Pubdate: Sat, 20 Mar 2004 Source: Clarion-Ledger, The (MS) Copyright: 2004 The Clarion-Ledger Contact: http://www.clarionledger.com/about/letters.html Website: http://www.clarionledger.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/805 Author: Rex Baker GATEWAY'S FEE WILL DETER DRUG TRADE We recently stirred up a hornets' nest by deciding to charge certain residents $25 a week to stay in our shelter. Our reasons are valid. A surprising number of our long-term residents have income, with many earning several hundred dollars per week. Why would a person with income stay at a homeless mission? Some may not make enough to afford rent. Others are trying to get back on their feet. Most in these groups aren't complaining about our policy. But a number of income-earning residents choose to spend all their money on drugs and alcohol. We are tired of enabling the drug trade. We are no longer going to provide free room and board to active drug users who get a paycheck. This merely supports Jackson's drug industry. This is not about money. We turn no one away who cannot pay. This is about making a statement that we will be a haven for those escaping drugs, rather than a hangout for those using them. We will fight back, stand on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and let the chips fall where they may. Rex Baker Executive director Gateway Rescue Mission Jackson - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin