I'm responding to a letter last week regarding homeless encampments cropping up near a local middle school.

The writer evidently confirmed reports the homeless were living near a school and that one was arrested for an outstanding warrant. There was a safety concern for children since the people are not known to the community. While this is understandable and a valid concern, the writer failed to address a solution.

Whether we like it or not, those people without a roof over their heads are part of our community. Some may get needed assistance, or move on, but many will stay. What will we do with them?

I think the vast majority of citizens have compassion for the homeless issue and understand how complex this can be. The Arizona Republic recently wrote a very informative article on solutions to this crisis. It was published on March 24 of this year. The article is entitled “Arizona Senate pauses fighting to do right by the homeless.” Senate bill #1585 is available there as a word document to examine. The document outlines a pilot program to address the homeless issue. There, some valuable and workable solutions are summarized.