OrilliaMatters welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected]. Please include your daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter is in response to an article about a homeless encampment being removed by the city, published June 14.
In response to the article about moving the encampment.
I was heartbroken when I read the article about the homeless encampment being dismantled and belongings of those in the city being thrown into dumpsters. They had little to begin with, now they have nothing.
Orillia has publicly owned land. Simcoe County has a homelessness strategy with millions of dollars. Therefore, give them a space where at least during the summer months, they can live safely. Provide them with the services they need including sharps containers, clean needles, support for those who want to choose a different life, and finally bins to put their garbage in.
We are talking about human beings. Not trash you can just throw away. Often, many didn't choose to be homeless. Life circumstances created their situation. Mental health is often a root cause.
Having worked in a world of people with mental health issues including injection drug use, I know for a fact, providing sharps containers and clean needles would be welcomed. Having a sanctioned site where they could live safely, would allow the van that Simcoe County has provided to I believe the Lighthouse, to reach out to these individuals with support, food and assistance to find housing in one place.
It's a simple fix for our fellow humans who are struggling at this point in their lives.
The city of Orillia should be ashamed of themselves for not allowing this to happen! It is everyone's issue — not just those experiencing homelessness.
Paul Cummings
Orillia
