Letter: Categorizing the homeless

Monday, April 8, 2002 | 9:04 a.m.

During the 2000 census I worked as a team leader (of 14 enumerators). I worked primarily in downtown Las Vegas, with much time being spent at various soup kitchens and homeless shelters.

While some of these people were down on their luck, others were either obviously mentally deficient, to the point that they could never be gainfully employed. Still many others refused to give their names. When asked why not, many replied that they were wanted by law enforcement in other cities; some admitted to being felons. Some at the soup kitchens would not go into a shelter because they could not take their drugs with them.

The reality of the homeless is: Most belong either in an insane asylum or jail. A few need temporary help and they will advance themselves. They need to be separated into the proper categories and dealt with accordingly.

DON EGGLESTON

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