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Dow Constantine Is Wrong on Homelessness

If you think addiction or mental illness contribute to homelessness, King County Executive Dow Constantine is here to tell you you're wrong. But what does his source of authority, University of Washington researcher Gregg Colburn, actually say? Let's unpack "Homelessness is a Housing Problem." Read More ›
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Warm food for the poor and homeless
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Mission Possible: Feeding Bellies and Hearts in Austin

Last month, starting on a Sunday morning, I learned more about the intractability of homelessness in my home city, Austin, Texas. During three decades of "Church Under the Bridge" Sunday morning services, some of the faces have changed but the overall tragedy of lost lives has not. Read More ›
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Seattle Fire Department Advises People Avoid Area of Building Fire

Seattle Fire says crews will be on scene in Seattle's Chinatown-ID for several more hours as they try to knock out a fire that torched an empty building that could collapse. All traffic is blocked off on S. Jackson St. between 12th Ave & 10th Ave. Avoid area. Read More ›
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Homeless Inundated with Smoke Near Seattle Chinatown Building Fire

Some homeless living in an encampment on a hillside above the Chinatown-ID fire are complaining of smoke inhalation. At least 20 people are staying in tents and structures. Fire crews are still dealing with hot spots inside a vacant building at the corner of 10th Ave. & Jackson St in Seattle. Read More ›
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male homeless and his dog
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Beyond the “Vets, Pets, and Kids” View of Homelessness

This column starts my third year of weekly writing about homelessness, with the goal of learning, teaching, and eventually turning the columns into a book. Both human interest and intellectual interest propel me. I'll start with the human interest and the two words "suffered enough." The expression comes to mind every time I live in a homeless shelter for a few days and ask residents about their pasts. Read More ›
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Far-Left Activists Demand County Give Housing for Homeless to Illegal Immigrant Encampment

Major showdown looming today in Kent. More than 200 illegal immigrants have taken over the Econo Lodge property that is currently sitting empty. Far-left activists want Executive Dow Constantine to house all these people in the motel. Problem is, King County purchased the property to house the region's homeless and there is currently no provider for daily operations. Read More ›
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Fire Sets Multiple Tents Ablaze in Burien Courthouse Encampment

First major fire at the Burien courthouse encampment. Multiple tents torched. Witnesses say a woman fell asleep and left a candle burning Sunday evening. Cops arrested her for an outstanding warrant. Otherwise, everyone got out safe but one cat is still missing. Read More ›
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Vintage print of lunch time in farmhouse: boy, girls and children eat together in the kitchen and feed a pet dog
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Helping New York Orphans: What Went Wrong, and Right

The past two weeks I’ve given a largely positive view of how Charles Brace and others helped homeless children in New York (and other northeastern cities). But when orphan trains headed west from 1853 to 1929, sometimes things went wrong. Read More ›
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“I was OD’ing and she left me there to die”

My latest collaboration with 6'7" Kevin. One of the few independent journalists going into America's drug encampments and emerging with incredible narratives. Follow him. Read More ›
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Silhouette of a man in an old uninhabitable house in front of a window. Depression, loneliness, despair, decline, sadness concept.
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Housing First Doesn’t Work

In a classic attempt to bury embarrassing data, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development released its most recent annual homelessness Point-in-Time Count report on a Friday, shortly before the Christmas break, about 11 months after the counting was done. Try as it might, HUD is unable to hide the problem anymore because the increases are so high. Read More ›