Another opinion

While the writer of the following opinion is right that we need to get to the root causes of homelessness, I think the tone is angry, and she seems to vilify people with mental illness, as if they have any choice in the matter:

"Most people who use the O.C. armories for emergency shelter in the winter tend to be people who have been homeless for years, often for decades ["Homeless, with cancer," Local, Dec. 23]. They are not people who just lost their jobs because of a layoff. These are people who haven't had a full-time job in 10 years, if they ever had one.

They are chronic homeless, who cycle in and out of shelters and motels all their lives. Most have been enrolled in well-funded transitional housing programs but dropped out or failed.

Unfortunately, many of these people have children whom they can't or won't provide for.

Most of these folks suffer from chronic mental illnesses or addictions. The mentally ill refuse to comply with medication and treatment that can make them functional and employable. By law, they cannot be forced into treatment and taxpayers are forced to continue to endure their psychotic episodes, irrational and unpredictable behavior, financial dependency, occasional violence and parental destructiveness.

Addicts look for free housing to free up welfare or disability money so they can purchase drugs and alcohol. All an addict has to do is have several out-of-wedlock children and then, they can claim welfare benefits. If you take the children away from addicts, they scream bloody murder because they lost their drug money (welfare).

Handing out money and benefits to this population is counter-productive. Providing free food and shelter does not address root causes. Dipsy articles about helping the homeless by giving them more money are useless and wasteful. If you don't have the stomach to address the real problems, don't give advice."

Jennifer Marks

Orange