Sometimes – in fact, probably, most times – people who live and work in Lawrence have a better idea how to address local issues than any outside “experts.”

An example of that came last week when the leader of a national advocacy organization for homeless people advised a local group that Lawrence needs to locate a homeless shelter in or near downtown. Locating a shelter in a residential or industrial area only causes problems, he said.

Fortunately, members of the city’s Community Commission on Homelessness didn’t automatically accept the judgment of Michael Stoops, acting national director of the Coalition on Homelessness, a group that, by the way, has named Lawrence as the second “meanest” city in the nation to its homeless population.

There are factors in Lawrence that might make downtown not the ideal location for a homeless shelter, members of the local group said. For instance, Lawrence has more retail businesses downtown than many cities and not all agencies that provide services to the homeless are near downtown Lawrence.

Dealing with the city’s homeless population continues to be a difficult problem for Lawrence, and there are many opinions on where a homeless shelter would best be located. Those are, however, issues that are best discussed and decided by local residents who know Lawrence. They, not an outside “expert” on homeless affairs, are best equipped to make the best decisions for Lawrence.