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Let's build the new prison and turn the old prison into a homeless shelter. The homeless could voluntarily admit themselves into the shelter or be involuntarily put there after their third violation (vagrancy, etc).
We could put all our help clinics there and screen the homeless for any health issues, mental or physical, and get them the proper care. Work units could be bused out daily and utilized by the community and businesses for needed work and find out which individuals can and will work. Training and schooling would be available and children would be given public education.
You could separate families, drug users, individuals with mental health problems, etc. You could develop half-way houses in the community for the homeless to work themselves out of being homeless. Offer any jobs at the shelter (cooks, janitors, gardeners, laundry workers, etc.) to the shelter residents.
There will always be people who prefer to be homeless, just as there are prisoners who are serving life, but three meals a day and a bed and shelter and health care could change many of our homeless into productive citizens. We do not need more congestion and development where the prison is now. Let's work on a real solution for the homeless.
Pam Mayne
Bountiful