Downtown Olympia needs a 24-hour, low-barrier shelter, complete with bathrooms, hygiene services and case management. This can’t be done by any one organization alone. We have to form a coalition made up of service providers, the faith community, business owners and employees and our neighbors.
We have to keep pressure on our council, urge them to keep working toward a lasting solution, and support Mayor Stephen Buxbaum and Councilman Jim Cooper in their efforts to get us there.
Our council is not made up of tyrants; in fact, they are each and every one compassionate and caring, especially for those in need in our community. But they are not experts. We have to work with them, guide them toward real solutions, and show them that we aren’t here to fight, but to but to be a part of making our city a better place.
We have to hold their feet to the fire and not let another round of noneffective ordinances pass, only to see the same problems resurface down the road. Please join me in sending messages – by phone, email, or in person – of encouragement to our council, and let’s make a 24-hour, low-barrier shelter a reality.
