Outgoing Manchester director of housing stability says aldermen can't solve homelessness issue

FIGHTING WITH WON’T BE ABLE TO SOLVE THE HOMELESS PROBLEM. ADRIENNE BAILON, MANCHESTER’S FORMER DIRECTOR OF HOUSING STABILITY, SAYS THE BLOWUP BETWEEN HER AND THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN THAT LED TO HER RESIGNATION AND A PAID SETTLEMENT SHOWS THE CITY IS HEADED IN THE WRONG DIRECTION ON HOMELESSNESS. HOMELESSNESS IS ONLY GOING TO CONTINUE TO GET WORSE UNTIL WE MAKE SOME DIFFERENT DECISIONS. THE CONFRONTATION ESCALATED AFTER THE BOARD ATTEMPTED TO MOVE BURGOYNE’S OFFICE TO THE CITY HOMELESS SHELTER, AND, BELLOWING PUBLICLY, QUESTIONED WHETHER ALDERMAN FULLY GRASPED THE HOMELESS ISSUE. DO YOU THINK IT WAS A MISTAKE TO TELL THEM THAT THEY DIDN’T UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS GOING ON? UM, I DON’T THINK IT WAS A MISTAKE. I CAN UNDERSTAND HOW THAT’S HARD FOR THEM TO HEAR. UM, BUT IT’S TRUE. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SOME BOARD MEMBERS THAT ARE JUST VEHEMENTLY OPPOSED TO ANY SORT OF SUPPORT TO GIVE THE HOMELESS POPULATION. THEY LOOK AT THEM AS VAGRANTS. THEY LOOK AT THEM AS KIND OF A WASTED RESOURCES IN OUR COMMUNITY. BOYNE SAYS SHE TOOK EXCEPTION TO MAYOR JAY ROUY, CALLING FOR MORE RESTRICTIONS ON PUBLIC CAMPING WITHOUT CONSULTING HER FIRST. DO YOU THINK THE VOTERS ESSENTIALLY BROUGHT THIS FORWARD, SAYING THAT WE NEED A MORE AGGRESSIVE APPROACH SOMEHOW AND THAT’S WHERE THIS PHILOSOPHICAL FRICTION COMES FROM, THAT THE PEOPLE WHO WERE ELECTED WANTED TO TAKE A DIFFERENT APPROACH ON THIS ISSUE. UM, I THINK THE PEOPLE THAT THAT ARE ELECTED THAT HAVE THIS PHILOSOPHICAL APPROACH THAT’S MORE AGGRESSIVE LIVE. I MEAN, I THINK THEY STAND BY IT. I THINK THEY THINK IT WILL WORK. UM, I THINK THEY WILL FIND OUT THAT IT WON’T. THE MAYOR’S OFFICE DECLINED TO RESPOND TO BILLINGS COMMENTS, SAYING THIS IS A PERSONNEL MATTER. ALDERMEN WHO CLASHED WITH HER SAY THEY’RE COMMITTED TO ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS, AND IT’S TIME TO MOVE ON. THIS THING THAT WE’RE NOT CAPABLE, WE DON’T UNDERSTAND AND AND THAT I STRONGL