Misunderstanding addiction

The mayoral guest opinions on Sept. 22 (Nadine Woodward ) and Sept. 29 (Ben Stuckart) certainly represent a stark tale of two cities for the future of Spokane.

Mr. Stuckart promotes a city of walkable neighborhoods and systematic change. He rightly identifies the biggest problem being the lack of affordable housing.

Ms. Woodward is focusing her entire campaign on homelessness from a fear-based lens. Her solution? Three of her seven-step solution regards policing. One recommends jail time. Her naivete of resources and addictions is troubling. She recommends creating a homeless task force (hello, the Spokane Low Income Housing consortium has been in existence since 1990.)

She also recommends gathering feedback. These stats have been compiled since I served on the city Human Services Advisory Board in the ‘90s. She talks about the accountability of individuals, and “those who have chosen to live a transient, addicted lifestyle.”

Obviously she has little understanding of addictions. I have worked in addictions since 1979, and once the addiction sets in, there is little choice, because the drug becomes the driver. Finally, not one of her strategies includes providing more affordable housing. No housing crisis can be solved if there is not housing available.

Please join me in supporting Ben Stuckart, who will develop the “type of community we want.”

Louise Chadez

Spokane