If our intention in building affordable housing is to rid our streets of the homeless population, we will ultimately fail. The people we call the “homeless” are actually new social and economic strata of individuals. These people for a variety of reasons — be it mental health, hard times, drug addiction, etc. — choose to pitch a tent wherever they can because it’s the best they can do for themselves at the time.

Shelters and rehabilitation facilities have rules and regulations, and these strata of our population refuse to live under these restrictions. They certainly can’t afford to pay the “affordable” $1,000 a month we have read about.

No amount of affordable housing we build will cure the increasing homeless population, so get back to the drawing board.

Candas Lee Rego

Kailua

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