Re: “Seattle’s mayoral candidates have plans for homelessness, but they’re staring at an uncertain future” [July 11, Local News]:
Although homelessness is a deeply entrenched social challenge, it will not be solved by politicians who think they have all the answers.
We need a comprehensive federal, state, county and city approach that avoids duplication of effort, wasting money on staff and executives who are not in the trenches actually confronting homeless people, and by a totally regressive funding system that the state of Washington refuses to change.
Until we have a comprehensive plan to include homeless people at the policymaking table, we will have homelessness with us forever.
We must adopt a statewide progressive income tax to pay for costs associated with homelessness, the hungry, people without health insurance and the working poor. Our current regressive funding system does not capture the richest people in our state, counties and cities, who should be paying their fair share to maintain, operate, fund and protect our communities.
In fact, politicians should consider a homelessness czar who would work to consolidate and focus all of the funds that are appropriated at the federal, state, county and city level, and actually do something meaningful instead of having so many overlapping jurisdictions that stymie effective action.
Nels Anderson Jr., Seattle