The sentiment expressed by Mike Wright in a recent letter is founded on an oversimplification of the issue. More questions need to be asked.
Do farmers go to homeless camps to recruit workers, or is it easier and or more comfortable to get foreign workers? How would the homeless get to work, or even go job hunting when they don't have the means?
Would anyone hire someone who shows up unkempt in unclean, hand-me-downs? Furthermore, it's totally unrealistic to suggest that anyone could earn enough money picking fruit to rent, let alone purchase, a home in the current market. Many have mental health issues.
There is no simplistic answer. Homelessness is growing in this country and will continue to do so until there is a willingness to address the causes.
Until then, get used to homeless camps. Those folks are surviving as best they can. As a taxpayer, I'd rather my money went toward housing the poor than Christy Clark's airfare.
Howard Brown
Enderby