Many have quit going downtown because of homeless situation

By Lethbridge Herald on December 9, 2022.

Editor:

After reading the recent Letter to the Editor from Ryan McAdams, I totally understand and sympathize with his situation regarding the homeless people around the Lethbridge Herald property. A few years ago there was a problem with the homeless sleeping and doing drugs in the heated lobby of the downtown main post office. They would discard their used needles in a garbage receptacle placed there as a convenience for the box holder rentals, causing the staff to move it inside the main area.

 So now I am sure they are throwing them in the pull- down mail slots located at the south end. A decision was made to lock the exterior doors at night and on the weekend. This caused a problem for the rental box holders to access their mail so later Canada Post required them to stop this practice. A short while ago I visited the post office to send a package and noticed a woman from the janitorial staff mopping the front area. She was talking with an employee and both were discussing that it was the worst that they had ever seen it and were wondering why security was not handling the problem. On my way out, I stopped to chat with her. 

I asked her if the situation involved the homeless people. She stated that it was, and that she had to clean up feces and urine in the one corner. I had been approached by some homeless people in the past in that lobby who asked me for money. I tried to be pleasant and told them that I was sorry but I did not have my purse, but would help if I could. I quickly left, while feeling afraid for my safety. I will never go there after the post office regular hours again. What a shame when a person fears visiting a federal building. 

Many residents have stopped coming to the downtown core due to this situation. The problem will continue unless some drastic measures are taken to do something about it. Current solutions by the city are not working. I have a feeling that there will be no end to this problem any time soon.

Kathy Braun

Lethbridge