I have worked at a homeless shelter for eight months after working at a residence with four mentally challenged men for two years, trying to pinpoint the problem and its solution.

The problem is sometimes called "the homeless," other times "homelessness" and still other times both, although the problem is neither one.

A different problem had been "the retarded," but that was solved when they became "the mentally challenged." Why? The mentally challenged gained rights, rights which required services -- rights that the homeless in Maine still don't have.

On behalf of the homeless -- guests, as we call them -- for whom I work at the shelter, I am asking our state legislators to agree through legislation that the homeless in the state of Maine have rights.

I ask them to pass laws that require the state to provide certain services during the average 30- to 90-day period that an individual or family waits at a shelter for a housing voucher, thereby fixing the real problem -- or problems -- that causes/cause homelessness.

The rights should be:

* The right to housing, new or renovated, which is safe and affordable at low and middle income levels. Housing that fits the basic needs of the individual or family.

* The right to health care, from diagnosis to treatment; physical and/or mental care and/or medication(s). For some, the main cause of homelessness is mental illness, which may or may not have been diagnosed or treated, or may have changed over time, for which the homeless may or may not have the funds for a co-pay or the cash for full payment.

For others, physical disabilities or untreated physical health issues may have led to the loss of a job and then homelessness.

* The right to work, which, if the individual has no transportation, may include the right to transportation to and from a job. The right to work might start with a job coach, someone who could assess past employment, the need for retraining, the need for resume help. Without work, without income, there is no means by which someone can pay for the housing that has been obtained, thus repeating the problem.

* The right to food, access to a food bank or grocery store near a shelter.

* The right to a trained staff and standards of operation. Agencies that support the mentally challenged are required to train their staffs using a state-approved course of 14 sections. No one is currently trained to work with the homeless. Agencies that support the mentally challenged are required to keep residences safe, secure and in a good state of repair. Currently, any building can become a shelter. There should be a state agency that oversees the shelters and their staffs.

The homeless in Maine, once housed, too often will be homeless again, and we as a state will need to house them again. And again.

Why?

We don't solve the problems.

As one staff member at the shelter honestly told a homeless person, "I am paid to submit your housing application, period."

No one is paid to provide the full spectrum of health care for, to find work for, to feed the homeless within a shelter. No one is paid to train the staffs, to inspect the buildings. The homeless have no rights and so are guaranteed no services. We spend money to make the homeless no longer homeless -- but fail to spend money to fix the problems that lead back to homelessness.

Winthrop Smith worked with mentally challenged residents in Hyannis, Mass. and in Lewiston. He currently works for the Bread of Life Ministries homeless shelter in Augusta. He was assisted with writing this article by one of the shelter guests.