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Editors note: 

Out of Sight, out of Mind is a series in which Clark Curtis will take a closer look at homelessness in Washington. Speaking with those who have experienced it firsthand and managed to turn their lives around, those who currently struggle to find safe and permanent shelter, and what options are available locally for temporary housing.

Navigating the tangled web of numbers, misconceptions, and needs

The definitions of homelessness are many, and they complicate even further what can and can not be done to help the unsheltered who are in desperate need. That is an issue Laurie Stewart, executive director of the Open Door Women’s Shelter, must face daily. “Last year, we were awarded some funding from HUD that is targeted for agencies dealing with homelessness, street outreach, or rapid rehousing,” said Stewart. “The HUD definition of homelessness is anyone living in a place deemed uninhabitable. So, for example, if a person spends the night with someone who happens to be living in public housing, technically, by HUD’s definition, they are not homeless. So part of our job is to triage everyone who calls to see if they even qualify, by HUD standards, to be admitted into our shelter. That’s before we can even address whether we have any beds or not. Amongst all of the definitions of homelessness, to me personally, it means someone doesn’t have a place of their own. But that is of little help when our decision making is guided by HUD.”

Stewart said every month is different for them. During the first half of January, they had to turn away ten to twelve women, not including any children.  “It is not easy telling someone that all of our beds are full and that, unfortunately, we can’t take them,” said Stewart. “This meant having to refer them to Safe Harbor Helpline, which offers emergency shelter at a Washington hotel just to get them off the streets for a night or two  I can refer them to other shelters in neighboring counties, but often they are already full, and some of those won’t even take you if you are not a resident of that county. Plus, they would need transportation to even get there if they could. So the options are few, which explains why so many have probably chosen to live in cars, or tent encampments in the woods. They have learned how to adapt when there is no help.”

Stewart said there are also a lot of misconceptions when it comes to homelessness. One is that if you can’t see them, there must not be a problem. “Just because you don’t see someone begging on a street corner or approaching you in a public parking lot doesn’t mean we don’t have a problem,” said Stewart.“I say to them, just look around and open your eyes, they are everywhere!  Look in the parking lots behind some of these businesses, along the sides of buildings, or in the parks. Some are in the woods, under bridges, or in their cars with all of their belongings. I see more and more men walking the streets, even outside the city limits. The homeless are there; we just have to pay attention.”

Stewart said other misconceptions are that the homeless are just lazy, mentally ill, suffering from drug or alcohol addictions, and veterans. “Some of these are true, but using a broad stroke of the brush to define who they are is not fair,” said Stewart. “The question should be how they ended up in some of these situations in the first place.”

Stewart said that as a child growing up, she never thought a mom and her kids would be homeless, but that was misspelled many years ago. “We see a lot of women who don’t know how to fend for themselves and don’t know what is available for them,” said Stewart. “They have relied on family and others. When that support system is gone, their entire worlds are turned upside down. One resident’s husband had been incarcerated, and she was left with two children with no means to take care of them and was evicted from their home. Another resident was kicked out of the home of a family member where she had been living on Christmas Eve. Others simply have lost their jobs, or walk away from housing because the rental costs are too high even with two full-time jobs.”

Stewart added that many of the women they see are shelter-hopping. This means that when their time runs out at an emergency shelter designed to give them a roof over their heads and a meal, they are off to another and often call Open Door for some sort of assistance.

Stewart said that affordable housing is imperative when it comes to addressing the homeless. “Housing is so key,” said Stewart. “If you don’t have stability in your life, you can’t function at the level that many of us are fortunate enough to do. How is that possible when you have no place to go during the day and are forced to share a bedroom with strangers, or a small place where you can take your children, and all you have is a small bin for all of your belongings, and you have no car? You can not reach a level of stability without having a stable place to build upon. Somewhere where you can go all day long that is yours, that is your landing place with all of your things. If not, they become stuck in a never-ending cycle of poor decisions.”

This is why Stewart believes there is a critical need for alternatives to emergency shelters. “Emergency services that provide a temporary bed and a roof over someone’s head are critical and serve a purpose, but there needs to be more,” said Stewart. “These individuals need a place where they can stay all day. Places that have a day center which offers the training of basic life skills such as learning how to manage money, counseling, educational classes, and case managers. Just providing the essential tools to help them get back on solid footing once again. All things we are incorporating here at Open Door.”

Stewart said they would also like to see some sort of transitional housing in the form of tiny homes there by the shelter for those who aren’t quite ready yet to be out living on their own, be it financially or for some other reason.

Stewart concluded by saying, “We as a community need to step back and ask ourselves do we really care and want to make a difference, or do we just want to ignore it and remain satisfied that we have an emergency homeless shelter so they don’t have to be outside at night and they have a bed to stay in and they are safe. However, if they are going to grow and thrive, we as a community need to step in and step up to offer all that we have the power to offer. It is a shame to only have an emergency shelter in a community like ours where there are so many people out there that can help make it more. From assisting those in need to get back on their feet to addressing the shortage of affordable housing and bringing back a sense of stability to the lives of these individuals and in some cases their families.”