SteveW

Well, if you must know my "white liberal conscious" was eased my helping out my fellow man. I don't really see color so I have no idea what you are talking about. I am concerned that my tenant will view me as "the man" and consider me as just another landlord trying to oppress him. I have also received a few calls from neighbors that have had a few spirited elections conversations where he got rather aggravated when they did not agree with his views. They also claim that he took their campaign signs, but to be honest I really could care less about that. Waste of trees and ink if you really want to know. Steve May your day be filled with peace, love, and hope.

My tenants are throwing a big election party and I'm out of town. I'm concerned they might tear the place up if their candidate does not win. What should I do? I'm also worried about the neighbors and people in the area. Steve May your day be filled withe peace, love, and hope.

Ironically my future renter's sister works part-time at the Midtown Randall's so I assume that she also shops there. Sorry I have not been able to respond lately, the whole EU currency debacle has kept me busy at work. Midtown makes the most sense for my ideas as the light rail system is an efficient means of transportation for those without a car. Metro's bus system is incredibly inefficient and causes great stress for those trying to juggle a 2nd job, family, and other commitments. If your able to land a job/s near light rail you have better chance of being there for the important things. May your day bring peace, enlightenment, and Hope. Steve

Well I do hope to avoid that if possible. If they're struggling then I will try to be as objective as possible. I think that if you show good will and people see that you care about them rather than just their money they will do their best to take care of the place. Part of my rental agreement will be a bi-monthly dinner night where we sit down and break bread with one another. I will supply the food and help out in cooking the meal. I think that in a world where we hear some much negativity about food it would be refreshing to bond over healthy meals. Meals are more than food, they're places for interaction and story-telling. We (I) have lost out on so much because of my previously selfish lifestyle that I am committed to bringing people together over common things that make one feel safe. Who knows, maybe others in the area will want to participate. Giving back is not so bad. May your day bring peace, enlightenment, and Hope. Steve

Or I could just rent the house at a discounted rate which would directly benefit someone vs. giving the profit to an organization to be used however they see fit. In a nutshell, my mind is changed on the section 8, but I am moving forward on the low-income lease. I may have a lead on a good family based on a conversation I had last night outside of the Salvation Army Women's Shelter. Really nice family, and their kids go to the Genesis Learning Center right down the street from my place. These are tough times and some people continue to struggle, but you have to maintain hope. May your day bring peace, enlightenment, and Hope. Steve

Rest assure I will insist that all my renters are up to date on their vaccinations. Sheesh, next I'm going to be told that Midtown and nearby HOAs will be flying drones to insure that my suspicious renters are only raising their vermin for food purposes. May your day bring peace, enlightenment, and Hope. Steve

Brian, Section 8 is out of the equation. I'm going to sit down with some of assistance agencies in Midtown to see if they have anyone ready to make the next step to a place of their own. Logic? I think the real question is NIMBY? Compassion does not require logic. I've done well and now I want to share the wealth with those just trying to get by. I have hope for people, and believe that people can change their lives. I believe that when we ask those with plenty to give with those with little. Is that such a bad thing? It's our job to organize those less unfortunate into a group of people can move great mountains. I want them to go from "no we can't, to yes we can!" May your day bring peace, enlightenment, and Hope. Steve

I was not planning to stuff a ton of people in the townhouse, just maybe an extended family. I don't want to violate any HOA or area rules, much less make life hard on my renters. I'm confused about why the MMD (which I am assuming is the same thing as the Midtown Management Association) would be opposed to or involve themselves in NGO or other charitable organizations missions. They don't appear to be too involved in the existing ones who let their patrons camp out around the facilities all night long. In my opinion the dysfunction outside these facilities is representative of the dysfunction on the inside. That being said I'm not all that concerned about being an issue in the neighborhood. I'll run a good place. Midtown is a diverse place, people just need to interact with others outside of their comfort zones. May your day bring peace, enlightenment, and Hope. Steve

Well for starters there is no mortgage as I own the townhouse outright, so the amount of rent can be extremely low. I do well, which has the added benefit of exposing me to people with money who are still capable of ruining perfectly good things. I no longer make a judgement about someone based on their economic status. I don't see how disadvantaged people will contribute negatively to a neighborhood simply based on how much money is in their wallet at any given time. In our recent housing crises did next door neighbors suddenly become animals simply becaused they lost a job or their mortgage was underwater? I think not. Midtown is a vibrant community because of its diversity. That means giving people a chance in my book. Don't think for a moment that I am naive, there are certain backgrounds I will not tolerate. I plan on doing background checks and will weed out those with anything I deem incompatible with my values. (domestic abusers, sex offenders, mental illness, etc) While I struggle to not judge those who are attempting to turn their lives around I currently lack the skill set to engage people in these circumstances without making it personal. I would also not want to live by them, so it would be hard to force others to live by them. In closing thank your for your insight and words. While we may not agree on everything I value them. May your day bring peace, enlightenment, and Hope. -Steve

You raise a good point as I was not aware that damages were not covered. The whole point is to help people so I may just avoid the Section 8 route and find one or two low-income families that can split the rent. It may be harder as they closed that school by the park near my townhouse. Does anyone know if the Midtown Management Association has a list of vacant or abandoned buildings that are in the neighborhood? I'm close to a lease deal but want to see if there is one that has better parking. Two of the properties would require that people attending meetings park amongst existing residents and I feel that parking could become an issue. I don't want the added expense of having to purchase a shuttle-bus or cart to ferry individuals to their cars or bus stops during evening hours and inclement weather. May your day bring peace, enlightenment, and Hope. -Steve

I was living in my townhouse up until late last year. I had to go back home for some time to take care of some family estate matters and that ended up taking more time than I anticipated. I let a friend live there while her house was being repaired and now am considering my options given a new sense of what matters most. May your day bring peace, enlightenment, and Hope. -Steve

Just curious if anyone here has signed up their property to allow for section 8 renters. I know I've heard bad things but I'm at a point where I want to help the greater good and this makes sense given that there are so many needy people in Midtown. I am also a recipient of a grant for a NGO that I'm involved in and I'm thinking about establishing an outreach location in Midtown where the community can safely engage those of a different socio-economic status for the purpose of mutual enlightenment and shared understanding. I've been looking at several spaces on Crawford, Jackson, Main, Anita, San Jacinto, and Caroline, but am still exploring other options. The reason I'm posting this is because I know Midtowners are an open-minded bunch based on my experiences volunteering with the Midtown Management Association. I want to get others opinions (for or against) and see if we can find a common ground that my Asian brothers refer to as the 3rd way. May your day bring peace, enlightenment, and Hope. -Steve

Did anyone lose a glass pipe at one of the park benches on Anita? Just kidding. But seriously I found a broken glass pipe that my dogs nearly stepped on yesterday evening. I work sales so I am in and out of my town home during the day and have noticed (and smelled) a great deal more people "smoking" on the park benches in the past few months. It's rather obvious in the 10 months that I have lived here that these benches are used more as a bed or living room for people. I have yet to see any of my neighbors use them. If I am mistaken please let me know so I can return your pipe to you. ;-) From the design of the benches it appears that the city sought to avoid this activity as it looks difficult to sleep on them, but I guess people find a way. Who should I talk to about having these benches removed? Steve

About 2 weeks ago I was leaving the Nouveau Antique Art Bar on Main and decided to loop around the block to get a closer look at that mural on the adjacent abandoned building. I noticed a guy in a large truck loading or unloading something on the Fannin side of that building. It was around 11pm at a vacant building so I found it rather odd. I also noticed some barrels stored on the property. Does anyone know the status of that property?