Aberdeen, Washington has a LOT of homeless. It is a small town but it is "the big city" for this region and has essential services plus relatively mild weather for Washington state, which attracts homeless people.
Homelessness is a hard problem to solve in part because you do NEED emergency services, like free meals, to help such people but too much of that becomes an attractive nuisance without helping people get off the street.
Things I fantasize about:
It would also be a means to help make sure new housing had a guarantee of enough residents to take the financial gamble on building the units.
Some people have very intractable personal problems. Helping those who most readily CAN be helped means there is more to go around for those still on the street and trying to figure out how to solve their problems.
Because the homeless problem in Aberdeen represents a regional issue that happens to impact Aberdeen worse than average, I think once you did a pilot program like this in Aberdeen, you could readily do additional units in other small towns nearby, like Hoquiam, Cosmopolis, Ocean Shores and Westport.
What is my idea of temporarily enhanced supportive services?
I fantasize about things like handing out gift cards to local establishments like Walmart, Denny's and Taco Bell. 7-Eleven does not have "7-Eleven gift cards," but you could, for example, do a Walmart card, a Taco Bell Card and a Visa gift card and then make sure local homeless people were aware that Denny's is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year as is 7-Eleven.
7-Eleven has hot food at any hour of the day and would be cheaper than Denny's but has no bathroom and no place to sit and eat. On Thanksgiving and Christmas, if you can AFFORD to buy a meal at Denny's, it may be the only hope you have of getting a meal and access to a bathroom while being in out of the weather for a bit.
Why Taco Bell? Because it's both affordable and fairly healthy. You CAN potentially get a meal for under $2 if you get one of their cheaper tacos or burritos plus a water cup, so a $50 Taco Bell gift card could help someone get at least ONE meal most days of the month if they were frugal but also allows them to spend it as they see fit, which matters a whole lot more than people seem to appreciate when you have limited resources and everyone breathing down your neck and judging your every move.
These are NORMAL middle class business establishments, NOT homeless services. Gift cards to them would be BOTH a higher quality of experience than MOST homeless services while helping to mainstream people back into a more normal middle class life AND supporting local businesses instead of growing charities that will then want to continue to justify the same service level.
If you want to shrink the problem, you need a TEMPORARY influx of resources that doesn't create a permanent new set of charities that NEED x number of poor people to justify their ongoing existence.
But you ALSO need real solutions, not just more "relief." So if you aren't also building more housing, then this is potentially an attractive nuisance and not a means to help people stay functional enough to get their lives back.
If it didn't become an attractive nuisance, gift cards also potentially could reduce panhandling and vandalism by the local homeless population which are two of the biggest complaints most people have about homeless people.
Currently, it's possible to get a bite to eat at Taco Bell for under $2 if you get one of their cheaper menu items and a glass of water. So a $50 Taco Bell gift card once a month PLUS participating in Taco Bell's rewards program potentially gives someone a hot meal every day or nearly every day.
I imagine a $50 Taco Bell card, $50 Walmart card and $100 visa card once a month would actually encourage some homeless to go elsewhere for part of the month.
Homelessness is a hard problem to solve in part because you do NEED emergency services, like free meals, to help such people but too much of that becomes an attractive nuisance without helping people get off the street.
Things I fantasize about:
- Longer hours for the Aberdeen public library, ideally 9am to 9pm six days a week and open for a few hours on Sunday as well.
- Solar power panels for the local Mission to reduce their overhead costs.
- Day lockers with electrical outlets so you could charge a laptop or phone while it is secured and so you can go about your business without looking so highly, obviously homeless. (This would ALSO help people get jobs because showing up for an interview with your grungy backpack screams "I'm HOMELESS.")
- Free testing and treatment for Hepatitis A plus free vaccines for staff at programs like The Mission, plus the same for any homeless people who want to sign up for such.
- Temporarily enhanced supportive services WHILE more small, affordable housing units are built so the local homeless population sees improved health and functionality while a REAL solution is developed that can get people off the street and back into housing.
It would also be a means to help make sure new housing had a guarantee of enough residents to take the financial gamble on building the units.
Some people have very intractable personal problems. Helping those who most readily CAN be helped means there is more to go around for those still on the street and trying to figure out how to solve their problems.
Because the homeless problem in Aberdeen represents a regional issue that happens to impact Aberdeen worse than average, I think once you did a pilot program like this in Aberdeen, you could readily do additional units in other small towns nearby, like Hoquiam, Cosmopolis, Ocean Shores and Westport.
What is my idea of temporarily enhanced supportive services?
I fantasize about things like handing out gift cards to local establishments like Walmart, Denny's and Taco Bell. 7-Eleven does not have "7-Eleven gift cards," but you could, for example, do a Walmart card, a Taco Bell Card and a Visa gift card and then make sure local homeless people were aware that Denny's is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year as is 7-Eleven.
7-Eleven has hot food at any hour of the day and would be cheaper than Denny's but has no bathroom and no place to sit and eat. On Thanksgiving and Christmas, if you can AFFORD to buy a meal at Denny's, it may be the only hope you have of getting a meal and access to a bathroom while being in out of the weather for a bit.
Why Taco Bell? Because it's both affordable and fairly healthy. You CAN potentially get a meal for under $2 if you get one of their cheaper tacos or burritos plus a water cup, so a $50 Taco Bell gift card could help someone get at least ONE meal most days of the month if they were frugal but also allows them to spend it as they see fit, which matters a whole lot more than people seem to appreciate when you have limited resources and everyone breathing down your neck and judging your every move.
These are NORMAL middle class business establishments, NOT homeless services. Gift cards to them would be BOTH a higher quality of experience than MOST homeless services while helping to mainstream people back into a more normal middle class life AND supporting local businesses instead of growing charities that will then want to continue to justify the same service level.
If you want to shrink the problem, you need a TEMPORARY influx of resources that doesn't create a permanent new set of charities that NEED x number of poor people to justify their ongoing existence.
But you ALSO need real solutions, not just more "relief." So if you aren't also building more housing, then this is potentially an attractive nuisance and not a means to help people stay functional enough to get their lives back.
If it didn't become an attractive nuisance, gift cards also potentially could reduce panhandling and vandalism by the local homeless population which are two of the biggest complaints most people have about homeless people.
Footnote
Handwavy figures: There are probably at least 100 to 300 homeless people in Aberdeen. The Mission would be the best place to get figures.Currently, it's possible to get a bite to eat at Taco Bell for under $2 if you get one of their cheaper menu items and a glass of water. So a $50 Taco Bell gift card once a month PLUS participating in Taco Bell's rewards program potentially gives someone a hot meal every day or nearly every day.
I imagine a $50 Taco Bell card, $50 Walmart card and $100 visa card once a month would actually encourage some homeless to go elsewhere for part of the month.