Homelessness calls for more than police action

Re “LAPD Arrests Skid Row Campers,” Oct. 4

It’s unfortunate that Los Angeles, and especially Police Chief William J. Bratton, haven’t learned some of the hard lessons New York City learned about street homelessness during Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s administration -- instead focusing on expedient, short-term measures that simply sweep the problem from public view.

Certainly no one wants to see vulnerable homeless people exposed to the unrelenting dangers of the street. But policies that focus on arresting homeless people offer no lasting solution.

The complexity of the problem of homelessness requires a multilayered approach that relies on the development of long-term solutions.

Affordable housing is an essential component, along with supportive mental health and substance abuse treatment. But we also must address the broader issues of poverty and economic injustice. Access to quality healthcare and education, real skill-building and job training and a living wage are required if we are going to lift people out of homelessness once and for all.

ARNOLD S. COHEN

President and CEO

The Partnership for the Homeless

New York

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When I saw the photo of police officers dispatched to arrest homeless people, I was sickened. What kind of community arrests its most vulnerable?

People are not a blight. Homelessness is a sign of a problem that needs to be dealt with, not hidden from the light of day.

NICOLE L. GARTON

Los Angeles