Thomas was a serviceman and a Russian cryptolinguist. Cash Money is a service dog, a leashless, pointy-eared weiner dog who has followed Thomas for five years.
They have been homeless since November. They stayed in hotels for seven weeks before entering the homelessness tracking system on Jan. 21. Thomas’ veteran navigator told him that after one night in a shelter, he and Cash Money should be able to get into a place within three days.
Two weeks after his application to the Mark Cooper House, Thomas was told they had no vacancies. His second application was at the Matt Talbot Center. Between being assured of a place at an appointment in Renton and getting to an appointment downtown, the last bed disappeared. There were issues because his DD214 and other paperwork had been stolen along with his wallet while in the shelter.
Next, they applied to Michael’s Place, a recovery program that had an open spot. With his clean urinalysis, they were ready to give him a place. But Cash Money couldn’t come until his service dog certification was in order. Problem was, it had disappeared at the same time as the rest of the paperwork. More than a month later, they’re still in the shelter overnight and selling Real Change during the day.
With more Rapid Rehousing funds, there could be enough staff for faster, better screening and Thomas and Cash Money would be able to get into a place closer to the three days his navigator promised.
Background
The State House of Representatives released its Supplemental Operating Budget proposal on Feb. 22, which includes $37 million for emergency homelessness services from the rainy day fund. This will help create more flexible housing options to meet the specific needs of people like Thomas.
One part of that $37 million is $7.5 million for Rapid Rehousing programs designed to prevent people from being evicted or minimize the time spent on the street.
Also included in the budget is $19.7 million for permanent supportive housing, shelter and services. Research has shown the success of the Housing First model, which prioritizes housing for the most vulnerable and provides the onsite counselors and case managers needed to help people reclaim their lives once they have the stability of housing.
Rental-assistance funds of $10 million would help people get off the street quickly by providing vouchers for move-in costs and six months’ rent for market-rate housing. It takes time to save up for a deposit and first- and last-month rent, especially in this time of rising rents.
We’ll need your voice to keep this money in the budget during the complicated negotiations between the House, the Senate and the Governor.
What you can do
Go to wliha.org (the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance) and look for the Take Action section on the left side of the page. Click on the item in red text for $37 million in homeless services. The link will take you to an email to send to your state legislators (input your zip code and address for your legislators).
OR Use the Housing Alliance email as a starting point to send your own email, make a phone call, or hand write a letter to your legislators. Find your district at leg.wa.gov by clicking on Find Your District on the side menu.
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