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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.

“I see homelessness as a problem in Washington, as anytime someone is homeless, it is a problem,” said Stacy Drakeford, director of Police and Fire Services for Washington. “Our biggest problem is trying to figure out how to help them.”

Drakeford said the number of homeless in Washington is going to vary, depending on who you speak with and how they classify homelessness. “If I had to give you a number I would say ten to twelve, depending on the month and time of the year, as we are dealing for the most part with a transient population,” said Drakeford. “Our numbers are small because they are based solely on the people that we see and know are homeless. But that in no way discounts those who say there are well over 100 or more. There are those who we call ‘couch surfers’ who move from house to house, those who sleep in their cars, some of whom we know about and others we do not. And, we have encampments around the city where the numbers fluctuate. There are whole groups of homeless that we don’t see daily, so we don’t know that much about them, nor do we know how many there are.” 

Drakeford said the city has partnered with Agape to provide mental health services to those who have been identified as being homeless. As part of the partnership, an individual from Agape is assigned to the department on a daily basis. 

“We offer the homeless that we encounter the services being provided by Agape or any other avenues available to provide them the help that they need,” said Drakeford. “Some take advantage of it and others don’t. It is not always easy to convince the men and women to seek the help they need. But, we have helped quite a few as a result of our relationship with Agape.”

Drakeford said they also encounter those who have made their way to Washington, got stuck here, and are trying to get back home. In those instances, he said, they have had some churches and individuals step up and purchase bus tickets for them.

As is often the case the misconceptions are many, but the biggest one Drakeford hears is that all homeless are criminals and committing crimes. “That isn’t the case at all, as they aren’t out there committing heinous, devious crimes,” said Drakeford. “I think the biggest crime we have charged anyone with is trespassing. A business owner may tell them to get off their property, and they come back. We try not to lock them up if we don’t have to because that is only a temporary fix. We will also get calls about some ‘strange’ person walking down the street. If they are homeless we try to get them the help they need. These folks are not out there causing a lot of havoc.”

Drakeford said the solution to the problem is more than just providing dollars to put someone up in a motel for two or three nights, or give them a bed for the night at a shelter, and send them on their way the next morning.  “This is a very complex issue,” said Drakeford. “We are dealing with mental health and drug issues. Individuals who don’t make a living wage and can’t afford a place to stay even though they are working. And then some become a part of the system and are in and out of jail. We try to do what we can now, but they are only shorter-term fixes.”

So the question, as Drakeford pointed out, is where do you put all of these people and how do you provide them the services needed to sustain themselves daily? 

“I believe the answer is wrap-around services, not just a shelter where you put them for the night, and send them on their way in the morning,” said Drakeford. “That is just a temporary solution, but does not address the problem as a whole. It’s about working with the community college to see what kinds of programs they offer to help these individuals get a job. Once they have a job they will need help figuring out how to get an affordable home or apartment and still be able to live comfortably. It is not just one thing but several pieces of the puzzle that have to be solved. The proposed new men’s shelter is looking at a similar model, and Open Door Women’s Shelter has also moved in this direction.”

Drakeford said he has seen this model work in other cities and there is no reason that it couldn’t work here. It is now a matter of trying to come to a consensus on the number of homeless, where do you put them, and how to get the wrap-around services needed to deal with drug addiction, mental illness, home life situations, and the ability to sustain themselves. He said for all of that to work it will take money, and lots of it. 

“It will take significant grant money and a true willingness by the community to understand this is not going away,” said Drakeford. “It is going to be a long-term process. Not 30 days or 60 days, it will be a year-to-year process. And, it will take a community effort, with the ultimate goal for these individuals to be able to sustain themselves for the long term. I have seen other communities do it, with the collaboration of the cities, counties, grants, and individual donors. I believe if it is done correctly it can succeed here as well. There has to be an opportunity to say, let’s give it a try. If it works great, if not, we have to try something else.”