I was nonplussed to learn the Vancouver Housing Authority is doubling down on Lincoln Place with a $13.8 million investment for an additional 30 units.
In a recent Columbian article, organization’s chief operating officer claims “The Lincoln Place model has been very successful over the last few years.” However, in a 2015 article he described the adjacent tent city as containing “up to 30 drug and sex traffickers who had descended upon the camp to take advantage of the homeless” (“Homeless camp disbanded,” The Columbian, Nov. 3, 2015).
This situation has changed little these past seven years. An article on May 22 describes yet another cleanup of the tent city. I question the wisdom of spending $13.8 million on a facility for the most vulnerable homeless people knowing predators are lurking right across the threshold.
Homeless service facilities exist on a spectrum. The best exist to improve the lives of those they serve. The worst hold homeless people captive so that service providers can drain public coffers. I have grave concerns about where Lincoln Place falls on this spectrum. Bureaucracies also exist on a spectrum. The best exist to perform a service efficiently. The worst exist to grow and protect themselves. I have grave concerns about where the Vancouver Housing Authority falls on this spectrum.
