Office of Jani Hitchen, Pierce County Council, District 6 announcement.
I’ve had the chance to volunteer for the annual Point in Time Count three times. This is a nationwide event that every jurisdiction receiving HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) funding must do every other year. In the state of Washington, we are required to do this annually, and in Pierce County, we take it very seriously. This census aims to capture how many people are experiencing homelessness in Pierce County in a 24-hour period. The shelters and safe parking sites all capture their residents, but volunteers take to the streets to interview those who are not as readily available.
Department staff from Human Services begin planning months before the actual date, supplies are organized, and training begin weeks before. It is incredible to see all the work come to realization when dozens of volunteers and professionals working with our unhoused population take to the streets, trails, parks, storefronts, and other places created as shelters by those in need.
I was paired with one of Tacoma Rescue Mission’s Search and Rescue Teams this year. They had a van set up with everything from socks to cat food. We had hot cocoa and hot soup to hand out along with the resources that were part of this process.
Our shift began at 9 p.m., and we returned to our starting point around 2 a.m. It was a long night, but once again, it reaffirmed my belief that the number one cause of homelessness is a family or human connection being lost. This could be from a divorce, being kicked out, fleeing domestic violence, or even removal from a family for a variety of reasons. The point is you have lost your people. You had lost those people who might have been there when your car broke down, you were sick, or you were struggling with mental health or drugs.
The compounding trauma I heard from every person I spoke to just added to my thinking about how we get in front of this. All but one person I spoke with was from Pierce County when they first became homeless, and almost all of those from Pierce County said they had been on our streets for more than five years. It was not the pandemic, and they didn’t travel from out of state or another country.
We have several things we hope will come online over the next few years, and we continue to build a network of support that includes people doing the hard work with those living unhoused who may have behavioral health, medical, and substance use disorder issues. The need is significant.
Naturally, many of our unhoused neighbors worry about their partners and where their dogs or cats might go. They worry about their safety and their belongings. They worry constantly, making it incredibly challenging to think about future planning when surviving to the next hour is the only thing they can focus on. We will keep working on this. It is not easy, but they are residents of Pierce County and human beings.
Ferry Work Update
In case you missed the recent rider alert, I want to provide some information regarding an upcoming maintenance project for our ferry system.
The Steilacoom II ferry is slated to undergo a main engine overhaul, beginning Monday, Feb. 5. Originally scheduled for fall 2023, this essential maintenance work was deferred due to challenges in the supply chain.
The Steilacoom II will be temporarily out of service during this period; maintenance is expected to last between four to six weeks. The vessel will remain in the water at the Steilacoom Terminal throughout the overhaul.
During the Steilacoom II’s downtime, the Christine Anderson will step in to ensure uninterrupted ferry services to Anderson and Ketron islands. Following the completion of the Steilacoom II project, the Christine Anderson will undergo its own main engine overhaul, beginning in mid-March. Both projects aim for completion before the peak season kicks off in May.
In the event of an emergency or any service disruptions, ferry riders may experience delays or canceled runs for an extended period, potentially lasting up to 48 hours. For more detailed information about the project, including updates and timelines, please visit www.PierceCountyWa.gov/FerryProjects.
Thank you for being part of our community and for your continued support as we work to enhance and maintain the efficiency of our ferry services.
A leader cannot afford to become overly involved with the sickest and weakest members of the unit.
That is for the lower-level staff to contend with.
A leader who dwells at the bottom, leads from the bottom.
The well-being of the unit as a whole will suffer and it will not thrive.
After all, what can a “leader” with a clipboard counting homeless people actually accomplish beyond the virtue-signal?
This leadership flaw has existed in our government for far too long and is on the verge of non-sustainability.
What we need is real leadership and a full impartial accounting of all the tax-payer funded programs which drain trillions from our stable population, while the unstable population continues to grow.
Empathy/sympathy is nice.
Leadership is essential.
I wish there was more interest in understanding and correcting, the underlying causes of homelessness, instead of programs that enable continued destructive behaviors that lead to homelessness. Substance abuse has to be a key issue and may be the result, or cause, of the loss of the family or human connection reported. Mental illness can also cause the loss of connections with others and is one of the state’s biggest failings.
Bottom line: a substance abuser must want to quit. Enabling programs only prolong, and cause further damage to the abuser, and subject the general population to criminal behaviors often required to support the abuser.