By: Rachel Hollister

Rachel Hollister — Thu, 15 Aug 2013 00:06:05 +0000

The most vulnerable people in our community – those without a home, without families, without mental or physical health care – are already here. They struggle to make it through each day without knowing where they will sleep tonight, where they will find enough money to eat today, without knowing where they can even sit and rest without being perceived as a threat by others. You see them sleeping in doorways, walking the streets, or roaming in parks because they have nowhere else to go. The People’s House will finally give them a place to go, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The People’s House will give them a clean bathroom to visit, a safe spot to drop their bags for a couple hours, a friendly face to chat with, and mental health professionals to counsel with. The People’s House will care for those most uncared for in our community. It is the solution to the issues you’ve listed above.

The homeless are already here in Olympia, on the Eastside, Downtown, and on the Westside. The homeless already live here. Let’s give them a place to call home for a few hours.

As an Eastside Neighborhood Resident, I commend the community-wide effort to meet the needs of its most challenging members. I would be honored to have the People’s House In My Backyard.

Rachel Hollister

By: Jim & Margaret Hutchinson

Jim & Margaret Hutchinson — Mon, 12 Aug 2013 23:19:56 +0000

As a business person who would be directly impacted by the placement of this “low-barrier” facility, I am deeply concerned about it’s impact on our neighborhood. Our business is located within 50 feet of the proposed facility. Even without the proposed facility, our business has experienced many negative events from “squatters” around our building. Can you imagine coming to work as a female employee and being accosted by people sleeping in our breezeway?. What about walking in human excrement while taking garbage out to our dumpster? What about breakins? What about garbage left that completely filled a 1 1/2 yard dumpster?

I feel that the City of Olympia, and possibly the ODA, may be promoting siting of this facility in our neighborhood because of the few number of businesses in the vicinity. This is not an instance of NIMBY. This simply is not an appropriate location for this facility.

We look forward to working with the Eastside Neighborhood Association in challenging the siting of this shelter.

Margaret Hutchinson
Jim Hutchinson, DDS

Comments on: ENA Response to People’s House Shelter Proposal

By: Rachel Hollister

By: Jim & Margaret Hutchinson