Assumption College Homelessness Forum

I had the opportunity to sit on a panel discussing homelessness last Friday at Assumption College. Capacity crowd of over 100. The issue remains divisive. Lynne's balanced position on keeping non-profits accountable while insisting on quality services for low-income people is what is needed for a healthy district - she discussed this all at length at the Elm Park debate in 2005.

An idea was floated at Assumption that shows the lack of seriousness with which Haller sometimes approaches this issue. The ideas was for colleges to build housing for the homeless on their campuses with their endowments. Where does one begin with that absurd proposition?

We need real-world solutions that will reduce PIP's census, include the surrounding towns, and help these homeless citizens succeed who lack strong representation in the district currently. Pie in the sky notions like building homeless beds at educational institutions makes it sound like the Khmer Rouge are in charge in the ideas department of district 4.