HomeMy WebLinkAbout102625 email - Public Comment Re DSHS Encampment removalALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Dear Commissioners Heather, Heidi, and Greg,
[I also sent this message to the PT City Council.]
As a Port Townsend resident and housing advocate I am disturbed to hear that our neighbors experiencing houselessness may be further displaced from the minimal amount of support and
community that has built up at the encampment by the DSHS office. I do not support the November 3rd sweep. I have not been following this issue closely, so I don't know the details
of why the sweep has been proposed, but it just simply does not make any sense to me from a human standpoint to force our city's most vulnerable population to move right at the onset
of winter and given the lack of a formal alternative option (shelter) that I am aware of. It seems like it could only result in dispersing whatever safety issues are arising at the
encampment, while making it much more difficult for those most in need of support to access that support -- both formal (service providers, public benefits, transportation etc) and
informal (mutual aid, donations, etc). This timing feels particularly cruel given the government shutdown impacting essential benefits like SNAP, this coming month. People with EBT
cards currently do not know if they will receive any food assistance in November. I support a delay or cancellation of the sweep until there is some kind of formal alternative option
for unhoused individuals, and I support providing the kinds of services that might make the encampment more safe and sanitary, like sanicans, trash removal, etc. The encampment is clearly
not any kind of "solution," but it would not exist if it were not fulfilling a need. If it is to be disbanded eventually that should not happen at the onset of winter during a government
shutdown and when there is nowhere being offered as a safe, supportive place for our community's most vulnerable to go.
I appreciate your time reading this comment and your thoughtful engagement with this issue.
Respectfully,
Justine