GuelphToday received the following letter to the editor from Marilyn Pypa regarding the downtown encampment:
Time to move the tent encampment downtown.
The city core is suffering from an unsightly amount of homelessness and tenting out in the open. The mayor and city council have failed to contain this problem and spreads every week with new tents and new homeless popping up without fail.
The homeless situation can be managed with proper planning. Perhaps the Red Cross can deal with this better than the city can. The homeless population is diverse – this is known. It includes disabled, social assistance recipients, elderly, profoundly mentally ill, drug addicted, refugees and working poor. I'm well familiar with this. But all of these diverse people could have their needs potentially met better than what is currently being done for them. No action creates deterioration in both the health and welfare of the homeless and the survival of downtown businesses and public foot traffic.
There is absolutely no effort being made to address any of it and it's frustrating to watch unfold.
– Marilyn Pypa
