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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.

Sally Love is the director of Safe Harbor, which provides temporary emergency shelter for the unsheltered in Washington at an area hotel. She is also on the Open Door Women’s Shelter advisory board and the former executive director of Eagle’s Wings Food Pantry and the United Way.

“We do have a homeless problem here in Washington,” said Love. “Equating the magnitude of homelessness by the number of people you might see walking around with a bag on their shoulder with their belongings, or pushing a grocery cart, is not representative of the breadth of the issue. For the most part, they are invisible. People would be more aware of the situation if they got out at five in the morning and drove around the city a little bit. Then they would find out that people are coming out from under bridges, porches, abandoned buildings, or the woods. It certainly would be a reality check.”

Love said the misconceptions about the homeless are many. They are drug addicts, they have done something wrong, they are not reputable people, irresponsible, lazy, suffer from mental health issues, and it is only a problem in the big cities.

“I’m not sure what the answer is when it comes to bringing awareness to the problem,” said Love. “But, people need to understand that it just takes a small event to become homeless. Your car breaks down, and you don’t make it to work for a couple of days, and you are fired. People are living on the edge. Those whose income levels are low or moderately lower are just one emergency away. We tend to not pay people enough, so many are working at least two jobs and are still struggling to make ends meet, eat, and put a roof over their heads.”

Love said that coming up with a solution to address the ongoing problem will take the entire community. “It is going to take a lot more collaboration and cooperation between the city and county, and other agencies. It is so overwhelming at times to know where to start, but we all need to come together to build a community where those who are struggling can go and get help. We need a day center where people can go and feel like they can ask questions, receive emotional support, and not be judged because of their current situation.” 

Love added there is also a dire need for affordable housing, which needs to be addressed. “Affordable housing for these folks is not a $200,000 home,” said Love. “It is just wrong for these individuals to not have the stability of having a roof over their heads, which will have a positive impact on their lives. It is just a basic need that they should be entitled to. It is all about individuals feeling safe and a sense there is a community out there they can count on.”

As Love pointed out, it will take all of us to come up with solutions, but “Unfortunately, those of us in the nonprofit world continue to work in our silos because we become so focused on our own needs. There are only so many in this community who are willing to donate, and we are all asking for their money at the same time. We are doing a better job of focusing together on possible solutions than we used to be, but there is still more that needs to be done all across the board.”

The lack of emergency shelter in the area is also of major concern for Love. “We need more than a place where the unsheltered can spend the night,” she said.

“Open Door is addressing these pressing issues, and the upcoming expansion will provide even more shelter and services for women and their children. If the Zion Shelter can get a new location that would offer more beds and implement a program-based concept that would provide more services than just overnight shelter, that would be a help as well. But we need more than two shelters providing these services. They still only have so much room. It will take a collaborative effort to determine the right locations. People need to have something they can walk to and not have to rely on some sort of transportation. We as a community need to come together as a whole and take an interest in addressing and finding solutions to address the problems of homelessness here in Washington.”