Helping the homeless

Regarding the article "Homeless Problem Tests Public Sympathy," Dec. 23: Having lost my home several years ago, but having many wonderful friends and family members to help take care of me and my son, I know how it must feel. The article, wonderfully written, does not get at the problem. The hope, the foresight, and a promised solution are missing.

Church groups, individuals, clubs, and organizations can build all of the houses, serve in all of the soup lines, and donate all of the clothes possible, but none of these solutions is helpful or gets at the core of the problem. Welfare and social workers are not the solutions either.

How do people get to be homeless? They couldn't all be overextended farmers who had to sell their farms; they couldn't all have made bad investments and lost everything; they couldn't all be in mental turmoil; and to say that there are no jobs available is a lie. If good is really permanent and is what counts in life, surely these people have some good in their lives that can be touched upon and restored. Gemariah Borough, Columbus, Ohio

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