By Scott McKee
I am writing at a critical moment in time for all of us. My concern: the topic of homelessness and the many conversations and issues that surround it.
It is a truly tough topic and to be honest, nobody has an absolute answer to it. The reality, the causes of homelessness and what causes folks to remain there are very deep and go back decades to U.S. policy and housing laws.
You know what? We won’t find all the answers or put a fix in place today, tomorrow, or any day anytime soon thereafter. That’s not the issue at hand.
The issue at hand is now that homelessness has become a blunt reality in all our communities, COVID restrictions are lifting and we are all considering how to accommodate so many people’s views while respecting the 9th Circuit Court decision on homelessness and recent state legislation of similar directive. It is clear we have some big decisions to make.
How do we respond to the issue of homelessness while respecting individual dignity and protecting our shared and private spaces?
Well, I don’t have all the answers for that.
I do, however, have an idea.
Why don’t we not go back to the same old/same old games of treating homeless camps and those who live there like a live game of whack-a-mole? Why don’t we stop reliving Groundhog Day?
Why don’t we not do the same thing that we have been doing for decades now: Let camps build up without resources until they become an eyesore and then post and evict them like less than human community members.
Why don’t we stop blaming every other community for our houseless neighbors and understand this issue is bigger than any of our individual communities? Why don’t we do what we signed up for and be leaders and community members.
As community members, we are just that. Members of a community; an entire community.
I write this with a clear view of the complexities of homelessness and finding solid solutions. I spent years participating in planning meetings, budget meetings and making decisions that impacted everyone in my time as a City Councilor for Sweet Home.
I know homelessness well, as I have lived experience that stretches my entire lifetime. When I got into my current field, I was homeless, addicted and had criminal charges.
Now, I have been working in Homeless Veterans Services for almost five years. I have worked as an outreach, intake and eligibility worker coordinating outreach and Point and Time Counts of those who are homeless for Linn and Benton counties. I now work as a health-care navigator for homeless veterans across much of the state.
I get it! It is a big issue with many layers of the onion. I will promise you this: What we are doing isn’t working. It isn’t going to magically get better or disappear.
People won’t just stop becoming homeless one day. You will run out of clean and safe public space; the rivers, creeks and park spaces will continue to suffer. But worst of all, humans will continue to suffer, people will die and community members will give up on hope. So, what do we do?
Why don’t we dare to look bigger and try harder? Why don’t we become committed to a regional approach working with other communities maximizing resources? Why don’t we take this as an opportunity to end the clearly failed tactics that we have all been trying for decades and take this as an opportunity to restore dignity for people, to restore hope to individuals, to create a “toolbelt” full of pathways to success, to be the leaders and to finally start taking local homelessness as a local problem to tackle together?
We must end the sweeps and constant traumatization of homeless camps now!
I feel it is time to listen to service providers and those who have been doing this for a very long time. It is time to harness the level of intelligence and the amount of intellectual people that call this area home. It is time to listen to the experts and the science behind how to be most effective.
Let’s follow a trauma-informed approach that is focused on a Housing First model. It is now time to utilize our area’s resources and skilled community members to build a true community that includes everyone that calls this area home. It is time to start trying and stop pushing blame.
Homelessness is a side effect of our society and our culture; we can create real solutions and be a cure instead of further infecting the wound. I encourage you all to take an active role in finding solutions instead of fighting against them.
Find ways to say “yes” and “let’s give it a try.” Find ways to support community efforts and help them be successful.
Sure, we could all say we do this or that or have this program or that program; well, none of it is working where we need it to.
Bottom line: It truly is time to try something else, and I am asking you to join me in this fight!
– Scott McKee is a former Sweet Home city councilor who is now a veterans advocate. This column is based on a letter he wrote to local leaders.