Letter: Compassion without accountability is failing Clark County

Sarah Mittelman says that if we are going to have a serious conversation about boondoggles, waste, and failed public stewardship, then we should also be honest about our homelessness response

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and may not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com

Sarah Mittelman

Sam Churchill’s recent letter reflects a frustration many people in Clark County share. People are tired of public systems that cost money, promise improvement, and still leave residents feeling like disorder is growing and accountability is nowhere to be found.

That frustration is real. But it should not stop with the bridge.

If we are going to have a serious conversation about boondoggles, waste, and failed public stewardship, then we should also be honest about our homelessness response. For too long, our region has embraced compassion without accountability and spending without enough measurable results.

And if the bridge does bring added pressure, that should raise an even harder question: are local leaders managing the burden we already have in a way the public can clearly evaluate? Residents should not be asked to simply trust that more spending and more programs will eventually solve the problem. They should expect clear standards, honest reporting, and evidence of what is actually improving.

As a psychiatric provider working directly with people struggling with homelessness, addiction, and serious mental illness, I believe deeply in treatment, outreach, and access to care. But support without structure does not create stability. Good intentions do not make policy work. Public dollars should be tied to clear expectations, safer streets, fewer repeat crises, better treatment engagement, and more people moving toward stability.

Taxpayers have every right to ask hard questions. Are our policies reducing visible disorder? Are they reducing chronic homelessness? Are they improving public safety? Are they producing real outcomes for the money spent?

The public is not wrong to be frustrated. Sam Churchill’s letter reflects a broader loss of trust in public stewardship, and that trust will not be rebuilt by compassion without accountability or spending without better outcomes.

Sarah Mittelman, DNP, PMHNP-BC
Vancouver