7 News Belize

By now the public must be familiar with the 100 promises in 100 days by the new city council. Well one of these promises is dragging up a thorny social issue - "protective custody" to deal with the homeless. The city council will try to develop a program to house the homeless in the Kolbe Foundation where they will have access to food, clothing, shelter and counseling services. Although it appears to be a good idea, it has already been brought up before - and shot down. In a press release from the mental health association, they reminded Bradley that incarcerating this population is extremely expensive, and the money could be better used for support instead of detention. Also, the rights of individuals would not be respected if these people would be forced to live at the foundation. They add that most of the homeless are not dangerous, and for those that are, the law already provides methods for dealing with them. Finally, the press release urges that the homeless should not just be locked away - out of sight out of mind.