Dear editor,
Citations and police harassment aren’t going to reduce homelessness.
And how cruel to say people helping our poorest of the poor community members is making “the problem worse!”
With the windfall of ARPA and other “post-COVID” funds, there is no excuse for the city to by-step the goal of ending homelessness in Wausau. The money and models needed for success are available, but political will to utilize them is lacking.
The widening bifurcation between the rich and poor (Wausau ranks highest in the state for income disparity) is pushing increasingly more people into these dire straits here and elsewhere. It’s not a product of an official city mission of goodwill or “misguided do-gooders,” as one condescending alderperson may have us believe.
Unfortunately, the same people who make these vicious comments sit on the most influential committees in the city government and they are unwilling to relinquish their power while pushing for the same business-friendly and people- poor policies that offer no solution for the unhoused, the poor or the working poor in Wausau.
Bruce Grau of Wausau
Editor’s note: Wausau Pilot & Review gladly publishes commentary from readers, residents and candidates for local offices. The views of readers and columnists are independent of this newspaper and do not necessarily reflect the views of Wausau Pilot & Review. To submit, email [email protected] or mail to 500 N. Third St., Suite 208-8, Wausau, Wis. 54403.
