Shelter needed

To the editor:

When will we have the courage to create a new and improved Lawrence Community Shelter? I know and have worked with the staff and volunteers at the shelter. They are without question the most dedicated, courageous and hard-working people I know. With very little community support they care for the mentally ill who no longer have hospital care, they work with those with special needs, the handicapped, the addicted and all those Lawrence citizens who are simply out of work and homeless.

I have attended the City Commission meetings where these same staff and volunteers stand and beg this community to allow them to build a better shelter, and I watch as the council members pass judgment. I do know that these elected officials are sitting between a rock and a hard spot when it comes to location, but when left with a choice, it is simply easier to postpone or say no to the shelter board.

What we don’t seem to realize is that it is a city problem and a city responsibility. I therefore suggest to the board of the Lawrence Community Shelter that they disband and close the shelter and if they have a few dollars left in their account, give it to the City Commission and city manager and tell them to care for the homeless.

Lawrence is not a barbaric community. I know too many people who believe that we are our brothers’ keepers. It’s time to build a new shelter.