Illinois Valley News welcomes letters to the editor.
Please e-mail them to laura@theivnews.com
POLICY ON LETTERS:
‘Illinois Valley News’ encourages letters to the editor provided they are legible and not libelous or scurrilous. All letters must be signed, including name, address and telephone number. The latter need not be published but will be used to verify authenticity. The “News” reserves the right to edit letters. Letters are used at the discretion of the publisher.
(Editor’s Note: Views and commentary, including statements made as fact are strictly those of the letter writers)
Readers sounds off on unhoused
The number of unhoused people has increased in the Illinois Valley. It is critical for elected officials and community leaders to turn to real solutions, and not responses that are for political reasons, that are ineffective and inhumane, such as fining, ticketing, arresting, or otherwise punishing people for not having a home.
Criminalization is not a solution to homelessness. Arrests, fines, jail time, and criminal records make it more difficult for individuals to access the housing, employment, and healthcare needed to exit homelessness. Criminalization is ineffective and expensive and will only fuel racial inequities in our community. Instead, the public must demand that elected officials follow the evidence on what works.
Luckily, decades of evidence make clear that the best way to address homelessness is to provide people with affordable, stable housing and supportive services, like case management, healthcare, and mental health and substance use services.
Rather than allowing our elected officials to waste resources on failed, inhumane approaches, we must hold them accountable and demand real investments in what works – supportive housing!
Check out the website: https://johnsonvgrantspass.com/.
Betty Blair
Cave Junction