No simple solution

It doesn’t take a sociologist to understand the homeless issue isn’t solely about substance abuse or laziness. The causes are more complex than the sound-bite reasons and simplistic solutions Nadine Woodward has. Limited access to mental health resources, the widening economic gap and rent inflation are certainly valid contributors, yet are glossed over in the elitist “Curing Spokane” video. Between the money poured into Woodward’s campaign and the punitive solutions and shock/scare tactics of the video, any sense of altruism or civic responsibility by the realtors association is overshadowed by the shallowness of political and economic self-interest. Surely, no reasonable citizen can see otherwise?

If the Realtors truly wanted to make a difference, they could take the money they have spent to elect an unqualified media celebrity and use it to find ways to build or subsidize affordable housing, instead of exacerbating the problem. If Nadine Woodward wanted to make a difference, she should rely upon the collective resources of business, religious, educational and government communities to find solutions to a community issue.

I fear the Realtors and Woodward have made a Faustian arrangement. One hopes for economic considerations and the other gets four more years of “celebrity” status.

Len Hershman

Spokane