I am writing to express my appreciation of the Sept. 21 commentary by Donald Mitchell about homelessness in Anchorage, titled “Hard truths about homelessness in Anchorage.” “Hard truths” means being willing to do the work needed to operate in reality, where success has a real human face and so does failure. The piece was clear, succinct, compassionate, and logical.
I liked the summary of legal/historical aspects a lot.
The legal and historical aspects of this painful local issue are infrequently put together for readers of this paper. I’d like to see more info in the paper about how and what money is being spent to address homelessness, and info on the process for evaluation of outcomes — who and what criteria.
I’d sure appreciate it if any info could be provided less with overbearing emotionality and more with policy analysis. I have been unsuccessful in learning any pertinent data from the various homelessness websites in Anchorage, and I bet I’m not the only one. How do cities handle homelessness in Montreal, Quebec; or Glasgow, Scotland; or Bangor, Maine — you get the idea.
I hope we can learn from history and perhaps revisit the legal aspects in the context of the present and in the context of our winter city. And I hope we can move it along!
— Jeanne Smith
Anchorage
Have something on your mind? Send to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Letters under 200 words have the best chance of being published. Writers should disclose any personal or professional connections with the subjects of their letters. Letters are edited for accuracy, clarity and length.