Cambridge's views towards homeless ignores reality

In a recent Crimson article (News, “Parents Question Homeless Policy,” Nov. 16) I was quite surprised at the reaction of Cambridge parents to what they claimed was the City’s putting “the rights of homeless people” above the “safety and health of children.” Homeless people make use of parks and other public spaces because there are no other places for them to be.

The shelters serving homeless people have dealt with a 16 percent increase in the number of people seeking assistance, and this comes after a 15 percent cut in funding from the state, which funds the overwhelming majority of shelters that serve individuals.

We all want our communities to be safe and clean. In order for that to happen, prompt, reasonable assistance must be offered to those citizens who lack the resources or ability to meet basic needs without the assistance of others.

I invite those parents concerned about their children’s safety to visit our shelter across from Cambridge Common (where my, now, 6 year old, son has spent time, nearly every week day, since he was three months old). They can learn why the poor all to often find they have few, if any alternative, to living on the streets of Cambridge and other communities.

JIM STEWART

Cambridge, Mass.

Nov. 16, 2004