{"id":2231,"date":"2020-02-07T09:48:17","date_gmt":"2020-02-07T17:48:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/executive\/?p=2231"},"modified":"2023-06-26T13:34:18","modified_gmt":"2023-06-26T20:34:18","slug":"the-same-and-different","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/executive\/2020\/02\/07\/the-same-and-different\/","title":{"rendered":"The same and different"},"content":{"rendered":"

The annual Point-in-Time count has been completed and the results are being reviewed and analyzed.\u00a0 While very important and key to helping us develop solutions, they are still just numbers. I go out with the overnight team to help ensure those numbers are the most accurate they can be, but also to see the human side of homelessness \u2013 face to face.\u00a0 As I have said many times, there is no substitute to seeing the people and the challenges first-hand.<\/p>\n

On a cold and rainy January night two weeks ago, we gathered at 9 p.m. at the Soundview Building.\u00a0 We received our assignments and set out in cars filled with the coats, blankets and other donated items that many of you contributed.\u00a0 In the photo below you will see Valeri Knight giving the \u201covernight crew\u201d our final instructions.\u00a0 Valeri coordinates the overall effort, with the help of many others \u2013 and they do a great job with a tough assignment.<\/p>\n

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Orlando Stumvoll, from Comprehensive Life Resources, led my team again this year \u2013 street smart and compassionate.\u00a0 The rest of our team included John Barbee from Human Services, Kari Moore, a member of the Communications team, and three other people from Comprehensive Life Resources: James Pogue, Stephanie Fallon and Carrie Morrison.\u00a0 This year, we were joined by Councilmember Dave Morell and Puyallup Councilwoman Cyndy Jacobsen.<\/p>\n

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Our first stop was the large encampment by the Puyallup River just inside the eastern boundary of Tacoma. We spent about two hours there and counted about 40 people.\u00a0 Like at several of last year\u2019s camps, I was sad and frustrated to see people living in squalor and filth. It was unsafe and dangerous. \u00a0Everyone I saw was clearly impacted by substance abuse, with many compounded by mental health illnesses. Despite their obvious impairment, the residents had built substantial structures and even had a set of steps down to the lowland areas.<\/p>\n

I learned in my conversations with the people living there that a person had recently died. That sad loss reinforced my strong opinion that it is inhumane and unacceptable to allow people to remain in such conditions. They deserve better.<\/p>\n

Sadly, most of the people we met were not interested in accepting the services offered to them. What do we do for those individuals? How do we help people who can\u2019t help themselves and won\u2019t allow others to try? Do we step in and assign a guardian?\u00a0 I admit that I don\u2019t have the solution to this challenging dilemma, but I am more convinced than ever that we cannot allow people to live among needles, rodents and trash.<\/p>\n

It left me feeling as if there had been failures on many fronts.<\/p>\n

We left the Puyallup River encampment at around midnight and went to our second location, near 84th<\/sup> and Hosmer. Last year, we surveyed many people experiencing homelessness here.\u00a0 This year, we didn\u2019t see any encampments, but we did see a ton of law enforcement.\u00a0 There were lights and sirens on when we arrived, so something was obviously going on.<\/p>\n

Our next stop of the morning was the War Memorial Park and Swasey Library in the West End of Tacoma.<\/p>\n

We found an old airport shuttle van at the park that appeared to be someone\u2019s home. I followed a path in the wooded area and came to a tent camp.\u00a0 No one responded when I approached, but the site was very clean and organized \u2013 a marked contrast to the site by the river.<\/p>\n

Next, we met a man who was about 65 years old at the doorway of the Library.\u00a0 He woke up when we approached and spent a good deal of time with us. He had quite a bit to share with us \u2013 including his frustrations with some of our nonprofit service providers.\u00a0 He did, however, give a shout-out to the YMCA for allowing him to use their showers.\u00a0 He said he has been sleeping at the Library entrance for about four months.\u00a0 If he had any chemical or mental health issues, they were not readily apparent to me.<\/p>\n

The last stop on our shift was at Titlow Park overlooking the Narrows.\u00a0 There were a few cars parked there at 2:00 a.m. \u00a0One of them had a couple in their 30\u2019s living in it \u2013 packed with all their possessions.<\/p>\n

Last year, addiction and mental health seemed to impact every person I saw. This year, behavioral health was still dominant, but I also saw folks who have been forced into homelessness by our increasingly unaffordable housing market. I heard about one blind couple whose combined disability payments had not kept up with the rising housing costs. They lost their home and only recently found a new place to live.<\/p>\n

Here are a few takeaways from the cold night and my discussions with the pros on our team:<\/p>\n