homelessness

Wesley J. Smith joins Dr. Elaina George on Liberty Talk to discuss the origins of the homelessness crisis. Listen to the podcast episode below:

Leaving Town Tourists are carefully coming to Downtown Seattle. But all leave shocked at the on going urban decay, especially at 3rd Ave & Pike St. I was out and about early Saturday morning. Even in the wee hours of the day, this place is destroyed. It will be even worse at night. Enjoy what’s left of summer. CM Andrew Lewis (@CMAndrewJLewis) needs to come out here and help.

A California rescue mission rehabilitates people through love of God and fellowship. I spent four days and nights last month at the Orange County Rescue Mission, a Christian outfit serving the local homeless. I left with stories from 40 men and women about years of cycling through drug deals, arrests, jail, probation, parole violations, homelessness and prison. Andrew, 36, dropped out of high school and once had a job, but studying and working shifts at Jiffy Lube was boring. Meth was exciting. He enjoyed planning robberies and didn’t mind a few months every couple of years in jail: “Better drugs there than on the street.” He married and had children but wasn’t sober at their births. He came to the Read More ›

In Case You’re Wondering During Wednesday night’s Republican primary debate, FOX News anchor Martha MacCallum cited data showing homelessness in America is up 11% in the past few years, “the largest jump in recorded history.” The candidates were asked about their position on this issue. But the conversation ended up being dominated by crime, drugs, and public safety. We have to follow up on the homeless crisis topic at the next debate. We have to know what the GOP candidates are going to do about one of the most pressing issues facing this nation, especially in West Coast cities. Because the current “housing first” national plan is failing.

Sounding the Alarm This week I took a deep dive into the vast network of encampments scattered throughout heavily wooded areas in Seattle public parks (@SeattleParks.) Many are built on steep hills and embankments, making them extremely vulnerable to mudslides and other risk factors. While most remain abandoned, some are still occupied by people. For months now, Andrea Suarez (@weheartfounder) and We Heart Seattle (@weheartseattle) volunteers have been identifying the most at risk camps, including ones in Queen Anne’s Kinnear Park. Suarez says she’s asked Councilmember Andrew Lewis (@CMAndrewJLewis) and Seattle Parks Superintendent AP Diaz (@SeattleShines) to remove these structures immediately. But she says city officials are ignoring this potential liability. That’s why Suarez is racing to get these men Read More ›

By Spencer Pauley – The Center Square (The Center Square) – One year and more than $65 million into Washington state’s Right of Way Safety Initiative, nearly 300 homeless people have been moved off state highway rights of way in King County.  The Right of Way Safety Initiative closes encampments in areas around highways by providing shelter or housing to the estimated thousands of people living there. The King County Regional Homelessness Authority first began operations under the initiative in June 2022, with the majority of state funding being sent to the organization that fall. As of July 1, 327 homeless individuals were engaged by KCRHA at some 10 encampments, with 292 of those people moved inside. Nineteen went directly to permanent Read More ›

Perryton, a Texas panhandle city of 8,000, sits 17 miles south of the Oklahoma state line. Until June 15 it had almost zero homelessness, because two of the major causes of homelessness — overwhelming addiction and high housing prices — were not present. On June 15 a tornado wiped out 418 homes, more than ten percent of Perryton’s housing stock — and it still had no visible homelessness, as measured by people sleeping on the streets or in shelters. (There isn’t one in Perryton.) How can that be? I’ve just visited Perryton, so I’ll take a time-out from my California series to report on what happened and what hasn’t happened. I’ll come back to San Francisco and Orange County in Read More ›

Reality Check Major Sound Transit (@SoundTransit) stops in Seattle are closed this weekend including Pioneer Square and International District/Chinatown. Commuters have to take shuttle buses above ground. For some, it’s forcing them to see the urban decay for the first time in downtown hot spots like 3rd Ave near City Hall. It’s super risky out here when almost everyone is smoking fentanyl and conducting all kinds of illicit activity in tents. So there are transit security guards nearby. However, volunteers including high school students with Westgate Chapel remain unfazed. They come to the underbelly of the city to serve and say what’s happening out here is spiritual warfare, also caused by a breakdown in the traditional family unit. They believe Read More ›