Last week I made the mistake of reading one of C.W. Nevius's  columns on homelessness in the Chronicle.  I was so outraged at the column that I made a few calls to other Homeless Service Providers to vent. I was planning to write to the Chronicle but dropped it, however today in the letters to the Editor Someone else wrote a letter that shed some light on the issue.  So I hope it is ok to reprint his letter on our blog. - Eric Quezada

Editor - C.W. Nevius' March 13 column, "How helping the homeless can hurt them," calls into question the efforts of the lawyers, staff, and volunteers who dedicate their time to advocating on behalf of the homeless. It forces us to ask: What is the role of the advocate?

The column attempts to connect the late James Hill's behavior with a path through the criminal justice system and into substance-abuse treatment. It is a false connection, as there is a severe lack of substance-abuse treatment in San Francisco. There are hundreds waiting for treatment every day. This year the city is proposing to cut substance abuse treatment and community-based mental health treatment again by 15 percent.

Mr. Hill was never offered access to treatment. Instead, the prosecutor offered to drop the charges if Mr. Hill found services and showed proof that he had gone. But with no treatment available, such an offer is as good as a conviction, and the inevitable result is jail without ever getting treatment.

The role of the advocate is to work toward real solutions to economic and social injustices. The real story here is the city's lack of services in housing, mental health and substance abuse. The role of the columnist is to recognize such facts.

AARON ZAGORY

Stanford