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| By Andrew M. Seder | 12/17/2003 |
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Posted on 12/17/2003 8:30:00 AM PST by Born Conservative
| A family's second chance |
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| Charles and Barbara Smith and 14 of their 18 children are moving back into their North Scranton home today, just in time for the holidays. The Smith family was forced to leave the house after the city condemned it July 29 -- the first known Habitat for Humanity home in the country to be condemned. On Tuesday, a team of city inspectors went through the house at 2517 N. Main Ave. and removed the "unfit for human habitation" label. Mr. Smith says he regrets what happened because of "my neglect and lax supervision" and promises Habitat for Humanity things will be different this time. Mr. Smith said he looks forward to spending Christmas back in his house. He's sorry Habitat was dragged through the mud. "This was a hard lesson learned, but I've corrected the problem and it won't happen again," Mr. Smith said. After the condemnation, Habitat for Humanity of Lackawanna County -- following the example of other area Habitat organization -- hired a family support counselor to assist the Smiths and other families. Robin Decker immediately went to work interviewing the Smiths and educating them on budgeting, simple home maintenance and parenting skills. "When I first met them, the kids would throw candy wrappers on the floor. That does not happen anymore. They know about discipline and responsibilities now," Ms. Decker said. "Things are different." "They know that if this happens again we'll be out on the street," Mr. Smith said. The Smiths and their children moved into the house three years ago. They have been staying with the couple's third oldest son since being evicted. The home was condemned, according to city officials, because it had no heat, hot water or electricity. Inspectors also noted holes in walls, floors and ceilings; electrical circuitry problems, the lack of smoke detectors and other deficiencies. Laura Gillette, the city's deputy director for permits, inspections and licensing, said it was mostly "unsanitary conditions that needed to be cleaned." The Smith family, friends and volunteers from Habitat for Humanity worked to bring the house back into compliance. "Habitat didn't spend one dime," said Robert "Ozzie" Quinn, executive director for the Lackawanna chapter of Habitat. He said donations and volunteers made the home livable again. Mr. Smith said having 14 kids ages 3 to 14 under one roof would be a problem for anyone. But he acknowledged his lack of discipline made matters worse. "If you have 14 kids at home and no place for them to play, I don't care who you are, you're going to have damage in your house," Mr. Smith said. Mr. Smith said he will remain a stay-at-home father while his wife works as a housekeeping supervisor for a hotel in Dickson City. It's her paycheck that pays the bills, including the $115-a-month mortgage payment to Habitat. Mr. Quinn said he's weary of people saying Habitat shouldn't have helped such a large family and shouldn't have stuck by them through the past four months. "This is a crisis situation. We can't just turn our backs on them," Mr. Quinn said. Mr. Smith said that by spending more than $4,000 of his own money to fix the house, his children's best holiday present will probably be getting to sleep in their own beds again. "It's going to be a crappy Christmas for the kids, but we'll make the best of it," Mr. Smith said. But Mr. Smith is thankful others have been so charitable. Between volunteers, including those from local colleges, and donations from others, the Smiths said the repair work and materials and new appliances could have cost more than $10,000. "I came here one day in October to do some work and there was a brand-new refrigerator and oven on the porch. I have no idea where they came from, but I thank whoever it was," Mr. Smith said. |
Also, the title was taken from the main web page of the paper; I feel it more accurately describes the article.
It's unbelievable these people are getting a second chance. They don't deserve it.
Mr. Quinn's email address is: OZ@EPIX.NET
Mr. Smith said he will remain a stay-at-home father...
This guy shithead doesn't rate the title "Mr." DTOM
As my friend stated, "I've been working all my life and making mortgage payments on this dump, yet the HFH family across the street gets a brand new home at a bargain price!"
A legitimate gripe, in my opinion.
As Groucho opined when interviewing a woman who had 11 children he said "Well - I like my cigar - but occasionally I take it oughta my mouth".
There is no evidence in the article that the family is on the state dole, in fact quite the contrary: "Mr. Smith said he will remain a stay-at-home father while his wife works as a housekeeping supervisor for a hotel in Dickson City. It's her paycheck that pays the bills..."
Most of the available facts should be regarded favorably by conservatives. All of the charity at issue was provided privately, by volunteer funds and volunteer labor. And the recipients were treated as human beings rather than welfare case numbers. The family was required to contribute its own money to the work, which promotes responsibility. Furthermore, the father is raising his children rather than abandoning them to the state or dumping them in day care. In short, a private charity success story.
Given all the good news, why does a poster on Free Republic call the circumstances sufficiently "extreme" as to warrant state-coerced sterilization? Isn't that what we condemn totalitarian regimes for?
Hardly. The headline is designed to grab the attention of those who think large families are inherently evil, but only two sentences in the article address the number of children. That's because the size of the family isn't the issue; rather, the problem is a father who fell short in his resposibility to take care of them.
But even that isn't the main point. The main point is that private charity addressed this problem effectively, inexpensively, and early enough to make a difference.
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