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LETTER: City’s homeless need help

One can only hope that city councillors will follow up on Rushton’s clear advice to get the homeless off the street before the snow...

Mark Rushton’s “Time to act on homeless is now,” in the Oct. 1 Abbotsford News, is a wake-up call for a slow moving city hall.

One can only hope that city councillors will follow up on Rushton’s clear advice to get the homeless off the street before the snow starts flying.

It is absolutely sickening to drive by the homeless settlement on Gladys Avenue and watch the dire needs these homeless live in without heat and washroom facilities.

It is captivating to watch how that city councillors enjoy the pure luxury of a castle like city hall themselves while squandering precious time to get the less fortunate off the street.

My question to each councillor is what if one of these homeless folks were your child, or relative, what would your reaction be then?

Abbotsford councillors are the ones able to hurry along to improve the disgusting needs we see at Gladys Avenue.

Frankly, dumping your huge problem onto a small segment of citizens  in the Gladys area and the downtown core of Abbotsford is not fair at all. Many folks living in that area already feel threatened with various disrespectful fellows wandering the streets night and day in their neighbourhoods.

How I pray city councillors will take Mark Rushton’s suggestion to heart by promptly accepting the offer by a landowner to provide a village-like site for the homeless only a kilometre north of town. These measures could be taken very soon.

Fact remains that Abbotsford councillors were chosen to look after all of the citizens in Abbotsford, regardless of their status in life. Ever heard of “Carrying each others burdens?”

Most citizens would call such positive move genuine compassion from the top down.

Gertie Pool

Abbotsford