Page 10 The Skanner January 3, 2018
News
Solutions to Homelessness Come
With Their Own Challenges
By Geoff Mulvihill
Associated Press
any experts say
homelessness is
not an intracta-
ble problem.
A national focus on
housing veterans and
people who have long
been homeless has
made a difference, for
example. But methods
to end it or significant-
ly reduce the problem
come with financial and
political hurdles. A look
at some of the key strat-
egies and their chal-
lenges:
M
Federally Funded
Subsidized Housing
A shortage of housing
that’s affordable to very
low-income people, es-
pecially in high-rent
areas, is a key reason
for homelessness. Pro-
viding more affordable
housing can sometimes
prevent it.
“We don’t need a
multi-billion
dollar
homeless system,” said
Paul Boden, a longtime
advocate for the home-
less who runs the San
Francisco-based West-
ern Regional Advocacy
Project. “We need to re-
invigorate our housing
systems.”
But nationally, that’s
not the way things are
headed. For the last 40
years, there’s been slow
growth in the number
of units in publicly
subsidized
housing,
and President Donald
Trump’s budget pro-
posal calls for reducing
vouchers.
An analysis by the
liberal-leaning Center
on Budget and Policy
Priorities found that
235,000 fewer families
could have access to
subsidized housing un-
der his plan. The cuts
would not be as deep
under budget plans be-
ing considered in Con-
gress.
The study’s author,
Douglas Rice, believes
that perhaps 5 to 10 per-
cent of families that lose
vouchers would become
homeless.
Locally Subsidized
Affordable Housing
Building more low-
cost housing is at the
center of efforts to stem
homelessness in Los
Angeles and other West
Coast cities.
Since last year, voters
in Los Angeles and Los
Angeles County have
approved bond issues
totaling about $4.7 bil-
lion over 10 years to
build more affordable
housing, using tax in-
creases to pay for the
bonds. Voters in the
counties that include
Oakland and San Jose
have approved similar
measures.
Joe Colletti, CEO of the
Hub for Urban Initia-
tives, which provides
planning and other
services in several Cal-
ifornia communities,
said the approach is the
right one. But it will take
years to build homes.
He said voters might
be disappointed when
they still see people liv-
ing on the streets in a
decade: While adding
10,000 units of housing
in Los Angeles can pre-
vent homelessness for
many, he said, it won’t
get everyone who is
now homeless off the
streets.
Enforcing Laws
In many places, offi-
cials have added laws
to combat panhandling,
camping in public plac-
es and stepped up en-
forcement of those and
other policies to keep
homeless people away.
In August, Sacra-
mento County officials
approved
spending
$5 million to increase
enforcement of an an-
ti-camping law along
the American River,
which is lined with en-
campments.
That’s discouraging
for Bob Erlenbusch, ex-
ecutive director of the
Sacramento Regional
Coalition to End Home-
lessness. He says there
aren’t enough efforts
to house the growing
numbers of homeless
people.
Read the rest of this story at
TheSkanner.com
OBITUARY: Oscar Eason, Jr.
1930-2017
T
he Honorable Oscar
Hamilton and Jeremy Eason;
Eason, Jr., a faithful ser-
his sister, Nell Rose Eason,
vant, passed this life on
his nephews, Dr. Charles
Dec. 18, 2017.
Hunt and his wife Bobbie,
His home going is planned
and Charles Sonny Eason;
for Thursday January 4,
his great-nieces, Robyn
2018, 10 AM at St. Paul Cath-
Corr and her husband
olic Church, 10001 57th Av-
Dominic and Nicole Ford.
enue South, Seattle, WA.
Great-nephews,
Charles
South of Kubota Gardens.
Hunt Jr., Jason Robinson and
Burial at Mt. Tahoma Na-
Sean Carrington.
Oscar Eason, Jr.
tional Cemetary, 18600 SE
He was a faithful advocate
240th Street. Kent, WA 98042-4868 for people who could not speak for
followed by a Repast in Roman Hall at themselves and did the work without
St.Paul Catholic Church.
complaining. He leaves a strong lega-
Mr. Eason served on many boards, cy of community service and he will be
Nationally, State, Federal and County.
missed.
In Washington State he was one of the
The Seattle King County NAACP is-
founding members of the Seattle Chap- sued the following statement upon Os-
ter of Blacks in Government. Past Pres- car’s death:
ident of Seattle King County Chapter,
“It is with a heavy heart we grieve the
also past President of the Seattle King loss of a longtime NAACP activist and
County NAACP, past Regional Presi- leader, Oscar Eason, Jr. After nearly
dent of the NAACP (Alaska, Oregon & six decades of service, Oscar served as
Washington). A life time member of NAACP President of both Seattle King/
both organizations. Oscar also served County as well as Alaska, Oregon, WA
on the National Board of Blacks in Gov- State Area Conference He leaves be-
ernment. Several Governor appoint- hind a long, distinguished history of
ments to the Washington State Afri- fighting for Civil Rights and equality
can American Commission where he for all.
served as President for 4 years. He also
“While Oscar is no longer with us,
served on the Board of the Central Area his legacy will live on for ages, both in
Motivation Board (CAMP), Co-found- his personal life and in the mission of
ing member of the Martin Luther King, the NAACP. He will have an everlasting
Jr. March and Rally Committee and on impact on the hearts and souls of all the
many other community boards.
people who had the pleasure of know-
Eason is survived by his wife
ing and working him over the years.
Oscar is survived by his wife, Lois; Our thoughts and Prayers go out to his
his daughter, Angela Green and her family, as we all have lost a legend of
husband Eugene of St. Louis, MO; his Civil Rights in Oscar Eason, Jr.”
son, Oscar Eason III and his wife Gloria
Funeral arrangements by Bonney
of Kansas City, MO; His grandchildren, Watson Funeral Home, 1723 Broadway
Oscar Eason IV, Jaylen Green, Derek Ea- Avenue, Seattle, WA. Phone number
son, Lauryn Eason, Jazzmin Hill, Elexys (206) 322-0013.
Garner cont’d from pg 8
this for being Black in America. I can’t.”
In a March 2015 interview on NBC
News, Erica Garner spoke passionately
about the Black Lives Matter movement
and other protests that sought justice.
She recalled the August 2014 shoot-
ing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.,
and how it wasn’t until months later,
when the video of her father’s death
was released, that the Eric Garner inci-
dent received national attention.
Garner described seeing her fa-
ther die via a cellphone video “a thou-
sand-million times,” and when a grand
jury failed to indict police officers, she
said it was time to take her fight for jus-
tice to the streets.
“To me, it was just saying, ‘you know
what? I’m just going to march,” she told
NBC News.
Even when there weren’t television
news cameras, Garner said she was
determined to keep marching, to keep
fighting.
“That’s the most annoying question
I get. People ask, ‘when will you stop
marching? What do you want from
marching?’ He was my father,” Erica
Garner said during the interview. “I
will always march.”