Thread by @PoulChapman

Long thread on homelessness services!! The upcoming Seattle Election will continue to be about candidates with evidence-based practical solutions or candidates supported by the emotion-filled revulsion from "Moms", Burgess/POS, Seattle Chamber, SOS, #SafeSeattleIsAHateGroup 1/24

2/ Listening to the "concern" from some people in our neighborhoods, you'll hear a lot express sentiments like this, that there's help if people just ask.
These are a FALSE narrative

3/ Reality is much different. This doesn't mean there aren't legitimate criticisms of the current approach or that we can't do better. But the problems are A) Lack of Money and IMO B) Lack of Human-centered approach. It's a hard problem, but it's not really that complicated

4/ The problem is NOT, like Speak Out Seattle, People of Seattle, or Moms of Seattle would have you believe that our vulnerable neighbors are willful deadbeats sucking the lifeblood of Seattle

5/ These groups want you to think that Sweeps Work! That Sweeps Get People Into Housing, and only selfish recalcitrant drug users don't accept the help of sweeps. This is false.

6/ (We do have a mayoral support problem, as evidenced by the evident frustration in Jackie St. Louis' resignation: "Because a good name is worth more than any earthly reward, and integrity should never be entrusted to those who it is a stranger to it")
thecisforcrank.com/2019/07/23/mor…

7/ So here's the reality on the ground. This is staggering and sobering. This gives a window into the scope and depth of the what needs to be fixed, per a Seattle Housing Authority presentation

8/ Per VA policy homeless vets who are dialysis must travel to OR for treatment. Also "Not everyone qualifies for organ transplant. If they don't have local family support they simply don't get an organ."

9/ The wait list for the Seattle Housing Authority is 4+ years. You have to check in monthly or you lose your spot on the list. You have to be homeless or make less than $23,500 household combined income.

10/ You have to be a citizen. You'll be denied if you're a sex offender, or if you've cooked meth on federal property. But arsonists are okay. See also this great reporting on the issue:

https://twitter.com/rottenindenmark/status/1151111193408368640?s=11

11/ The voucher system wait-list is closed and has been closed since 2017. Last time 20,000 people applied and 4,200 were granted via lottery. Landlords legally HAVE to accept vouchers. Vouchers for 1 bedrooms are around $1500.

12/ And the elderly? We've closed the wait lists because the people on the list will probably be dead before anything opens up.

13/ And that this is why people "don't accept housing". Not because they don't want it, but because we don't have enough housing! And everything is stuck in lack of resources and bureaucracy, and beleaguered social workers have to smile n wave, smile n wave

14/ But there's also good news! SHA is hiring a housing counselor to assist landlords w/voucher clients. Seattle has also contracted with housingconnector.com to help assist people get into housing. (if you're a landlord, go check them out!) @Connector_PNW

15/ On to the Seattle Police Department Crisis Response Unit (CRT)! There is one Mental Health Professional for the whole SPD.

16/ This bears repeating: There is one Mental Health Professional for the whole SPD.

17/ SPD gets 12,000+ mental health crisis calls a year. CRT focuses on those with "the highest likelihood of imminent harm" + disproportionate users of 911 for mental health issues

18/ Beat cops get 40hrs of Crisis Intervention Training. (That's not a lot?) Good news: 70% of SPD cops have this training compared to 20% in police departments nationally.

19/ SPD doesn't require officers to take mental health de-escalation training because "nobody likes it when something is volun-mandatory" (and our PD academies are anemic vs Europe... huffpost.com/entry/police-c…)

20/ Result is there really isn't any govt org that's actually designed to respond to someone having a mental health crisis in public. Cops do it by default. But all they are really doing is gathering data, and either taking them to an ER to treat and turf, or arresting them

21/ SPD completes an average of 31 Crisis Template forms a day
7,200 "subjects" a year
257 subjects require a use of force
41% go to ER
15.6% decline resources
774 subjects are referred to the Mobile Crisis Team (via DESC?)
10% end in arrest

22/ The SPD clearly thinks mental health intervention isn't their job. And maybe it isn't. But it doesn't appear to be anyone else's either

23/ Summary #1: don't fall for the false narrative that sweeps help, that people who live on the streets are just recalcitrant. We need real solutions, & those take money. Which means more taxes that'll pay for more social workers and housing. It's not that complicated, really.

24/ Summary #2: the @SeattleCouncil candidates supported by these conservative PACs and irate neighborhood groups want to sell you the fantasy that we can solve this by cutting tax and "spending wisely." It's bullshit. Don't fall for it.

/END

I should add here since I used work from Erica Barnett: go to thecisforcrank.com and support your local journalist!

@SeattleCouncil I'm gonna add more here. Personal story.... Within my family we have someone who is *ThisClose* to homelessness. Here's how this happens. (A of J)

B/ Teenager with some mental health issues. Family didn't have insurance for mental health care, so they self-medicate to feel like themselves. This leads to addiction issues.

C/ Mental health issues get worse (maybe acerbated by addition, maybe not), but now the co-morbidity of addiction+mental illness makes finding treatment hard, and costly. Still no insurance.

D/ Get insurance, but the hurdles to finding care. Day after day after day. Try this facility. Nope, we don't take drug users. That facility. Nope, we can't handle the mental illness. Co-pays down the drain with facilities that don't really try.

E/ 18 now. Get arrested when some friends beat someone up. End up in solitary confinement because that's how the jail handles people w/mental illness. (solitary is literally torture. out of respect I'll leave out the truly disturbing details. imagine your worst then multiple 80x)

F/ Out on bail. Finally find a facility that will help. But in another state. The judge won't let them leave for treatment. Back to finding another place to help. Waiting to plead with the judge.

G/ And this is someone in an extended family with resources. With family who is 1000% on board with sticking this out and getting help. Now imagine someone whose family isn't quite a helpful, and who has to navigate everything on their own.

They're fucked.

H/ As a society, we've decided that we're okay with slowly killing people on our streets. That's what this is.

We're okay that people die on our streets.

We've got the money. We know how to help, what works, what's needed.

I/ This is purely a lack of will to tax + a puritanical desire to publicly punish people who fall out of step.

J/ And that's part of what the upcoming Seattle council election is about. Do we elect people pushing Austerity Politics? Or do we elect progressives with a clear social justice / equity perspective who bring $$ & policy that solves the crisis?