The Homeless Problem

Seattle, as with many cities, has a substantial problem with homelessless.  Tent cities, people living in their cars or trucks, piles of garbage, public defecation, smell, drug use, etc.

At the same time there are numerous buildings, warehouses, office buildings, that are vacant -- and have been for years.

Why can't the city pay rent and get the homeless out of the weather?  Help them find services and training and medical services while they're there.

Why can't the city rent a few Dumpsters to place around the homeless encampments, so garbage is not a problem?

There might be some liability laws that need bending, some police that need retraining, some attitudes that need adjustment.  But smarter ideas need to prevail. Ignoring the problem isn't making it go away.

60 Minutes tonight will have a report on Seattle's homelessness problem.  It's gotten that big.

Good 60 Minutes episode. One woman living out of her RV was a full-time mail carrier. Another man that slept next to a church wall was a full-time programmer for the EPA. Rents in Seattle are outrageous, and even stable non-addicted people with full-time jobs sometimes cannot afford to rent.

Unless they live 20-30 miles outside of town, and commute. Which is itself expensive.

Mayor Durkin was interviewed and gave typical politician doublespeak. The issue has been very heated in Seattle, and solutions will not come from blaming the homeless.

New mayor Bruce Harrell is trying to make improvements, but it's a long slow process.

Which brings to mind: Republicans are fond of blaming the homeless crisis on Democrats, but actually, it was Ronald Reagan that closed all the mental health hospitals and threw a lot of desperately-ill persons on the street.  Since then, the housing crisis has been exacerbated by large corporations buying up all the affordable housing making it impossible for low income people to buy.  These vultures are encouraged by Republicans (like Mitt Romney).