Cooperative, simple solutions

The solution to the problem of homelessness is actually very simple. If everyone had a home, there would be no problem. However, like always, the devil is in the details.

Some say that a person should first be a responsible citizen and have a job and be free of mental illness and any addiction issues. Unfortunately, in Spokane, it would be virtually impossible to get a job without a permanent address, and both mental illness and addiction are treatable problems, but rarely curable.

The experience of other cities shows that providing housing first enables people to find employment and treatment, which leads to responsible citizenship. Besides, in the long run permanent housing is cheaper for the taxpayer than the options of incarceration, temporary shelters and additional city employees such as police and code enforcement clean-up crews.

Simple solutions are often the best, and cooperation between government and builders could provide that solution.

Daniel Schaffer

Spokane