Dear Compassionate People,

Since delivering our petition to City Council, we will be moving on to making our recommendations happen through discussions with the city and county.  To track all of these efforts, we have launched a new website where you can find our videos, policy recommendations and news stories.

There is a lot happening in the city around the issue of homelessness.  In particular, the Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP) is spearheading an effort to bring together all of the various groups to coordinate our efforts. I wanted to highlight the model of homeless camps/villages that have proven sustainable, cost-effective, crime reducing, and empowering for people living on the street: Right 2 Dream Too, Hazelnut Grove, and Kenton Women’s Village.  We need to expand upon these models and provide public funding to help make them thrive.

The Guardian did an analysis of such homeless villages in Seattle and Portland, and found that crime either was reduced or stayed the same in the areas that had such villages.  This is encouraging and suggests that the NIMBY fears about such villages are largely exaggerated.  Sara Shortt’s opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times also shows that the homeless are more likely to be the targets of assault than the perpetrators, and that many homeless are targeted because of their status.  As her title reads, “We don't need protection from the homeless. They need protection from us.”

We will be meeting with city and county officials in the next few weeks and will provide updates as we move forward. 

Cheers,
Elliott