Hold onto your wallets, Keene citizens, because your City Council has just decided to turn the town into the Ritz-Carlton for the homeless, pouring a staggering $1.2 million of taxpayer dollars into housing the city’s homeless population this year. Gone are the days of pointing those down on their luck towards shelters and free services. Now, we’re booking them rooms at the Keene Best Western and footing the bill!
Natalie Darcy, the city’s human services manager, spilled the tea on how the COVID gravy train had our homeless population living high on the hog, with zero accountability for the cash thrown at them. Now, with the pandemic piggy bank smashed to smithereens, Keene’s decided to step in as the big spender, shelling out around $100,000 a month on hotel rooms and back rent to keep evictions at bay. You heard right, folks – up to three months’ back rent on the city’s dime!
But here’s where it gets juicy: City Manager Elizabeth Dragon claims we’ve gone from seeing a mere 47 homeless individuals to catering to a crowd of 300, thanks to Keene’s newfound reputation as the place to be for a free stay and play. With the statewide 211 system acting like a hotel booking service, we’re attracting folks from far and wide, swelling our homeless population like a balloon at a birthday bash.
Councilor Kris Roberts doesn’t see an end to the madness, quipping that folks have gotten too used to dining on filets, and now we’re all paying for their unwillingness to downgrade to Salisbury steak. Meanwhile, local Samaritan turned skeptic, Charles Smith, told councilors he opened his home to the homeless, but woke up to find his good deed punished by sticky fingers.
Smith’s got a point – when did compassion turn into an open invitation for a luxury stay on the taxpayer’s tab? He’s calling for a local’s only policy, but with Keene’s doors flung wide open, it’s like we’ve put up a neon sign saying, “Free Room and Board, All Welcome!”
So, as Keene transforms into the city of brotherly love (and endless spending), one has to wonder – are we the champions of compassion or just the biggest suckers in the Granite State? Either way, it’s clear: in Keene, the homeless hit the jackpot, and the taxpayers foot the bill. Welcome to the Keene State Hotel, where the lights are always on, and the cash register never closes.
