I have been a member of the Board of Directors of Aid for Friends for over a dozen years and throughout that time have also served as liaison between the Pocatello's First Presbyterian Church and AFF.

I have been amazed at the opposition to AFF's proposal to move its shelter some three blocks west. Misinformation and stereotypes abound. Testimony at the hearing on AFF's proposal and opinions voiced in the appeal to the decision made by the hearing officer were at best misleading, as has been coverage in the ISJ.

Much of the opposition seems to stem from equating "homeless" with pan-handlers. The latter are not the population AFF serves. The shelter has a no-alcohol, no-drug policy and enforces a 10 o'clock curfew for those staying in the facility. I visit the shelter at least twice a week in my dual capacities and have never felt uncomfortable or threatened. Quite the contrary, I am greeted with smiles and thanks for the things I bring, and a helping hand is volunteered when I bring heavier items (or even ones not so heavy).

If I, as a lone 84-year old woman, can feel comfortable at AFF, the residents of the homeless shelter certainly offer no threat to the businesses owned by the individual who has appealed the hearing officer's recommendation.

Mary Cox,

McCammon