Denver police officers and public works crews began clearing homeless camps near Samaritan House in downtown Denver on March 8. (RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post)
Re: What to do about homeless campers ?, March 27 Mike Rosen column.
Mike Rosen s suggestion of a community assistance center funded publicly and with private contributions is exactly what has been going on for years, and these programs are offered by homeless shelter/services providers all over America. You can find many in the Denver metro area.
Less than 10 percent of those who enter these programs will obtain any long-term benefit. Some clients have even admitted to me that they re simply taking advantage of the opportunity to recuperate from months or years of drinking and drug abuse on the streets, and they fully intend to return to that lifestyle.
The only thing that can be done is to provide a minimal level of emergency assistance, enforce the laws against camping and other petty crimes, and give up the do-gooders notion that reforming the chronically homeless is at all possible.
I ve been homeless myself for 13 years, but I don t engage in the sociopathic behavior that causes problems for society.
Max R. Weller, Boulder
This letter was published in the March 28 edition.
