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Accept the marginalized

Letters

Editor:

We live in Gibsons. Homelessness and addiction is all pervasive in society as a sad statement of reality. Notably we have a lovely bathroom and shower facility now at Armours Beach, but it’s closed over the winter because there isn’t the staff to supervise off-hours usage, when used as a shelter by the homeless.

It is valid to have concerns about child and public safety, but the main driver is often “not in my neighbourhood.”

We fully agree with the comments of Marmorek/Bronson in last week’s Letter to Editor, “Homes for the homeless.” We regularly also use a condo in central Vancouver at the former Olympic Village. Not only has there always been subsidized low-rent housing within the village, but there are now not one, but two 52-unit temporary modular housing buildings for homeless people within five and 10 minutes of us, close to parks, shops and other amenities. They are supervised, and there have been no major incidents. We need to accept society’s responsibility to re-integrate the marginalized. Housing for the homeless can’t be shunted off in a remote site somewhere that does not have a high walkability index. Let’s do the right thing for people in need, within the options and budgetary capabilities of the community we have.

Rainer Borkenhagen and Anne Nikkewicz, Gibsons