Blog | Page 19

Next month I’ll lay out my upcoming book on homelessness, but the book will only make sense if you understand the process of Step 13 and Springs Rescue Mission that I’ve laid out in this first quarter of the year — so here’s part of an interview I did with Bob Coté 16 years ago. Olasky: Does the step-by-step process to moving upstairs and getting a better room really work? Coté: They want to get up there. I have 12 full-time employees, but really I have 52, because I have 40 people with a year or even two years of residence and they take ownership of Step 13. They’ll say, “Hey, we don’t write on the walls here,” and the Read More ›

Three years ago, I began writing my Human Lives column about homelessness on Discovery Institute’s website. I’ll be concluding that series at the end of next month, but I’d like Discovery Institute supporters to know about some prizes announced today that will hearten those concerned about journalism, homelessness, or both. Over the years, The New York Times editorially has supported neither Intelligent Design nor the intelligent design of programs to help homeless individuals. Nor is the Times accustomed to getting awards from Christian organizations — but Christian groups that fight homelessness are equally unaccustomed to getting positive stories in the Times. That’s why a story by reporter Jason DeParle four days before Thanksgiving last year was particularly memorable. DeParle began, Read More ›

This year I’ve written about what I learned in Colorado Springs at the Springs Rescue Mission. But when I stayed there last year, I also thought of the pioneer who, starting in 1983, built a predecessor of SRM just up the highway in Denver. His name: Bob Coté, a six-foot-three-inch ex-amateur boxer who in his forties changed his life by not drinking his usual half gallon of vodka for lunch. Instead, he poured out the bottle’s contents and became in 1983 one of the original residents of a new program, Step 13. Bob became Director of Operation and then Executive Director, pouring what he had learned as a homeless alcoholic into a program that challenged rather than coddled men seen Read More ›

A low barrier homeless shelter anticipated to open in Kirkland, Washington, is driving business owner Bryan Mistele and his company out of the city. Mistele is the co-founder and CEO of INRIX, a transportation company headquartered in Kirkland, Washington. Kirkland is moving forward on a plan to convert a hotel across from INRIX into a homeless shelter, with no drug testing or treatment required. Mistele appeared on the Jason Rantz show to discuss why this is a bad idea, and why it has forced his company — one of the largest employers in Kirkland — out of the city. Announcing INRIX’s Move Kirkland Low Barrier Housing Pushed Through Despite Community Concerns

New I finally had an opportunity to ask Governor Bob Ferguson about Washington’s homeless crisis and the possibility of more federal funding cuts impacting the state’s response. Ferguson didn’t say policies like “Housing First” would be shelved. But he did double down the need for more fiscal responsibility and emphasized the importance of shoring up a “rainy day” fund.

We are on the ground in Oakland, CA and some neighborhoods are an absolute disaster. A sense of lawlessness overwhelms the streets. But Seneca Scott is leading a movement that could help bring in a new mayor and turn around this failing city. Imagine dealing with the worst homeless crisis in the Bay area, crime spiraling out of control, and a public school system in shambles. This is a daily reality for Oakland, California. Certain neighborhoods are packed with visible poverty and overrun by a culture of lawlessness. Gun violence and robberies recently forced the beloved In-N-Out Burger to close its only restaurant in Oakland. The Defund the Police Movement fueled by far-left activists has led to a shortage of officers. Read More ›

Today’s biggest public policy error concerning homelessness emerges from the fallacy that everyone deserves his own apartment and that true compassion means providing one. The federal government’s “Housing First” mandate sits on the materialistic assumption that an apartment is the appropriate response to addiction, mental illness, loneliness, and purposeless living. Thirty-six years ago, I came out with a book entitled The Tragedy of American Compassion. It included seven ways to fight poverty in alphabetical order. The first two were Affiliation and Bonding: restoring social ties that were broken or weaving new ones. Many recent trends have battered affiliation and bonding, but they are still key. Falling into addiction instead of falling in love is a frequent failure. Although some are Read More ›

Violence at Encampment Vigilante justice continues in Seattle after the city fails to remove a problematic homeless encampment in Ballard. Sunday afternoon, witnesses say a man driving a silver Lexus pointed a gun out his window and unloaded several shots at drug addicts camping on the Leary Triangle. But cops say it was actually a BB gun and the shooter got away. The entire area remains overrun by RV’s and tents. These are the same people who reject shelter and services. Mayor Bruce Harrell and councilmember Dan Strauss must stay on top of the sweeps.

Breaking Friday afternoon, massive police response to what law enforcement sources call a “drug deal gone bad” in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood. Witnesses say the man in dreadlocks stabbed a woman in the temple over a hit of crack at the corner of 3rd Ave and Blanchard St. Victim was transported to the hospital. Suspect was apprehended at the scene and put into an ambulance. Another witness said, “cops barbecued and bean bagged his a**.” This is the latest troubling incident to happen right in front of the problematic REACH homeless non-profit headquarters. This area is one of the worst crime hot spots in the city due to the clientele REACH attracts and enables.