Corey Johnson
NEWS, JAN. 15: "BEAUTY AND THE BEAT COP"
NO COMMENT
A particular change, by the new Director John F Jones, seems to discriminate on the basis of age and sex. The long-standing fitness requirements were graded by age and gender. The new requirements, put in place by Jones, eliminated that grading, which, especially in the case of "push ups" makes it almost impossible for women. All this passed without comment by the board.
CHRIS MECHELS
NEWS, JAN. 15: "THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR INPUT"
SEEK AND FIND
Seems to me if you're writing about local music in a small scene like Santa Fe, you would be actively searching out links for bands, instead of bitching when they send you one.
LOCAL PUNK
NEWS, JAN. 15: "MAYORAL SLAYER FOR MAYOR"
SUPPORT SF
As the mayoral candidates rev up their campaigns, let's make sure they understand the importance of live music (for all genres) and nightlife in our community. Santa Fe is well known for its visual arts, but the city's music scene is woefully under-appreciated. On any given night, locals and visitors alike can boogie, sway or shimmy to some of the finest music being made in the Southwest.
Supported in the right way, the local music industry can become a piston in the city's economic engine and attract a younger demographic of tourists and residents to the city, at a time when many young people are leaving Santa Fe.
The Santa Fe Music Alliance, a non-profit organization working to foster a strong, vibrant music community, strongly encourages all of the candidates to educate themselves about the local music industry and come up with a plan to help it thrive, for the benefit of all Santa Feans.
THE SANTA FE MUSIC ALLIANCE BOARD:
OPINION, JAN. 8: "STILL ON THE STREETS"
GREAT SUCCESS
As was pointed out in the article, helping people from freezing to death is, "necessary, but it's not sufficient" to end homelessness.
From the first meeting of the Blue Ribbon Task Force the need for a consistent winter shelter was a part of the continuum to end homelessness. Using the occupancy of the Interfaith Shelters as an indicator of the failure of the Blue Ribbon Task Force to meet their goals is an inaccurate assessment.
The Interfaith Shelter keeps people from freezing and serves as a stepping stone for accessing support services and opportunities for rapid relocation in affordable housing. The Santa Fe Resource and Opportunity Center (ROC) the umbrella organization under which the Interfaith Shelter operates, along with a legion of providers including The Life Link, Youth Shelters, St. Elizabeth Shelter, Healthcare for the Homeless, Adelante, VA and Santa Fe Services (to name a few), thousands of volunteers and donors, the generous support of Mayor Coss and the city, are changing lives by providing housing.
There will always be homeless people in our town. Santa Fe has some of the best supportive services in New Mexico. The fragile economy can change a person's circumstances overnight; a single parent has to stay home with a sick child, is fired, loses their housing and stays in the shelter while saving for rent. Until we end child abuse there will always be youth for whom family and the social services system have failed, they will "camp out" as a safe housing solution. And, some folks will never go into housing.
No, the Task Force did not end homelessness (that was a lofty goal) however, because of their work Santa Feans have focused their efforts and greatly increased services. I call that a success!
KAREN ROWELL
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