In the Dec. 3, 2025, article about homeless people in Portland, there was information that the city’s “warming” shelter is only open when the temperature falls below 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or when there is more than 10 inches of snow (“Portland’s homeless residents struggle to stay warm as snow arrives”).

I began to wonder how many readers of the paper would survive well with minimal, used warm clothing and ill-fitting shoes while they tried to find a cubby hole in which to huddle for the night. Or how they would fare standing in line in that temperature, or snow, hoping to be one of the lucky people able to get into the warming shelter.

Our expectations of the homeless are incredible; a sad commentary on how we choose to treat those who are without. I think that we tolerate this because there is a general, ill-informed perception that homeless people are just a group of people who are too lazy to work and fully responsible for their plight. End of story. 

I’m glad that most readers of the paper are warm and cozy this winter. I certainly am and I try to ignore the misery, to my own shame.

Paul Redstone
Scarborough