To the editor:

It was very refreshing to read your series on the “relief vs. rehabilitation” discussion in Lawrence. Here in Colorado Springs, Colo., we are just beginning to raise the “helping vs. enabling” issue. Your 23-page task force report shows real thought and research on the subject; I imagine we will be referring to it here as our 10-year plan task force starts to take shape.

Personally, I have been involved in homeless services in Colorado Springs for more than 20 years. There are homeless people here that I watched leave high school 20 years ago. They are still on our streets, now entering middle age, thanks in part to our “no-questions-asked” agencies. This does not strike me as even slightly humane, for the person or the community.

We will follow your progress with interest.

Matthew Parkhouse,

Colorado Springs, Colo.