Yesterday a staff member mentioned a tour he'd given to a local businessman. The man had apparently heard negative things about TLC.
Our staff member did a good job of describing our mission. Because by the time the tour was over the visitor's body language was different. And it seemed that his opinion had shifted.
Local businesses and government officials - who know little about what we do - hold a mostly negative attitude about our program.
At one period, during the late 1990s, the City actually passed three ordinances that would have prevented us from operating in our downtown locations.
Only after a five year Federal lawsuit did they rescind their ordinances.
However, the negative attitude towards addicts and alcoholics persists. A small example can be seen in the directional signs posted downtown. For example they don't describe our Macdonald Street location as a treatment program or a sober living facility. Instead, our location is called "TLC Apartments." We don't rent apartments to anyone. But those signs are another not-so-subtle reminder of the establishment bias toward addicts and alcoholics.
When a community can't have compassion and support for those who are battling the deadly disease of addiction it tells the world a lot about how they care for our citizens.
