I love the Op-Ed section of the paper. I believe we all need to write at least one letter on something we’re passionate about in our lifetime. In saying that, I applaud this reader
Re: “Homelessness report shows a disaster in our state” (Jan. 5, Northwest):
Columnist Danny Westneat highlights the need for more shelters. I have firsthand experience working at the largest shelter in Spokane before it closed this October — just before the ground froze over. Although the living conditions were appalling, people were warm and connected to services, like the street medicine team I volunteered with.
That shelter was supposed to be replaced with several smaller sites. Only one opened — 250 beds replaced by 60. The other shelters have increased their capacities but remain full. Now, I encounter folks I cared for on the street in the freezing winter sleet.
We urgently need more shelter space. But we must also address homelessness’ root causes: soaring rent prices, wage stagnation and eroded social safety nets, to name a few. Policies like rent stabilization would protect renters who may face housing instability.
Pitting temporary and permanent housing solutions against each other is a zero-sum game. We cannot wait for new housing. The street medicine team recovered someone’s body from under an overpass recently. There is no path out of this without simultaneously funding shelter space and long-term solutions — and our state has the wealth to do both.
Kishanee Haththotuwegama,
