THIEVES AMONG US
“Hi Red Phone. My wife and I took the tour of the Centennial Recreation Center when it first opened. A large group of us were being led by a young man that had informed us that he was hired to run the facility. Since I obviously had the ear of someone that could answer my concerns, I asked him in front of the group what he would do to assure us that our possessions wouldn’t be stolen while we were working out in the facility. He seemed annoyed that I brought up the subject and just brushed my question aside by telling us that it would be nearly impossible for anyone to steal our possessions and besides his staff would be checking the locker room from time to time.
“The only way our possessions will ever really be safe sitting alone in the CRC locker rooms will be if they post a guard inside of the locker rooms. I would bet 99 percent of the other members of the CRC would gladly pay an extra $5 or $10 a month to get a guard posted inside of the locker room. It would well be worth it for the peace of mind. I don’t mean some dude walking around the building. I mean someone that sits and walks around the locker room. That is the only way our possessions will be safe.”
RED PHONE
The Red Phone contacted Chris Ghione, the Centennial Recreation Center’s supervisor, who thanked us for giving him a chance to respond to your question.
Ghione said the staff at the CRC feels bad about personal property stolen at the facility. He said he will continue to try and provide a secure environment for CRC customers. Ghione was sympathetic to your concern as many people are well aware of the high risk of leaving personal belongings in public places, especially locker rooms. Ghione said the CRC is equipped with security cameras, but for obvious reasons it doesn’t have them in the locker rooms. He said staff members remind people of the importance of locking up their belongings and offer combination locks at an affordable price to customers who forget to bring their own locks. Ghione is asking his staff as well as users to report suspicious activity and to help him make the facility safer for everyone. He said he would continue to work with the Morgan Hill Police Department to try and provide a safe and secure environment. If you would like to speak to Ghione about safety concerns at the Centennial Recreation Center call (408) 782-2128, ext. 801 or e-mail him at ch**********@***rc.com.
HOMELESS HELP
“I’ve seen this man at Safeway, in O’henry’s Donuts and sitting outside TJ Maxx. He walks hunched over with the help of a shopping cart and is clearly in a lot of pain. Morgan Hill is a generous community and yet this man in our midst is invisible. We don’t have much of a homeless problem compared to larger cities, what do we have in the way of services to help this man? What can we do?”
RED PHONE
Thanks, caller, for taking the time to contact us about this unfortunate situation.
South County homeless assistance is provided by
St. Joseph Family Center,
1790 Church St. in Gilroy,
(408) 842-6662 or EHC LifeBuilders, 13535 Monterey Road, in San Martin. LifeBuilders can be reached at (408) 686-1300.
There is also a shelter bed hotline sponsored by the Community Technology Alliance. The number is 1-800-7SHELTER. This is an automated information site that will give the proper information for the need being addressed, including emergency shelter, transitional housing and hot meals.
Human service providers recommend the public contact the social agencies responsible for helping the homeless when they see someone sleeping on the street or without a home. They also say taking time to talk to a homeless person in a friendly, respectful manner can give them a wonderful sense of civility and dignity. Besides being neighborly, it gives the person a weapon to fight the isolation, depression and paranoia that many homeless people face. Homeless advocates also warn against stereotyping this population as they’re often from diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. Some of them may be fighting addiction, abuse, depression and other mental disabilities. Others may be without work and have lost a roof over their heads. Those in our community who want to share their financial blessings with the homeless can also donate to agencies which offer services to this population.
Keep the Red Phone busy by calling us with your concerns about the community you live in. Contact us at (408) 779-4106, ext. 206, or e-mail re******@*************es.com. Remember to leave a name and phone number when you call or e-mail. The Red Phone will not publish this information and will only use it for verification purposes.
