Editor: Regarding your question of the week about Langley supplying space for people who are currently homeless: People smarter than me have yet to come up with any long-term solutions.
It is complicated, but I think there are some simple truths about these people: they deserve a space to sleep at night, they deserve to maintain their personal privacy and dignity, and if they currently cannot pay for those things, we as a wealthy and privileged society could provide it if we chose to.
And I think we should.
One idea I have been thinking of is about what kind of space would work.
From what I gather, it is not pleasant to sleep in a public setting, and your things get stolen when you sleep in a shelter.
Why not build a spot with partial walls and a solid roof with the floor painted in a grid. Each personal gets a square big enough to erect a tent and park a bicycle.
They are responsible for the cleanliness of their own spot.
It would not be too expensive to maintain and people could pay a small fee to make them feel responsible, such as $3 per night.
I know it can’t be quite this simple but it would be a starting point.
Joanne Oster,
Langley
