THANK YOU Homes NOW! Not Later...
During my education at Bellingham Technical College (BTC), a dear friend of mine was found in a vacant rental house deceased from a drug overdose September 2016. Winter storm of 2016 prompted the City to issue an emergency permit to host additional space for overnight shelter at the Lighthouse Mission's Drop-in-Center (DIC) which was not purposed or at code for shelter occupancy. This permit extended while City sought location for additional 200-bed shelter. Winter 2017, many individuals stepped forward with accounts of distress...
MY HISTORY WITH HOMES NOW
I met Jim Peterson on a forum online for people who are survivors of opioid addiction, as well as family and friends of lost loved ones to opioid addiction. I met Carol, his wife, online shortly afterward and shared my story with both of them. I followed Jim online as a friend and was in support of his actions to bring awareness to Bellingham WA re homelessness. To address the homelessness issue, Jim Peterson wanted to video record living on the street in real-time. This effort lasted less than a week due to PTSD from having been homeless for seventeen years of his own life with health issues that made it more difficult to survive street life now. It was at this time that Jim and Douglas Gustafson co-hosted a SleepOut as a second effort to bring awareness together in a single tent in front of City Hall.
The SleepOut for Homelessness Awareness in December 2017 grew to over 60 people temporarily camped outside of City Hall who were seeking relief during winter months because they were without homes or viable shelter. Most of these individuals were not able to satisfy their immediate needs at the local shelter due to extenuating circumstances which posed risk to their health or well-being. Many made testimonies of their circumstances requesting assistance during public comments at City Hall during the 3 nights and two week extension of the SleepOut. The camp was terminated by the city a week before Christmas and devastating to us all, several lives that winter were lost. It was at this time that the city and the people engaged in heated discussions for solutions.
I started a petition shortly after the SleepOut as an effort to prompt the entire city to action. I contacted ACLU and Whatcom County Council with concerns. I decided to pursue a dual AAS administrative degree to include Legal Administrative Assistant to further research the impact of criminalization on the unhoused population locally. I worked with Jim Peterson to compile general data on police reports for a period of time to determine how frequently individuals were penalized for life sustaining activities including sleeping, standing, walking, relieving oneself, or participating in medicinal and/or recreational use of marijuana in public areas due to a lack of private housing or shelter. It was evident that Bellingham WA was considerably lacking in resources for those exiting detox programs, as well as services to address mental health which I discovered during the Whatcom County Jail Tour 2018. These were some of the reasons my own friend's life was jeopardized and why "tough love" put him in peril. Without failsafes for individuals who are vulnerable, lives are at risk, especially during wintertime.
HOMES NOW GROWTH
Homes NOW office opened on Dupont Street at the start of my internship with BTC. The office offered a hub for development which led to much more promotional activity and coordination of volunteer support. The Office garden and Shower Truck were added projects to existing monthly Summits that provided active engagement with volunteers and the unhoused community. Jim Peterson inspired the public with his history of homelessness and progressive solutions for addressing homelessness in Bellingham, WA with action in real-time. His activism spearheaded social support and sympathy for those in less than adequate living situations.
Homes NOW! Not Later... continued to engage directly with both County and City with proposals for land to build a service building and multiple tiny home units. Ordinances were passed at both County and City levels to promote the state law for allowing temporary encampments. The NW site with County was in review when City made an offer to place a tent encampment behind City Hall winter 2018-19 known as Winter Haven for which I continued my office support and independent winter outreach.
My office support with Homes NOW! Not Later... includes recordkeeping, manual and electronic database filing for the shower truck guests and interview cycles tiny home waitlist. During my internship with Homes NOW! Not Later... I prepared flyers, letters, meetings, business files, and maintained social media contact with over 500 contacts online for the purpose of social awareness, activism, promotional efforts, video livestream, volunteer assistance, and events.
As a green nonprofit, the honor system that carried Homes NOW! Not Later... the past two years has expired due to financial growth and overall expansion of volunteerism and donor support. My regard for the matters at hand is that Jim Peterson is not equipped to manage the responsibilities he was granted as a trusted board member and volunteer. At the juncture in which growth has occurred, I am grateful that Doug, Liz, and Carol recognized the need for review. It is unclear to me why Jim Peterson made the negative choices he made, but I am grateful for the positive measures he initiated that led to the successes of Homes NOW! Not Later...
MOVING FORWARD
The current tiny home community is incomplete. The intention of Homes NOW! Not Later... tiny home communities was never a tent site. These measures were implemented in response to human need for immediate action and responsiveness. The full scope of this design is a service building with full amenities to laundry services, restroom facilities, community kitchen, offices for social workers, and a common area for community activities. This structure is surrounded by multiple tiny home units for which each tenant has privacy yet community support. The current site is a rudimentary application of this design. The optimum conditions for the development of this site depends on a sustainable location. I truly hope that the full scope of this project is realized and supported locally beyond its present condition which is currently resting in an impermanent location scheduled for termination April 2020.
Homes NOW! Not Later... is a community effort built by the people of Whatcom County. Those of us who support this effort know exactly what it means to be housed. We understand the value of having a home and people who care. We want that for everyone. Many of us are hopeful that our community will continue to support this effort as a formula nationwide. We also hope for restorative justice and rehabilitation programs that would assist members of our community whose behavior and actions impact us all