On July 6, the front page of your newspaper boasted of helping the 70 displaced families who have recently come to our country whom are now staying at a temporary shelter in Portland (“Portland-area residents line up to host migrant families from Africa“). Several people have offered their homes, temporarily, to help these people.

As much as I empathize with these desperate families, and appreciate their dire circumstances, I was taken aback as I read further into the newspaper. There was an article (with much less attention) about a homeless single mother in Belfast with the (only) option of being given a tent and camping gear for temporary shelter. She was instructed to find a private property owner for permission to park her tent. I understand that her choice was to “couch surf.”

What does this example show how we treat our own citizens? As much as a desperate need is out there to escape other countries and find hope and shelter, what about our own people?

I am appalled that we cannot and do not treat our own citizens as well as others from other corners of the world. I just feel that we need to take care of our own people first. I hope that this single mother in Belfast finds a safe place to live.

 

Susan Murphy

Augusta