CITIZENS SHOULD BE STRIVING FOR BETTER SOCIETY

To the Editor,

Re: Shame belongs to addicts, not city, News Bulletin, April 10.

Bravo, you are right on point.

It is the shame of the homeless and the addicts. It's their shame
every morning they have to wake up in a doorway or in a shelter bed
that isn't theirs.

It is their shame every time they can't resist just one more hit.
It's their shame every time they ask for money that isn't theirs from
people passing by, every time they endure the leers and the ridicule.

Can you honestly say that the majority of homeless people are
homeless simply because they are lazy and have no willingness to be
responsible? That they enjoy "panhandling, stealing and scamming" to
get by? That they are so lazy that they'd rather have poor hygiene,
get sick (with no bed to lay up in) or have no future to call theirs
then to go out there and get a job?

Where shall they get these low skill jobs that allow them to build up
enough money to afford their own food and shelter?

As a small business owner, would you hire a homeless person, of which
you say 70 per cent are addicts, to stuff the envelopes of your
business for minimum wage? Or does the stigma placed on the homeless
lean you more towards the distrust of these people?

Social services people can try as they might, but they can't force
business owners and companies to hire someone who doesn't have (or
doesn't know they have) access to services providing them with the
necessary job skills.

Not all homeless people are mere victims. I am sure that many of them
are in fact lazy or irresponsible or undisciplined.

But food, shelter and medical attention when ill are physical needs
that, in terms of basic human rights should come without saying.

As contributing citizens we should all be striving for the betterment
of our society, including the rehabilitation and aid of those most in need.

Patricia Caddy

Nanaimo