Eastside Homelessness
Homelessness is probably not the first image that comes to mind when you think about the vigorous economy of the Eastside. We highlight voices from the largely unseen homeless population of Bellevue and Kirkland. This 5 part series was originally broadcast in October 2015.
Episode 1 – Congregations for the Homeless Bellevue Executive Director, David Johns Bowling (October 19, 2015)
Episode 2 & 3 – Lake Washington United Methodist Church Pastor, Kelly Dahlman Oeth (October 20-21, 2015)
Episode 4 & 5 – Eastside residents and parents of three, Tim and Jami Kemp share their experience of living in safe parking in Kirkland. (October 22-23, 2015)
Eastside Homelessness: a Different Story
Homelessness may not be one of the first things that come to mind when you think of the booming cities and suburbs east of Lake Washington. But shelters on the Eastside estimate they’ll serve well over twenty five hundred people this coming year. Congregations for the Homeless Executive Director David Bowling describes how being homeless on the Eastside differs from being on the street in Seattle.
A new Eastside Men’s shelter and supportive housing is proposed in Bellevue’s Eastgate area.
Homeless but not Hopeless; Riding the Bus to a Better Future
The bus is a means to a better life for Al Brown. Brown is homeless but not hopeless. He has been homeless for years but that has not determined his outlook on life. Brown is a college student who depends on the bus to move him towards a better future. Whitney Henry-Lester brings us Al’s dispatch alongside Seattle PI photographer, Grant Hindsley. Grant spent the day with Al and captured his commute in photos.
Click here for more What’s the Flux?: Commuter Dispatch stories.
Affordable Housing
The 2012 Point in Time Homeless survey count revealed almost 9,000 people* on any given night in Washington State are homeless. A big reason for this high number is the lack of affordable housing options in the state.
Affordable housing is hard to come by lately when the average rent for a one bedroom in King County is over $1000.
We talk with one person about how housing transformed her after losing everything and with two others who work to ensure and build housing for all in our communities.
Michele Thomas – Director of Policy and Advocacy at Washington Low Income Housing Alliance
Hyeok Kim – Executive Director at Interim International Community Development Association
Quiana Ross – Recipient of affordable housing through Housing Trust Fund dollars
Listen to the interview: KBCS_M+I_20130429_Affordable_Housing
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*Correction: The program originally stated the 2012 Point-in-Time survey indicated over 20,000 people are homeless every week in King County. This is incorrect. The actually number counted was 8,830, although the report states:
“There are more homeless individuals or families throughout Seattle and King County who were not counted on the night of the count either because they were hidden from volunteer counters, are living unsheltered in areas of the county not included in the count, or are temporarily homeless but staying with friends and family.”
For more a comparison of the numbers of homeless over the last three years, see homelessinfo.org
