Community needs to help the homeless

This letter appeared in the Gloucester Daily Times on the Opinion page on November 12, 2002

There is a serious problem of homeless people right here in Gloucester. I am not speaking of a city in New York or California but our own city, Gloucester.

Winter is fast approaching and many people of all ages are living in the Gloucester woods. There is no present solution for the increasing numbers of homeless people hitting the streets. Recently, I have seen record lines of people waiting to go into the Action shelter on Main Street. I called Ralph Johnson, director of the Action shelter and found out that they were turning away seven to nine adults a night. He told me that there was another problem surfacing. Many adolescents ages 16 to 18 were trying to come into the shelter and were being turned away with no place to go.

Action, Inc. cannot take the adolescents because they cannot be placed with adults. They have no where to go. Wellspring is a great advantage to families with children, however they do not take single persons.

I do not have the solution. Perhaps, as a community, we can find a solution to get the homeless into shelters, at least for the winter months. When there are hurricane warnings, cities find emergency shelter. This is an emergency. I am appealing to churches of all religions, private citizens and to anyone that may think of an answer to this serious problem.

All towns and cities must find a way to help the people in their own communities. It is too large a problem for just a few cities to deal with.

It is a myth that all homeless people are on drugs, are alcoholics or mentally disturbed. Many homeless people owned homes and some had apartments. The high costs of rents and the loss of jobs have made many persons homeless. I know of a person who owned a $500,000 home last year and was homeless this year. My friend encountered a 35 year-old woman with $20 to her name, living in the woods because she fled an abusive relationship.

The bottom line is that in our great country of America no one deserves to live in the woods in the winter. There has to be a warm place to put these people when our only shelter is full. I am not expecting a permanent solution right away. I would be grateful for a solution for the winter months for now. Please join Ralph Johnson, Phyllis Cefalo and me with your ideas. Call Ralph Johnson, Action, Inc. at 978-283-7874. We will all sleep better. God bless you.

FATIMA HEATH

Gloucester