I find it shocking that our Assembly is considering an ordinance to make it illegal to be homeless. The proposal by the mayor would let the police force homeless people from the core downtown area where they are spending the night, regardless of weather and regardless of whether they have a safe alternative place to go.
Many of these people – our fellow Juneau citizens – have addiction or mental problems that prevent them from spending nights at already overburdened shelters. The result is that the homeless will have to spend their nights huddled just outside the core downtown area, on private or public property. Or, if they weather becomes too cold, they will simply freeze to death.
The only rational and human measure is to establish safe shelters for nightly use, where the homeless, including those who are inebriated or have mental issues, are accepted and find safe shelter. The next step is to fund programs to deal with issues of public inebriation and with mental health problems, so that fewer people find themselves having nowhere safe to go at night. When this is accomplished, then we can think about banning the homeless from sleeping on the streets. These are real people, not nuisances, and we gain nothing by simply “moving them along” when there is nowhere for them to move along to. Being homeless should not be declared a criminal act.
Douglas K. Mertz
Juneau
