On Dec. 30, a reader responded to the plight of the scarcity of shelters for homeless women in Sussex County. St. Jude the Apostle Church has opened its doors to 14 homeless men, but decided to not make any accommodations for homeless women.
In responding to the reader’s concern, the Rev. Brian Lewis of St. Jude the Apostle Church wondered if the reader had reached out to her own faith community to collaborate with Code Purple. However, the Rev. Lewis never did answer the question why his shelter was not opened to women.
Perhaps the Rev. Lewis, as well as others, does not realize that oftentimes, some homeless women have placed themselves in unsafe and unsavory conditions, including trading sex for a place to shelter for a night.
I believe the initial letter was an attempt to shed light on the reality that homelessness affects both men and women, and providing resources that are inclusive should be the goal.
-
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to viewpoints@capegazette.com. All letters are considered at the discretion of the newsroom and published as space allows. Due to the large volume of submissions, we cannot acknowledge receipt of each submission. Letters must include a phone number and address for verification. Keep letters to 400 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content or length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Letters should focus on local issues, not national topics or personalities. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days regarding a particular topic. Authors may submit a second letter within that time period if it pertains to a different issue. Letters may not be critical of personalities or specific businesses. Criticism of public figures is permissible. Endorsement letters for political candidates are no longer accepted. Letters must be the author’s original work, and may not be generated by artificial intelligence tools. Templates, form letters and letters containing language similar to other submissions will not be published.
