https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-ne ... -for-help/

Free stuff, opioid epidemic with little or no enforcement, more free stuff, mild climate, "tolerance" to homeless people. Then, they come from other places and we call it a housing crisis.

Btw, I'm super happy about the Cole-Turner story coming from Oklahoma but look at the result:

"Five years later, she’s made a life in Seattle. She’s an office assistant for an orthodontist, lives in an apartment in North Seattle, and her two older daughters are living on their own."

That sounds like she DID wanted to get back on her feet and was willing to work and probably drug free. I would even donate to programs targeting such cases but we all know how hard it is to tell apart welfare abusers from legitimate cases.

Homelessness in Seattle is nothing new. In the 30's there were 8 "Hoovervilles" in Seattle. Here's a pic of the largest on the tide flats (before Denny Hill was moved over to fill them).





If Seattle wants to clean up the streets than perhaps the best approach would be to take some of the properties Seattle owns, clear the broken down buildings and junk off, fence, provide portable toilets and trash collection, the MOVE the homeless off the sidewalks. Only place they are allowed to camp is in an approved site.

Screw this idea that they can camp alongside the freeway and dump their crap (literally) down onto the roadway. No more tents on sidewalks and crapping in public.

As for the drug problem? Free drugs. Heroin, coke, Oxy, Fentanyl, Meth, whatever. Free, Free, Free, to all that live in these "enclaves". Clear out the bodies once per day to keep the flies and smells to a minimum.

NOTHING is going to change the minds of those who are homeless due to drug abuse. Weed those out and there will be more resources for those who are Mentally Ill and/or find themselves homeless due to financial issues. Not those who are broke because they put their money in drugs.

Harsh? OK but the "kinder, gentler" sure isn't working.

Deadshot I agree with most of what you propose.
As someone wiser once said.
We all really need to seperate the so call3ed homeless into 2 camps. One wants and needs help- and once they get it usually within a reasonable period of time the are out of the system and back to being productive members.
These are the first type that are the true homeless. they are this way usually due to job loss and bad decisions, medical issues, or other major life events. They usually with some help and direction will get away from the bad decisions and get the help they need.
The Second type are the real problem, They are better know as the Street People.
Some of these have chosen this lifestyle and take care of themselves, don't crap on the streets and generally try to be reasonbale neighbors. They are usually a small percentage though. The larger subset of this group are the drug users, criminals, and lazy.
For the criminals, lock them up and be done with it already.
For the drug users, mandatory rehab. Period. (I know its not all that effective without a support network, but hey let's fix the issue and work on providing that support after!)
for the lazy, 2 Thess 3:10, You won't work, then you don't eat. Get hungry enough then get to work!

As for work, how about we start with them cleaning up the mess they have made. Provide gloves, rubbish bins, and some supervision and let them get to work. Payment is made in $0.25 cents an hour plus meals, counseling, and support.
AND LAST but not LEAST. Get the stupid government out of providing care. They are the least able to provide and waste the most amount of resources. Only participation is to provide dump trucks, lot space (as suggested). The rest is provided by NGO's who actaully make progress instead of wasting money.

There is more work than just cleaning up around the homeless on streets and in camps. Lawns could be mowed in parks, streets swept (using push broom and garbage can), pidgeon shit (and human), cleaned off sidewalks, painting, and the list goes on, jobs can be performed.

Except for ONE problem. Start doing that and the Unions will scream bloody murder. Good example. A couple years ago the parents who's kids attended an Everett Elementary School were tired of the shithole it had become. They started to fix the landscaping and began painting the chipped and graffiti covered surfaces. School administration was visited by the Union representing the maintenance workers with the message "You can't let these people do our work for free".

Same argument for not using low security risk inmates for a lot of public works projects. Something tells me it doesn't require special skills to push a wheelbarrow, broom, shovel, to clean up a construction project but try and tell that to the Laborer's Union.

As a result projects don't get budgeted for and our roadsides and public places start to look like shit. In the end the work doesn't get done and even the Union members don't get a dime.

Locally there seems to be an exception. Don't know if it's the Snohomish County Jail or just the Marysville Jail but there's regularly a van load of prisoners equipped with lawn mowers, weed eaters, and trash pickers, maintaining the right of way's in my area. They move around the area in an extended passenger van with a trailer behind (including porta potty) with only one officer supervising. To me that's a good use of resources. Taxpayers are housing and feeding them and in turn we get to see some return in the form of labor.