Dear Editor,
[Re: Is Maple Ridge’s approach to homeless and drug problems really helping?, Sept. 10, The News letters ]
The situation seems to be getting worse and most of us can see this “homes first” approach is not working well at all.
Perhaps for a very few, but not in general.
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Decriminalizing drugs sounds pretty scary to me, as well.
Enabling used to be something we tried to avoid for the sake of the individuals.
It has been 30 plus years now, and things are getting more serious every day.
I witnessed a poor man struggling to even stand up outside the back door of BMO downtown and the sight brought me to tears.
I was also at a meeting in town with a lady who had worked downtown during the closing of Riverview.
She was a big advocate at the time, but 25 years later realized it wasn’t working.
They need help with mental health issues and drug addiction.
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Trauma in their lives probably brought most of them to where they are now and that needs to be dealt with first.
Get them on the road to recovery and then give them a place to live.
We are a bedroom community of Vancouver and we are going to have this issue until everyone, everywhere deals with it properly.
If we are going to provide housing, we also need to provide help with the issues, not drugs.
We are the taxpayers and deserve an input that is being listened to.
Kathy Mang, Maple Ridge
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