The Aug. 25 story reported “Share tells homeless they must leave parking lot.” Creating housing opportunities and caring for people who are homeless is a complex, difficult job, and a task that I am convinced Share and Council for the Homeless do extremely well.
As a partner working with them in Winter Hospitality Overflow, I have association with some staff and more than a casual acquaintance of their programs and challenges they face to provide these services. The evaluations offered by frustrated people reveal the deep hurt and the tough situations they are in, but inadequately acknowledge the larger successes and impact that Share and the Council make in our community.
We all very much care for each person who is homeless in our city. We compassionately assist and tolerate the parking lot sleeper and truly do more than push papers to help. However, to provide sustainable, permanent housing or temporary shelter to all people in need with limited financial resources, ambiguous municipal cooperation, and the mission to meet the multiple and individual needs of each person or family is a far more complicated task — a task well attended to by these agencies, which caringly serve our community with the goal to end homelessness.
Chris Nolte
Vancouver
