TO THE EDITOR:
Re: "Mayor 'surprised' by non-housing revelations," Oct. 19.
I was very disappointed to read two articles sensationalizing the fact that not all of the residents of the first four of 14 social housing projects have been previously homeless, and equally disappointed in the political exploitation of this "discovery."
It would be extremely negligent to build 1,500 units for only one portion of the population. The housing is, and should be, a balanced mix of individuals who are at high risk of being homeless (proactively addressing the issue, rather than being reactive), individuals from other programs such as drug treatment, who have then freed up a bed or space in their program for other participants, and those who were previously homeless. The criticism of the current mix of population displays an ignorance of the purpose, the management and the functionality of nonmarket housing.
Brenda Martens,
Vancouver
