Editor, OBSERVER:
I read in the paper about the town of Dunkirk housing project and would like to voice my opinion.
Why would you compete against existing housing? I don't see any low-income people living in the streets so why is there a need to invest $13 million to provide them with brand new state of the art housing? Don't people understand that money isn't coming from Uncle Sam, it's coming out of the taxpayer pockets.
If all the low-income people move out of their current residences to that beautiful apartment, what happens to all the homes in the city that will be empty. They will become a burden to the city. But wait, it's going to create a lot of construction jobs. Wasn't this the same line we heard in the city when they put the low-income housing on King and Lamphere. We all know how that turned out.
There is a large, elderly population in the city living in their older homes of which many are in need of repairs or painting that they can't afford. Why not put the young welfare recipients to work. Have any able-bodied person report at 8 a.m. to a main office and be directed to a home and help to repair or paint it. Put the $13 million to work for the taxpayers. Another idea is for Medicaid to provide a 24/7 outpatient clinic instead of them utilizing the emergency room at the hospital. What a savings for Medicaid.
ELIZABETH ARCORACI,
Dunkirk
