Editor,
No one individual or organization is responsible, including the ACLU, for forcing the state mental hospitals to close or the VA to release mentally ill patients. The idea in the ‘60s was that local communities would be better at providing personalized care. That’s how we got the homeless everywhere.
To save the city enormous amounts of money (as demonstrated by cities like Honolulu and others that have taken them off the streets), and avoid the irritation that irrational and unacceptable public behavior may cause, we ought to provide an individual a safe cubbyhole or room with access to sanitation and a social worker, someone to check to see if meds are taken, and resources employed that may return some of our homeless to better health.
We are responsible for the 40-45 who live here, and the money to build housing is available. The dog park and the marine rescue facilities are not endangered by public housing construction. We ought to support and encourage our City Council to vote yes to house the homeless.
Businessmen and women could relax. We don’t need more police officers. We’ll all feel better about ourselves and our town.
Frances Heussenstamm, Ph.D, Laguna Beach
