Fix Homelessness How to rebuild human lives

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Cops Ignore Sidewalk Fires in Canada’s Skid Row

Some call it Canada's Skid Row so I had to check out Hastings St. in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. It's one of the worst fentanyl scenes in North America and home to dozens of supervised drug injection sites. Thursday night, two cops drove by as people were starting fires in the middle of the street. But they did nothing to stop it. Where is the enforcement of basic laws? Read More ›
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In 1789 a charming five year old chimney sweep toiled through tough days in the bustling streets embodying the spirit of a spirited eighteenth century street urchin
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Caring for Orphans in New York City

Two columns ago I mentioned Charles Brace's concern about high rents in New York City. When Brace founded the New York Children's Aid Society in 1853, he began by setting up religious meetings aimed at orphaned or abandoned boys from 10 to 18 who slept in alleys. Read More ›
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Conservatives and Liberals Have to Come Together on This Issue

I’m joined on my very first episode by actor Billy Baldwin and Discovery Senior Fellow and homelessness expert Robert Marbut. We talk about their upcoming documentary (Americans With No Address), our experience doing outreach on the streets of Seattle, and why the right and left have every reason to find common ground on homelessness, addiction, and untreated mental illness.

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Courts Are Dismissing Eviction Cases on the Grounds of “Confusion”

A couple living in Kent, a city south of Seattle, was issued an eviction notice in May 2023 and then granted a continuance in court – a delay in eviction proceedings – five times over the last eleven months. Then last month, a King County Superior Court judge dismissed the case. The landlord has lost more than $23,000 in unpaid rent, a cost that continues to grow by $2,100 every month. Why was the case dismissed eleven months after the eviction notice was served? According to the judge, the notice was “confusing.” To understand the source of confusion, we have to go back to spring 2020, when the federal government passed the CARES Act. Alongside other measures to provide economic Read More ›

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Billy Baldwin Witnesses Seattle’s Homelessness Crisis

Discovery Institute is going Hollywood! Our Senior Fellow Dr. Robert Marbut teamed up with film producer Robert Craig and actor Billy Baldwin to make "Americans With No Address," one of the most important documentaries highlighting the nation's homeless crisis. We Heart Seattle's Andrea Suarez is also a key voice in the movie. Some of the cast members recently took a tour of Seattle. Read More ›
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Seattle Homeless Man Builds “Homeless White House”

President Joe Biden is in Seattle Friday and Saturday to mingle with the elites and raise campaign cash. On the opposite side of the tracks, there's a guy who's also feeling presidential in his very own "homeless White House." Mr. Biden, you gotta take a look! Read More ›
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A pioneer family on the frontier, amidst a vast prairie, setting up their homestead, gazes towards a hopeful horizon.
Licensed via Adobe Stock

Go West, Young Man (and Woman)

We often think westward migration was for males only. In 1862 the Homestead Act allowed land claims from “any person who is the head of a family, or who has arrived at the age of twenty-one years.” Women, including those widowed by the Civil War, made one third of all homestead claims. Some men and women who made it to the Midwest and went no further became homeless. Read More ›
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Bellevue Serial Squatter Behind on Rent . . . Again!

Bellevue deadbeat tenants Sang and Youjin Kim are late on their May rent. This comes after King County Housing Justice Project used taxpayer dollars to pay nearly $90K in back rent so the Kim's could remain in this $2M Woodridge property. Mom & pop landlord Jaskaran Singh says the Kims now have 14 days to pay or vacate the property. Read More ›
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Burien Mayor Responds to Threats from King County Sheriff’s Deputies

Burien Mayor Kevin Schilling responding to King County Sheriff’s Deputies threatening to leave the job: "The City of Burien is focused on getting folks off the street and into shelter and services. The City Council prioritizes treatment over tents, and public safety over politics." Read More ›
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Burien Cops Threaten to Leave the City Over Handling of Homelessness Crisis

Burien cops threatening to leave the city over handling of the homeless camping ordinance and request to replace Chief Boe. Meanwhile, some city leaders want their own loyal police force and now looking at ways to move on from contract with the King County Sheriff's Office. Read More ›