'They're forcing out the homeless'

While Yale makes enormous contributions to the city's economy, some residents have not been beneficiaries of this prosperity. Local homeless people say they feel marginalized and ignored by the University and its students.

"Yale don't want homeless people around," Wanda, 29, says. "They ignore the homeless. They try to arrest homeless people for getting help." Wanda says she and several friends have been arrested and have spent time in prison for panhandling near campus. "People call Yale cops so that we can get arrested. It's very popular," she explains.

Wanda believes the University is trying to force the homeless out of the area through policing and other means. She points to Yale's summer purchase of land on Chapel Street where a homeless shelter currently stands. With winter approaching, Wanda fears that she and many other homeless people who rely on the shelter will be left out in the cold. "I think Yale shouldn't have bought it. We need a place to stay too," she comments. "It's kind of sad for them to buy it. They're buying a lot of places and forcing people out, especially the homeless."

Wanda believes that Yale officials are unsympathetic toward homeless people who suffer as a result of their property policies. "They don't really care," she says. She believes the University should use some of its vast resources to help out less fortunate area residents. "I think Yale should buy buildings for the homeless," she says. "There are a lot of homeless people out there."

Wanda says some Yale students are also guilty of ignoring her plight. She believes many Yalies' upper-class backgrounds make them insensitive and out-of-touch with others who are less privileged. "Students--some of 'em are cool.... Some are stuck up, and rich," she says. "They just don't help out the homeless. They give you an ugly look or a smart attitude, like `it ain't my problem.' Some sort of care and don't know what to do. Some try to help homeless people find a place to stay, but most don't care. I think most students are basically concerned with themselves."

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