Tacoma’s Hilltop is not an affluent neighborhood. The residents struggle even if they have their own home. Sometimes furniture is abandoned and then just left for the elements to wear it down.
On the 28th of September I took photographs for St Vinnie’s fundraiser to fight homelessness. People raised money to help the fight. The event took place in Tacoma’s Wright park, just blocks away from Hilltop. I saw three tents at the park and I am guessing they were owned and lived in by homeless people. The areas around the tents were clean. Actually, they had beautiful views of the park and the fountains. I am almost jealous . . . almost. It was rainy and cool on the 28th, but nowhere like this last week here in October.
I heard the news about the police raid. It sure seemed like a raid without warning. I had seen the tents and shelters the week before when I had a coffee meeting with a friend at The Red Elm on MLK. I had intended to return and take photos of the block of tents.
I have long heard of the problem of the homeless tents. The people and their tents were run out of People’s Park and they came back, then they were run out again to South J. And now they are back at People’s Park.
This is not a Tacoma problem. The same thing is happening in Portland, Oregon. City Commissioner hopeful Jack Kerfoot is looking for solutions there. I take the Seattle Times and the Tacoma News Tribune morning papers, so I know that our neighbor to the north has the same concerns. If homelessness and tent cities are happening here in Seattle, Tacoma, and Portland, then I’ve got a pretty good guess that this is happening elsewhere in America. We should be able to figure out how to overcome the situation without raids and dismantling. This is a growing problem.
I don’t know how many people are camping at People’s Park. In the cold and wet days of October it looks like people must be gathered inside their portable homes to keep warm and dry. So, the problem was not corrected or erased by adding misery to the homelessness. Surely, we can find a solution that doesn’t involve more pain and anguish.
Hire the homeless. https://thesubtimes.com/2018/02/27/letter-hire-the-homeless/
David,
Thanks for commenting.
I do like the hire the homeless suggestion. I think the details could be worked out and shared with other cities and towns. But still something has to be done about affordable housing. It takes more than just getting a job. Housing just keeps going up and up. To people with little money this must weigh on them every second of the day.
Thanks for sharing.
Don
A thoughtful and caring peak into this continuing issue. We drive by, on our way to dinner or home to our dry/warm abodes, and too many assume that “those” people have created their own “hell” by their unacceptable behaviors. Last year the play “In Our Backyard” was presented in 6 outdoor locations around our city with people who were currently homeless, or had been homeless, playing each part. When the play ended they gathered on the “stage”, removed their animal heads (essential to the play’s theme) and stood before the audience, bravely and briefly sharing their stories..
I seldom drive home at night without wondering if I might be hit by another car, thrown headfirst a hundred feet, land on my head, and suffer severe and irreparable brain and physical injury….like the woman who could no longer work as a teacher at a prestigious private-school here in
Tacoma. She has no family as her parents have died….and her fiancé was killed In the accident.
Nan,
Thanks for the comment.
Indeed, it is a hard life. With the rising cost of housing, it’s almost an impossible reach away for many.
Here is the cheapest one bedroom apartment I could find in Tacoma on Craigslist: $843 350ft2. Minimum wage in Tacoma is $12.35 per hour, which equates to less than $500 a week with a take home of probably $375 or less? This leaves about $650 dollars a month for transportation, food, medicine, and clothing. Even a diet of Top Ramen and a can of tuna fish and some bread for each meal is going to cost $180. This doesn’t leave much room for a miscalculation and nutrition.
Thanks for sharing.
Don
IMHO, remove laws and ordnances that maintain a threshold for the current standard of living. Example: building codes. Yes, people are killed and injured in structures that don’t meet code, but many of those structures are quite habitable. I see boarded up houses that could be occupied but do not pass codes. At least they are an address and a roof over ones head, and yes, it may fall on their head or may catch fire. The current alternative is a tent, with nothing in between.
Back in the olden days, knob and tube wiring and fuse boxes were standard, today is unlawful. Safety is the theme, but the tradeoff seems to be an unheated tent?
Maybe we should revisit the shanty towns and Hoovervilles of the past as they could be a relvant alternative working solution.
Dear P,
Thanks for commenting.
I think Tacoma has changed some of their requirements considering mother-in-law apartments, and building restrictions on yard sizes, I think you’re right. More can be done. I think we need a concerted effort to provide solutions. It looks like each community is now facing similar problems with homelessness. In other locations in the world I’ve seen 3-D printers build a house in a day. Why not here?
Thanks for sharing.
