First and foremost, this was a tragedy that should have never happened and my heart goes out to the family of the victim and the witnesses.

I would like to respond to the narrative that blames homeless shelters and homeless people, as a whole, for the actions of one individual.
I’d like to emphasize that the actions of one individual does not represent an entire group. Just as we shouldn’t generalize about other groups based on the actions of one person, we shouldn’t do so with homeless people either. Recently data shows a lot of our homeless population are families and elderly individuals, not the stereotypical drug addicted people. I won’t deny that those type of homeless do exist and are often the most visible. A large percentage of our population is one unexpected expense away from possibly being homeless. As a renter, I understand I, like so many others, are one decision, one broken pipe, or one electrical fire away from being in a similar situation.
What we should be highlighting is the need for better mental health services and support systems. The issue is not homelessness itself but the lack of adequate mental health care and support for vulnerable individuals.
Homeless shelters and support centers often provide crucial services, including safety, basic needs, and support to help individuals get back on their feet. A lot of these services work with local law enforcement, which can give our police and sheriff a heads up about potential problems. Without these shelters, many more people would be in dire situations, potentially increasing public safety issues.
I would like to stress the importance of addressing the root causes of homelessness, such as poverty, lack of affordable housing, and inadequate mental health care, rather than scapegoating the homeless population.
We need to advocate for solutions that enhance community safety while maintaining compassion and support for all residents. We need community programs that focus on rehabilitation, mental health care, and integration of homeless individuals into society.
We, as a community, need to understand the complexities of homelessness and advocate for more constructive and compassionate solutions. This is a national problem, not just a local one. If we truly want to solve this issue, it is going to take all of being involved.
The more people are genuinely involved in our government and community, the more potential solutions there are. We can’t keep throwing our hands up and withdrawing when our side, candidates, or party doesn’t win. I know it frustrating when we feel unheard but giving up only guarantees that you won’t be heard. As a local leader, I know our local governments listen to our communities but most of the time it is a small vocal group showing up. If you want to be heard email your comments instead of just putting them on social media, or better yet show up to a meeting and take part.

Mitch Parsons

This letter is in response to the recent article by Mr. Williams regarding the tragic murder that took place at the Ashley Inn.

As person who knows a similar loss I offer my deepest and most heartfelt sympathy to all those affected by this tragedy. As a person who has spent their professional life in social work and mental health I hear both sides of the concerns being expressed.

I believe there is room to be a community that operates from mindfulness, logic, compromise and compassion. A concern that I have regarding Lincoln County’s approach to address the houseless crisis is as follows:
Lincoln County being a rural county lacks the resources and infrastructure needed to adequately, ethically and justly serve our most vulnerable populations.

We struggle to have adequate housing for our community members which is a huge issue for attracting the specialized professionals needed to serve those in need.

We see this in our current special education system. We don’t have the professionals needed to provide services to our children and adults with special needs. We don’t have robust and cutting edge education programs or specialized services.

We see similar concerns in our medical services. We do not have the number of medical professionals needed to serve our county. SHS is forced into a position to hire agency nurses (at an extremely expensive rate), borrowing doctors and specialists from the valley to serve our community a few days a month in hopes it will be good enough.

Lincoln County has an aging population. We have minimal supports in place for people to age in place. The rates of dementia related illnesses is in the rise and we have limited supports for such individuals and their family. Many times families having to make the painful decision to have their loved one leave their life long community for the valley. Again, where is the investment in such infrastructure for our community?

We don’t have reasonably priced housing for working professionals to choose to stay and invest in building and strengthening our community by becoming permanent residents.

We have minimal resources to support those needing quality addiction related services. People are shipped to the valley and those resources are often at capacity as well.

We may have some shelter options for those who are houseless yet we lack the specialized professionals needed to properly support such individuals. Without such wrap around supports and infrastructures we are simply engaging in a band aid approach.

We don’t have the infrastructure needed in law enforcement either. People who are struggling with mental illness, addictions and traumas require specialized approaches when dealing with law enforcement. Where is the support law enforcement needs? Where are their supports of specialized crisis staff to support them when encountering such individuals? The Emergency Room is no answer, it’s at capacity and is not the place for mental health services. One or two on call crisis workers serving the entirety of the county is not realistic.

A more robust system would need to be in place to adequately, ethically and compassionately serve our entire community especially those with significant needs and disabilities. It feels reckless that the county officials would authorize the building of more shelters at this time without first properly investing in the infrastructure needed to properly support those in need.

The senseless assault and murder that recently occurred is horrific on many levels. It is horrific that a man lost his life so tragically and far to young, that his family has lost such a vital member. It is tragic that a man who has been identified as mentally ill was not in a place/situation in which he was being properly treated for his illness and being kept safe himself. It seems to me that this tragic murder has given us all space to pause, to hold those we love dear close to our hearts and to ask ourselves as a community, “what type of community do we want to be?”

We have the power of our voices and our votes. Let us take a beat, breathe and speak mindfully about the change we want to see in our community, our county.

Thank you,

Heather Chandler