Addressing homelessness throughout Clark County will require a coordinated effort from city governments and county leaders. Although Vancouver is the focal point of the issue by virtue of having the largest concentration of people, homelessness demands attention throughout the region.
Not that there are easy solutions. The problem is spreading here and around the country, as a growing population combines with a lack of affordable housing to leave an expanding number of people unable to secure reliable shelter. While Vancouver leaders have given much attention to the crisis in recent years, that crisis is not limited to the county’s largest city. The suggestion that homeless people are inevitably drawn to areas where services are available is not borne out by the facts.
“Most people stay where they’re comfortable,” Jamie Spinelli of Community Services Northwest said for a recent series in The Columbian. “People will just stay there and not be served.”
As detailed by reporters Patty Hastings and Adam Littman, rest areas along Interstate 5 have become refuges of sorts for numerous local residents, with one woman who lives in her car saying, “There’s a lot of us, actually. This is one of the safest places to stay.” State parks at Paradise Point outside La Center and at Battle Ground Lake also have become frequent stops for homeless people, but require a camping fee.
As critics often point out, many homeless people do not desire secure housing. Some are suffering from mental illness or substance addictions that make housing uncomfortable or unattainable. But that does not mitigate our community’s moral duty to provide for those who desire assistance. Nor does it mitigate our need to confront the issue rather than looking the other way or suggesting that homeless people are solely responsible for solving their plight. Members of a caring, compassionate society work together to address problems and to assist the neediest among us.
Because of that, leaders throughout the region must come together on an issue that is of social and economic significance.
In May, the Clark County Council and Vancouver City Council held a joint meeting to discuss homelessness in our community, their first joint meeting in about 15 years. County Chair Marc Boldt said at the time, “We’ve done this before, but it’s been awhile. This will be the first of more to come.” He added that homelessness “bridges public policy and emotions and values and almost everything we embrace as two councils.”
Those words have translated into some action, but the need remains great. The city of Vancouver has provided attention to the issue, in particular through a voter-passed affordable housing tax levy; so has Washougal, which has actively worked with private entities to provide services. As Rose Jewell, assistant to the Washougal city administrator and mayor, said, “Everybody is starting to raise up their hand and say, ‘This is what I have.’ ”
Meanwhile, Clark County has worked to expand housing options. Councilor John Blom said that last year, the county assisted more than 6,500 people with financial support for shelter in addition to developing a day center.
Those efforts are necessary. But the need for extensive progress on a problem that continues to grow calls upon governments throughout Clark County to work together. One joint meeting a year ago is not enough.