Don
Here is the Washington State Legislative hotline keep it in your favorites 1-800-562-6000
The operators are so kind and will find your representative (you have 3 ) and tell you their names and take down your brief message for example I start with ” I am a voter and a constituent of or I am not sure who my representative is (they will tell you) then leave your brief position on this homeless crisis and say we need to create a wealth tax to fund the homeless crisis asap. We need legislators who work for all the people. Homelessness hurts all of us!” THE IMPORTANT POINT HERE IS IF THE LEGISLATURE GETS A LOT OF CALLS AND OR EMAILS FROM THEIR CONSTITUENTS THEY ACT! I HAVE SEEN IT AS RECENTLY AS LAST YEAR ON A BILL THAT INSLEE VETOED BECAUSE OF THE HUGE NUMBER OF CALLS AND EMAILS FROM VOTERS. YOU CAN DO THIS INDIVIDUALLY OR YOU CAN DO IT AS A GROUP IN YOUR CHURCH, OR YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD OR ANOTHER GROUP YOU BELONG TO. JUST DO IT! AND START GOOGLING WHAT CITIES HAVE SUCCESS IN HOUSING THE HOMELESS. AND YOU WILL BE SURPRISED AT THE SOLUTIONS OTHER CITIES HAVE HAD. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS THERE ARE SOLUTIONS.
I think the Tacoma City Council and the other State of Washington appropriate departments have the resources to ORGANIZE a new department of homelessness. Send out a call to the experts needed who have the REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCE ABOUT WHAT HAS BEEN TRIED AND WORKS IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. In the age of the internet, there is no excuse for not forming an Agency that has the mission of focusing totally and only on the resources NOW FOR A TEMPORARY SOLUTION AND ANOTHER SECTION THAT IS SEARCHING OTHER CITIES AROUND AMERICA THAT HAVE SUCCESSFUL SOLUTIONS. I KNOW some CITIES BUILD SMALL HOUSES THAT CAN BE BUILT QUICKLY MAYBE HOME DEPOT, LOWES, HABITAT FOR HUMANITY AND I HAVE SEEN INNOVATIONS OF QUICK DECENT EMERGENCY HOUSING. ADD ANOTHER MAJOR POINT AS LONG AS WE HAVE THE RICHEST MAN CLAIMING RESIDENCE IN THE STATE OF WASHINGTON USING YES EXPLOITING THE TAXPAYER FUNDED ROADS, POLICE, FIRE, PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES TO MAKE HIS BILLIONS AND PAYS NO TAX BUT WE THE PEOPLE THE TAXPAYERS PAY MORE % PERCENTAGE OF OUR INCOME THEN THE MORBIDLY RICH MONEY HOARDERS THAT IS THE REASON WE HAVE NOT HAD THE RESULTS WE HAVE!!!!! WHEN SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL VOTED TO PASS A WEALTH TAX (did you ask why?) and AMAZON JEFF BEZO’S IMMEDIATE REACTIONARY BEHAVIOR WAS TO ISSUE A PRONOUNCEMENT THAT HE WOULD STOP BUILDING AT A CONSTRUCTION SITE SENDING A CLEAR MESSAGE THAT CAUSED THE CITY COUNCIL TO RESCIND THEIR TAX WHO IS RUNNING THE DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED BY THE TAXPAYERS COMMUNITY? WHO IS REPRESENTING THE PEOPLE? WHO IS BUYING THE INFLUENCE THAT IS HURTING THE PEOPLE? WE NEED TO ELECT PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTAND THAT PUBLIC OFFICE IS NOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO FILL ONE’s POCKETS WITH BRIBES FROM THE 1% WHO HAVE STOLEN OUR DEMOCRACY. WE THE PEOPLE NOT WE THE MORBIDLY RICH MONEY EXPLOITERS OF THE PEOPLE. IF WE TAXED THESE BILLIONAIRES IN OUR STATE TO CORRECT THE UNAFFORDABLE HOUSING SHORTAGE THAT IS CAUSED BY THE CORRUPTION OF POWER WE COULD START TO SOLVE THE HOMELESS PROBLEM. SOME WILL NEVER BE SOLVED BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE HOMELESS HAVE PROBLEMS THAT ARE SOLVEABLE! IF EVERYONE WOULD TAKE THE TIME TO CALL THE LEGISLATIVE HOTLINE AND LEAVE A BRIEF MESSAGE TO THEIR STATE REPRESENTATIVE AND THEIR CITY REPRESENTATIVE THAT WE WILL ONLY SUPPORT ELECTED OFFICIALS WHO LISTEN TO THE NEEDS OF THEIR CONSTITUENTS AND THAT WE NEED A WEALTH TAX A FAIR AND JUST TAX SYSTEM THAT SUPPORTS THE PEOPLE WHO WORK AND MAKE THESE BILLIONAIRES EXCESSIVELY WEALTHY. IT IS UNCONSCIONABLE THAT THERE EVEN ARE BILLIONAIRES BECAUSE NO ONE NEEDS HUNDREDS OF BILLONS OF DOLLARS THAT IS EVIL UNJUST AND UNAMERICAN.
Lynnette,
Thank you for your comments.
I agree, we need to find a solution to the homelessness situation, fund the efforts, and heal the divide.
Thank you for the phone number and other pertinent information.
Thanks for sharing.
Don