To the editor:

Congratulations to Leita Walker for her series on Lawrence housing for the impoverished population in our community. She has done an outstanding job of exposing the hardships these people face in finding safe housing for their families.

Those of us who work in a social service field know all too well the horrors and exploitation these families face. Although her exposure is greatly appreciated, these issues have been present in Lawrence for many years with no oversight from city officials.

Sad, also, is the fact that Ms. Walker has only scratched the surface of exposing Lawrence’s negligent landlords. There are a number of property owners in this community who take full financial advantage of the plight of the poor and powerless.

Lawrence is a wonderful community filled with caring people. However, Lawrence is also filled with those who prefer ignoring the housing plight of the poor and keeping the poor tied to one section of town to live in unsafe, unsanitary housing.

My hope is that Ms. Walker’s articles will put pressure on city officials and others to punish the landlords who take advantage of those who have few housing options. I also hope her stories increase community awareness about families who struggle and try hard on limited resources to keep their families safe.

Tracy Bedell,

Lawrence