandler, if this is your day job, we need to minimize that," Clamp said.

I agree with him. District 8 taxpayers are paying for Haven, too. It shouldn't just be diverting the homeless from hanging out at downtown businesses.

Also, people living in a ditch could drown in the flash floods we get here. This shouldn't wait until there's a tragedy.

Round up the folks living there and bus them down to Haven, so they can get whatever help and services they need.

[GWhopper]

These people just didn't seem like your typical panhandlers to me. I guess I could be wrong.

[ashbeeigh]

Originally Posted by Bo

But panhandling and hanging out at businesses is a big part of what Haven for Hope was supposed to reduce!

"If you're a professional panhandler, if this is your day job, we need to minimize that," Clamp said.

I agree with him. District 8 taxpayers are paying for Haven, too. It shouldn't just be diverting the homeless from hanging out at downtown businesses.

Also, people living in a ditch could drown in the flash floods we get here. This shouldn't wait until there's a tragedy.

Round up the folks living there and bus them down to Haven, so they can get whatever help and services they need.

Homelessness isn't exclusive to downtown. It happens everywhere. It needs to be addressed throughout the city. Just like any other social issue it's not limited to one area. If you say, "Send 'em all to one place!" It's going to cause trouble. You don't see woman's centers, drug treatment centers or child abuse centers in one particular place (send 'em all to the westside!). The northside needs help to address these issues too.

I understand the purpose of Haven For Hope. I support it. It's a new program. It's only been here for about a year. But have they sent outreach workers this way to talk to these dwellers? I haven't heard about it because De Zavala isn't on their radar. We rarely are.

It's something I've noticed a lot on the northside. We can try to escape inner city troubles, but they come around (teen pregnancy, drug abuse, low income, work force centers....we have to go inside the loop or more than 5 miles for that stuff).