ST. CHARLES (KMOX) - The Mayor of St. Charles says it's time for an all-new approach to helping the homeless after some people are "constantly" taking them home.
St. Charles Mayor Dan Borgmeyer says it's a kind-hearted thing to do, but also dangerous.
"The people see the homeless people and they want to feed them, they want to give them shelter, they want to give them clothes," Borgmeyer says. "There was a lady that was homeless and people were taking her coats in the wintertime. They take them home, they allow them to bathe. The Methodist Church had a situation where they would allow them to come in and shower and they would give them a meal."
He says he's worried someone could get hurt and believes this process only enables them to stay on the streets.
Right now, he says there are 25 to 30 chronic homeless in St. Charles, many living under the Route 370 bridge.
"I understand they actually have a homeless mayor," he says.
Borgmeyer wants to bring an Atlanta-based homeless model to St. Charles called City of Refuge, where the homeless men are taught auto mechanics and the women computer coding, while they stay in a managed shelter.
He says it's a 200,000 square-foot facility where homeless in the area are allowed to move in and are required to work and clean the place while food and shelter are provided. He says an organizer is coming to town soon to show how a board of directors would be setup to start the program.
There's no word on where the facility would go in St. Charles and funding would mostly come from private donors. Borgmeyer says the Atlanta facility has also received some federal grants.
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