Camas: Facing the Homelessness Problem
Homelessness is an issue that can affect every single one of us in some form or fashion in 2022. Homelessness has become a very hot-button issue for governments and citizens alike as both seek to find some sort of solution to a problem that continues to fester in society. We, yes WE, cannot turn a blind eye to these individuals that have no place to call home; whether we want to admit it or not, they ARE a part of our community.
The Camas/Washougal Post Record wrote an article on the homelessness issue confronting Camas in the August 11th edition of the paper. I appreciated the article because it highlighted a park I regularly spend time and interact with homeless folks on a very regular basis, typically each time I visit. What struck me was the level-headed approach the City of Camas is taking when dealing with the homeless issue. Mayor Steve Hogan and Chief Mitch Lackey both spoke about the challenges homeless people face but more importantly, both Mayor Hogan and Chief Lackey are treating these folks like humans. That’s very important to me, and I hope you do as well, so we can work together as a community to solve a growing problem.
It’s become en vogue to treat homeless people like they’re second-class citizens, a drag on society that needs to be swept under the rug so the rest of us can go about our business without the burden of seeing the “dirty people”. That’s utter bullshit and we know it. Like every other problem we face, turning a blind eye only allows said problem to metastasize. I’ll be the first to admit I’ve had negative thoughts about an interaction with someone homeless. It’s easy to characterize them as a drug addict, lazy, bums, etc so that we can feel better about ourselves. Guess what? That’s bullshit as well. They may be a drug addict, absolutely, but that doesn’t make us better than them. I’ll bet you know someone that’s battled addiction or maybe you’ve battled an addiction yourself. If you have tangled with addiction yourself, even if it’s something accepted in society, like food, then you know the shame involved. Now, remove economic, housing, food, and health security and think of how you’d handle that whilst battling addiction and top it all off with police breathing down your neck and passersby sneering at you. Sounds like a recipe for success right? Hmmmmm, or maybe not.
This isn’t the time or place for me to get into the causes of homelessness since I’d like to keep this post under 11,000,000 words. It is the time or place to ask you to think more compassionately about the homeless problem and maybe even how you could assist the powers-that-be in tackling this issue. Chief Lackey told the Camas City Council “Police have been … on the front line of homelessness, I would say inappropriately,” Lackey told the Council during its July 5 workshop. “If we’re looking at an ordinance-based enforcement policy, we’re looking at putting people who don’t have a home in jail. That’s the end of the road. I think, in the last decade, the criminal justice system has been judged to not be the best entity to deal with this issue.” I believe he hit the nail on the head, police, and jail aren’t the answer.
I know drugs are a huge part of this problem but I think we can all admit that jail isn’t where you send someone to stop drug use or help them overcome mental health issues. If we’re in the Circle of Trust, we can also admit that jail *causes* far more problems for people than it ever solves. Sending people to jail because it’s the easy route is a great way to enhance the problem today and create even more problems down the road. We’ve got to turn and face this *together*.
There’s no easy answer to the homeless problem around the nation. Some people want to be homeless, some people want to be on drugs and some people want to be violent. I’m not trying to paint the picture of a pollyanna world where I think we can all just get along. We can’t offer a homeless person a voucher for a one-night stay at a shelter and believe that’ll solve the problem. Or show every addict the nearest treatment facility and expect them to check-in. That’s not the way any of this works. It’s going to take a metric shit-ton of work at all levels, from you and me to elected officials and law enforcement. And before you bring up “just throw more money at it” as a solution, there are numerous examples showing how that doesn’t work either. Solutions must be grounded in reality, backed by policy, and embraced as well as empowered by the people. We also need to stop the blame game we’re hooked on, pointing fingers at the ire of our political affiliation because it feels good. Fear is being used to push further division and the homeless issues have been weaponized to vilify a group of people that need help not hate.
These are my thoughts on this issue and you’re free to disagree but that doesn’t change the issue. The reason I write these posts is to make you and me think, critically, about the reality of the world we all live in. Thinking critically, being willing to admit fault when necessary, and accepting that others may disagree with us and there’s nothing wrong with that, is the first step toward positive solutions. I have faith we can do this to push us forward together but I need all of you to share in that faith. It will be painful and will require sacrifice and hard work but that’s why we’re the greatest nation on earth.
We gone!
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