Dealing with the homeless

You have to know what and who you are dealing with.

The mentally ill:
Unfortunately many homeless have mental health issues. Depression, schizophrenia, delusions, etc… Seeing what is happening, it is a very stark reminder of how we as a society have turned our backs on the mentally ill. Unless the individual is at risk of harming themselves or someone else, there is not anything that be done. Rounding up people NAZI style leads to bad things happening in the United States which should never be done. Often the mentally ill have no family that can take care of them or even look after them from time to time. The best that can be done is offer as much compassionate care as possible within legal frameworks. Encourage front line psychiatry for those who are willing to accept help. often times there is nothing that can be done except offer showers, clean clothing from time to time and meals whenever possible.

Drug Addicts:
Some want help, Many do not want the help. I have personally met more than a few who were simply checking out of life. I watched a friend drink himself to death. He had his reasons. He told them to me. I couldn’t find any real way to talk him out of it although I wanted to. We can offer treatment but ultimately it is up to the individual. We can have homeless camps that are safe and drug free which can help people stay on the straight and narrow.

People with social disorders:
There are more than few. Some are friendly but like the drugs or alcohol. Some just fell into the wrong crowd. Met some heroine addicts that had a young girl in their group. Over 18 at the least. She showed signs of pregnancy and her “pack” left her behind. Some people are just naturally aggressive to the point of violence. A couple of brothers that frequented the local soup kitchen. treated the local jail as if it had a revolving door. Some people just can’t get along with other. It is a fact of life and they end up on the street as they just simply can’t function in a place or position of responsibility.

The Rest:
There are those whom there is nothing wrong with other than being a victim of bad economic policies. Good people on the street. These are the easiest ones to help. These are the ones who should be given priority for section 8 housing. There are many drifters. They come and go. Train Riders, Train Tramps, etc… They are only looking for a place to rest until they move on. They have many stories and are generally alright but never let them get behind you and never approach a hobo camp.

Designated homeless villages with actual services:
The transition village should be for people who have been given priority for section 8 housing. Facilities would include onsite showers and restroom. A meal kitchen staffed with volunteers from the local community and from other homeless who are committing community service. All members of the transition would be required to do 10-15 hours a week to maintain occupancy. Duties would include filling in pothole, collecting garbage and cleaning up other non-designated homeless camps.

Middle camps/villages. These would be centrally located with a meal kitchen and facilities for showering and restrooms. Homeless who want to apply for section 8 would be required to perform 150 hours of community service. I met a train rider. Not the nicest guy. Came into town and hung around for a month. He applied for section 8 housing and received it. A month later he took the first train out. These types on individuals are clogging the system and preventing the people who need the help and want the help from getting it. Doing community service demonstrates a commitment to improving themselves.

Bottom tier:
This is where we want the drug addicts and others to stay. We can provide a meal kitchen to provide meals for them. provide donated clothing and showers. Counselors donating their time or what resources the budget can allow to find those who want the help.

We can help buy we can’t do it by throwing money at the problem. We need focused treatment but we can only give the right help only if the right person is in charge.

Hiring police officers is only a small part of it. Re-hiring officers whom we lost due to resignations over covid requirements is essential.

Better hand to hand restrain training. Lynnwood has implemented a highly modified Ju-Jitsu training program. This program needs to be implemented statewide. I will be working to make sure this happens. Better training in hand to hand reduces the necessity of escalating further use of force. The better trained the officer is, the quicker a suspect can be taken into custody safely for everybody.

Re-establishing trust between the public and law enforcement is key to everything. Too many police officers have been politicized by over zealous prosecutors and un-ethical politicians who want convictions in times of elections. Law enforcement isn’t a political tool. No one should ever feel uncomfortable approaching a police officer and reporting crime of pointing out drug dens and dealers. The fear of retaliation or even fear of arrest for reporting crimes is what prevents people from approaching the police. Fear of mistreatment and hassle is another reason. This must stop.

Guns:
I don’t like seeing criminals with guns. I don’t like seeing guns being used in a crime. How do we get the guns out of the hands of criminals? They obviously won’t surrender them. I will however implement a “No Questions Asked” policy. Sometimes a gun comes into your possession that you want to get rid of. A friend I knew took a .22 pistol from his little brother who was at the time under 18. My friend had no real way of getting rid of it legally. Turning it into the police would have led to a lot of questions and possibly an arrest. A method must be in place to dispose of guns of questionable origin either to return it to it’s registered owner or for disposal.

I hate ghost guns. You don’t need one unless you are going to commit a crime. You want a firearm? go through the back ground check like I did. I maintain a concealed carry permit. MOLON LABE!

Healthcare costs are out of control. Neither party candidate are willing to rake this head on. The problem is centered with insurance companies and hospitals. They work to keep prices and costs hidden and that is fraud. Our health care industry is run like a cartel with hospitals and insurance companies fixing prices and defrauding the people. Washington State has laws requiring all businesses to openly declare their prices. These laws will be enforced. Hospital administrators will be held to account. Insuranc companies will be held to account.

Everybody has a story. I went to a small clinic and found out I had kidney stones. Dr recommended I get an abdominal CAT scan to see if any other damage was done. That is what the technology is for and why we should use it. I called the Vancouver Radiology clinic to make the appointment. Things got strange when I asked how much this was going to cost out of pocket. I was told that I would not know how much I would owe until AFTER medicare was billed. I asked again, “How much is this going to cost out of pocket.” The person I spoke to stated plainly that isn’t how they do billing.

While I was caring for my father after he suffered a stroke I took him to the ER for an ailment. While he was in the examination room a technician rolled in a cart with a small computer and a barcode scanner. The technician scanned bottles and entered in the dose to be administered.
Hospitals are required to keep accurate inventories. Hospitals know how much they are paying but they won’t tell you the cost to you. Hospitals commit fraud every day and the two party system’s candidates will not challenge them on your behalf.
When prices and costs are hidden. This environment only encourages fraud and that fraud is committed against everybody in the form of medicare fraud and it will stop.