For many people in King County, the proposals of many of our elected officials in Washington, D.C., have been disappointing, disheartening and devastating. In light of this, I’d like to share some wisdom from my mentor, Killian Noe, the founder of Recovery Café.
“When you give your own resources to cultivate something good and hopeful in the world, you not only address that suffering, but you connect yourself to all the hope, good and transformation in the world. You become part of a movement.”
This message inspires me every day. Here in King County, there are many ways we can connect ourselves with hope in our world. Specifically, I encourage the King County Council and every constituent of the Council to advocate for approving proposal to renew the Veterans and Human Services Levy at the 12-cent level that County Executive Dow Constantine has proposed. Is our tax system regressive? Yes, absolutely, and that is awful; yet, at this point the levy is one of the only revenue tools we have to make King County the kind of place where we all want to live.
Recovery Café is a support center for people who have been traumatized by homelessness, addiction, grinding poverty and other mental health challenges. We have the incredible privilege to walk with people on their journey as they rebuild their lives to claim all they were created to be. A significant number of people we serve are veterans struggling with PTSD, homelessness, physical injuries, addiction and various traumas associated with combat. Recovery Café does not receive any funding from this levy, but critical service providers we work with do. We know firsthand that funding their work is essential. The levy is not only a critical lifeline, but also an incredible opportunity to support the people who have made sacrifices that many of us will never completely comprehend.
A few years back one of our members, a young homeless vet struggling with significant mental health challenges, shared his perspective with me:
“As crazy as it sounds, I kind of want to go back to Iraq. At least there a bunch of people always had my back. I was part of a team, and we had a mission. Here I feel like no one has my back, and no one really wants anything to do with me.”
That sentiment should break all of our hearts.
The exciting thing is we can do something about it. We can “have the backs” of thousands of people who will benefit from the proposed levy. We know (we see it every day here at the Café) that with the proper supports — including behavioral health care, job training and housing — some of the most marginalized in our community can thrive.
Recently I spoke with one former member, also a veteran, about sharing his story more broadly. He has turned what at one point felt like an impossible situation around; he is employed full time, has housing, is a certified yoga instructor through Recovery Café’s yoga certification program and is an excellent husband and father. I invite you to consider connecting yourself with the hope, the help and the promise of this proposed levy by pushing for its passage.
As a community, let’s do it right, let’s do it at the 12-cent level. The alternative proposal of 10 cents makes a minuscule difference for each individual tax bill but comes with a $10 million loss in providing hope, healing and life transformation for our community. Let’s confirm the truth that, regardless of what is going on in the other Washington, here in King County we know that every life has value.
David Coffey is the executive director of Recovery Café.
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