Editor, Why are so many people in Hinesville, Liberty County and elsewhere homeless? We have a lot of empty rental housing in the area. Those people who can’t afford to pay for a place to live should explore the barter system. This system is for people who have no money to pay rent for housing. They can provide a service or goods to the landlord in place of cash.
Homeless people could work to landscape the areas around rental housing. They could clean up the property and repair it in exchange for free housing.
After talking to some capitalistic renters who love cash, they say they have never heard of this system or they want to abolish such a system.
I bet if the Hinesville city government and the Liberty County government started doing their jobs and fining people who litter and don’t clean up their run-down properties, it would bring revenue into the city and county.
The home and trailer renters would all love the barter system. If the people in local government can’t see these unkempt areas, maybe they need a tour of 196 West and Sharon Street and the trailer parks in Liberty County. Or someone needs to send them pictures of these areas.
Let’s put the homeless to work for free rent. This system also would work for the food-stamp program. If a recipient has no job, give them a non-paying “job” and DFCS doing cleaning or office work in exchange for free food. This is called the barter system.  

— Robert J. Wetmore
Hinesville