I was horrified to read that Tauranga City Council is resorting to felling trees purely to help flush out homeless people in the Mount Drury area.
How short-sighted. Apart from doing nothing to improve the situation of the homeless, the council is going to partially destroy one of the most beautiful areas in the Mount.
These people don't need punitive measures to make them feel even more uncomfortable than they already feel. They need understanding and support from those of us who have had a more fortunate life than they have.
Almost without exception, these people have had a tragic and traumatic life, which has left them feeling hopeless, dispossessed, unloved and unwanted.
What they need is just the opposite. They need to be heard, to be given some hope again, they need some proper shelter, they need to be loved and valued.
The council should be spending their money on this, rather than felling trees at the ratepayers' expense. As an idea, why don't various faith groups and other caring citizens of the Tauranga and Mount areas try befriending these people, listen to their story (you can be sure they have one); and maybe shout them a feed and see if they can be helped in any way to be a valued member of society again.
Warren Parkinson, Maungatapu.