SEATTLE — A project manager with the All Home King County, formerly known as King County Coalition to End Homelessness, took to Reddit on Tuesday to answer questions about the growing problem of youth homelessness.
The Ask Me Anything complemented a recent series of editorials and opinion pieces by the Seattle Times.
Journalist Jonathan Martin and All Home King County project manager Megan Gibbard answered questions about a problem that they write, “affects a disproportionate number of LGBTQ youth and young people of color.”
https://twitter.com/grimdetermine/status/681949236410191873
Below are some of the takeaways from the discussion:
Question: Should I give money to panhandlers? (Is this helpful or harmful?)
Answer from All Home: It's completely up to you if you give money to individuals asking for spare change -- if you DO, I'd follow a few simple guidelines: Give money without any expectations.
- If you're giving $1, it's just that - a gift. The individual you give it to can spend it on whatever they like. College tuition, a sandwich, alcohol, dog food.
- Know that whatever an individual spends money on it will likely help them in the moment and make their day a little brighter.
- Chill out. It's pocket change to you. Give or don't give. Always smile and acknowledge a person either way.
Question: Why did the 10 year plan to end homelessness in King County fail and what is being doing differently?
Answer from All Home: The 10 year plan solidified our community commitment to doing something about homelessness in our community and, as a result of the plan, build 40,000 new units of housing for homeless individuals. What's different about the new plan?? Greater emphasis on root causes of homelessness, recognition that it will take effort and engagement of the whole community to address homelessness.
Answer from Times journalist: The 10 Year Plan failed from the start because it was the worst branding idea ever. You aren't going to end homelessness; the best the plan could've done is to quickly respond when someone becomes homeless… but that's not a catchy phrase.
To be fair, the Great Recession hitting in the middle of the plan didn’t help. The state, which pays for mental health and substance abuse treatment, rolled back the safety net so severely that we’re still dealing with the repercussions. But the plan also prioritized more expensive, long-term home-building over emergency shelter. So many people ended up on the streets that King County rejiggered the plan, and had to put more money into shelter. It’s a Hobbesian choice – the short term or the long term solution.
Question: Do you think the Utah plan of "Give Homeless Homes" is a viable solution for Seattle?
Answer from All Home: YES
Question: Where are the homeless from? What percent of the homeless are from the area and what percent moved here?
Answer from All Home: YES 824 young people were identified as homeless and unstably housed during one afternoon/evening last January, including 133 young people who were unsheltered.
These young people were from almost every zip code in King County, and mostly from King County. AND 75% of young ppl are from King County directly.
That said, youth DO also travel to Seattle because there may not be supports to help them in their home town. This is why we have a new state Office of Homeless Youth Programs to ensure we have adequate response across the state.
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