S tre e t R oots • F e b r u a r y 2 7 - M a r c h 5 , 2 0 1 5
Commentary
P age 13
Open Wapato Jail to homeless on tenants’ own dime
I think you can first give homeless people
a place to get everything needed to get back
up. I will show you how tax dollars could be
ociety wants homeless people to get
saved and the county can make a profit.
up, and they would prefer that they do
First thing on everyone’s mind is where
it on their own. Yet, homeless people
will the money come from? A lot of
are spending so much time in line that they
homeless people have jobs! They just can’t
have no time to get their high school
afford an apartment. There are a lot who get
equivalency diploma (GED) or job training.
government checks, but, yet again, not
It s like you are in a flat bottom boat, with a
enough to get an apartment. What do they
big hole in the bottom, and you are so busy
do? They go to a motel and stay as long as
trying to bail out the water that you can’t
the money holds out, and then it’s back out
row the boat to shore.
until the next paycheck.
Some say that the problems are easy, but
Across the country, that’s a lot of money;
you just need to look at the problems in
money that could be used more wisely. My
reverse. Take a person who had been
proposal is to take Wapato Jail and the
sleeping under a bridge, but has managed,
grounds and open it up for the homeless.
For sleeping, have a huge night shelter open
by himself, to finally get into his own place.
What did it take to get him there? He had to every night. Have mats on the floor to sleep
on.
save money for the deposits, first and last
months’ rents, and work one to four weeks
There are 525 beds; some could be
before he got his first paycheck. Before that
occupied by couples, others by singles who
he may or may not have had to get a GED
share a room. Have on the outside a tent
or job training. Before that he may or may
city with large tents for the people who
don’t have their own tents, and a place for
not have needed drug and alcohol
those who do. Have a section that is like
treatment. During all. of his time unhoused,
Dignity Village. If you sleep in the village
he needed to shower regularly, wash his
section, you pay $25 per month per person,
clothes, have a place to store his
plus you do sweat equity, i.e. security,'
belongings, and have a place to eat and to
cleaning, maintenance. If you have a bed in
sleep.
the main building, you pay $200 per month.
In looking at the homeless, I see several
Everywhere else one can sleep will cost a
types of people. Some would give anything
dollar a day.
to get inside and are faying hard to get back
That gives everyone meals, showers,
into a home but can’t find a way. There are
lockers for storage,1 laundry and a place’lb
those who with a little help, or a lot of help,
sleep.
can get up. There are those who have
If you have, let’s say, 500 people who are
disabilities, mental and or physical. These
each paying a dollar a day. That is $15,000
are the ones who need housing — meaning
per month. If you have 525 beds and each
government-sponsored housing. That leaves
of them bring in $200 per month, that is
the people who have given up.
BY JOHNNY WILLIAMS
C O N TR IB U TIN G C O L U M N IS T
B
Johnny W illiams is a
Street Roots vendor
a n d a periodic
colum nist fo r the
newspaper.
$105,000 per month. That’s $120,000 a
month. The money is being paid by the
homeless, not the taxpayers. And that’s not
counting the $25 each from those who live
in the village.
To feed everyone, I would have everyone
turn over his or her food stamps. By using
the food stamps, you could buy in bulk to
save money with all of
the money going to
good nutritional food.
No resources would be
Haw,
spent on soda, chips,
a lly Wlllagm II yea sleep la the
ice cream and such.
villa ge seet!ear yea pay $ 25
Also utilize the food
banks to further
per laaath per pers©ay plus yea
subsidize the cost of
d© sweat equity^ he. security^
food, which saves
eleaaiag r malateaaaee« XI yea
money.
have a bed la tbe m ala balld-
Also, I would move
lag, yea pay $2©© per month.
all the self-help
Everywhere else ©ae ©an sleep
programs that are
w ill east a dolla r a day,
available all over the
city for GED, and the
drug abuse programs,
parenting classes, job
training and such.
Move them to one location; that way there
would be no transportation issues.
By moving the programs from the other
locations into th e one place, where there is
no rent or extra utilities to pay, that saves
tax dollars.
Now, the county owns the property so
there’s no rent to be paid, after the
insurance and the utilities are paid, the rest
is profit. That would go to the county.
People will be able to straighten out their
lives, and that will do nothing but help the
economy.
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