When I reached the end of the first paragraph of Mr. Warkentin’s letter I was shaking my head and having yet another self-righteous cretin share his “expertise” on the homeless. By the end of the letter I wanted to scream “ARRGGHH!! Not another one.”

The only thing Mr. Warkentin (and others who tell the same tale of woe) appears to be expert at is enabling drug addicts to stay in their addiction, avoiding reality and the choices that having to face reality force upon the addict. This is evident from his own statement: ” Like a magnet, last Saturday I was drawn to Abby’s cocaine king.”I have no idea what need Mr. Warkentin has that drives him to repeat this pattern of failure over and over. Perhaps he needs to be a martyr – “poor, poor me; I give so much, it does no good and I am abused or taken advantage of.” Obviously the stories he tells (so believably) are the gut of his sympathy line. I have heard them all. I would suggest that Mr. Warkentin seek treatment for his need (or addiction) to behave in this destructive manner. If not for his own sake then fo the sake of all the addicts his actions harm.

For Mr. Warkentin is correct on one point – you DO NOT give money to an addict. Giving a job to an addict who is not in recovery is just the same as handing them money to enable them to continue to live in and pursue their addiction. You give them shelter, access to amenities (showers, laundry etc.) and food. You provide a way to maintain contact with the addict until reality has come to call and has them, at some point, ready to face and make choices. at which point you give them support and help in seeking and finding treatment. Once they are in or finished treatment you provide them help and support in getting established in the community and establishing a healthy life style. This is the point at which finding/giving them jobs is helpful to them.

Cretin. What else but cretinous could you call repeating the same behaviour over and over for 40 years, expecting that this time the outcome (addicts behaviour) will be different? You would think that a Mr. Warkenin and others supposedly thinking people would come to realize that what they do, or what actions they advocate, are not working and try another approach. But then what can you expect from a writer who cannot distinguish between homelessness and addiction. The homeless are a widely varied group. Made up of people such as: those who lost their jobs and whose world collapsed under their debt load, putting them on the street; those who for a variety of reasons (such as my own mental illness) had their world implode and are struggling to get re-established; the working poor; the mentally challenged; the mentally ill and many other sub-groups. Yes, there is a sizable segment of the homeless who suffer from addiction. If Mr. Warkentin really understood anything about the homeless he would know he has not accumulated “many lessons learned from the homeless” but that he has been floundering in the world of the addict and addiction.

Addiction is a harsh and demanding Mistress. Helping the addict is a long, frustrating and pretty much thankless task. But I want to live in and contribute to the type of society that does not throwaway people, but has the patience, integrity and spirituality to aid even the least of our fellow citizens. Even if they ain’t pretty – or thankful.