To the Editor:
Thank you for the well written article, "Putting a Face on
Homelessness," by Victoria Ross (The Connection, March 6-12, 2013). There were also articles and stories in local media, including The Washington Post, local radio and TV stations. One thing each of these media left out was that over one quarter of the people surveyed by the army of volunteers were over age 55. Much was said about the 23 percent of those surveyed that fell into the 18-34 age bracket. I think most would agree that people in this age bracket are physically more able to withstand the rigors of being homeless than people over the age of 55—and especially more so than those over the age of 70. People age 18-34 are also much more able to
gain employment than seniors. I could go on, but am just curious why not one media outlet (including The Connection) chose not even to mention this fact. Like most people, I would like to see homelessness totally eradicated in our county and all counties for that matter.
Seeing senior citizens living on the streets, in their cars and in
county homeless shelters is particularly unnerving. Hopefully others will feel the same way.
Robert Paxton
Falls Church