Thank you Dave for writing this and shedding the harsh light of truth on the matter. The denial of reality and the emotional manipulation of those in charge and the service providers is stunning. The same dynamics that play out in a family struggling for addiction is playing out on a community level with people making excuses, blaming the victim, gaslighting and refusing to see the issue with intellectual honesty.

It is incredibly discouraging. The only hope I have is that there is a nonpartisan call for change bubbling up. We have to fix this mess, both the crisis and the lack of housing. We do not need cultural competency, we need competent housing policy. We do not need to “Decolonize Homelessness,” we need help with rent. Unfortunately, the system as it is now penalizes the decent, and prioritizes the pathological. For all the talk of equity, there is no fairness in the current system.

When I am feeling down, I will think of Udo, and all the other stories I have heard. We are going to retake Olympia. We are going to fight for our community. We will not let them drag us down with them. We want to help the needy, but criminals and con men are not welcome in Olympia, no matter what their housing status is.