Letters: Life on street cruel and hard

Living on the street is soul destroying, says a reader. Photo / File

The article by Cira Olivier (News, June 28) made me weep - not often that happens. I have become quite hard over the years.

Twice in my life, I have slept on the streets - courtesy of newspaper editors who wanted to see what it was like - at my expense.

I can assure anyone who has not done so, it is hard, cruel and unbelievably soul destroying.

The following day I had a warm bed to crawl into, my fellow street dwellers did not. The sheer terror of knowing you have no roof over your head, no toilet handy, no hot drink or food, no future - is enough to drive anyone to end it all.

Just that fact - no future - is enough to make you wonder why you go on, it takes the kind of courage few have; it is little wonder that they turn to drugs and alcohol, anything to relieve the thought of a life with no future.

How in the name of all that's holy can we turn a blind eye to it?

Jim Adams
Rotorua

Tauranga could learn from Rotorua

An excellent article on the comparison between Tauranga and Rotorua (News, June 29) and one other major difference is in the roading area.

Virtually no pedestrian crossings, being similar to Taupo, not much yellow painted on the roads, unlike Tauranga where it is everywhere and relatively few traffic lights.

Maybe we should contract the Rotorua Council transport Division to attend to Tauranga's growing roading issues?

Mike Baker
Tauranga

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