Many of you may have seen the KOMO television special, “Seattle Is Dying”. Sadly, this show is deeply flawed and not as transparent or accurate as it would like you to believe.

We cannot criminalize our neighbors who do not have homes. We cannot simplify the issue and point fingers because we don’t like seeing the heartbreaking poverty in our neighborhood. The issue is complex and painful.  With unprecedented growth in our city the last few years, it is important to remember how that impacts people just barely hanging on….or how it impacts our neighbors experiencing homelessness who have been pushed from the shadows into public spaces because construction has consumed any hidden nooks & crannies in our city.

The KOMO piece is unapologetically biased and slanted.  They did not really look at all sides of the issue, instead they make an outrageous claim that they “don’t know one person who’s gotten treatment and gotten off the street.” This means that they did not talk to one single service provider working to combat this issue.  Here at ICS, we know many people who have gotten treatment and gotten off the streets. Starting with the 15 men living in our Recovery Program Shelter right now, who together have over 3,100 days sober. ICS clients who moved into housing in the last year or so had more than a combined 130 years of homelessness!!   

The KOMO piece is blaming the problem on the people who are suffering and shaming them because they are homeless. They are trying to stoke fear and incite anger in the community instead of looking at the problem honestly.  They are failing to explore the systems and institutional failures that got us here to productively try to figure out a solution.  They are condemning the poor and calling them names which only makes the problem worse.

Next time you come across someone, be a part of the solution instead of the problem. Instead of turning away, smile and say hi. Help them hold onto some of their humanity and dignity so perhaps they can begin to imagine a different life for themselves.

#Compassion #Humanity  #HopeDignityCommunity #Homelessness #Homeless #Poverty #SeaHomeless #SouthLakeUnion

If you’d like to read more, Catherine Hinrichsen, Project Director of Seattle University’s Project on Family Homelessness wrote an Op-Ed in Crosscut outlining 6 Reasons Why KOMO’s Take On Homelessness Is The Wrong One